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Selected Verse: Deuteronomy 16:21 - Strong Concordance
Verse |
Translation |
Text |
De 16:21 |
Strong Concordance |
Thou shalt not plant [05193] thee a grove [0842] of any trees [06086] near unto [0681] the altar [04196] of the LORD [03068] thy God [0430], which thou shalt make [06213] thee. |
|
King James |
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove--A grove has in Scripture a variety of significations--a group of overshadowing trees, or a grove adorned with altars dedicated to a particular deity, or a wooden image in a grove (Jdg 6:25; Kg2 23:4-6). They might be placed near the earthen and temporary altars erected in the wilderness, but they could not exist either at the tabernacle or temples. They were places, which, with their usual accompaniments, presented strong allurements to idolatry; and therefore the Israelites were prohibited from planting them. |
The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
grove
The groves (Hebrew, "Asherim") so often mentioned in the Old Testament were devoted to the worship of Ashtereth, the Babylonian goddess, "Ishtar", the "Aphrodite" of the Greeks, the Roman, "Venus".
(See Scofield) - (Jdg 2:13). |
Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78] |
"Thou shalt not plant thee as asherah any wood beside the altar of Jehovah." נטע, to plant, used figuratively, to plant up or erect, as in Ecc 12:11; Dan 11:25; cf. Isa 51:16. Asherah, the symbol of Astarte (see at Exo 34:13), cannot mean either a green tree or a grove (as Movers, Relig. der Phnizier, p. 572, supposes), for the simple reason that in other passages we find the words עשׂה, make (Kg1 14:15; Kg1 16:33; Kg2 17:16; Kg2 21:3; Ch2 33:3), or הצּיב, set up (Kg2 17:10), העמיד, stand up (Ch2 33:19), and בּנה, build (Kg1 14:23), used to denote the erection of an asherah, not one of which is at all suitable to a tree or grove. But what is quite decisive is the fact that in Kg1 14:23; Kg2 17:10; Jer 17:2, the asherah is spoken of as being set up under, or by the side of, the green tree. This idol generally consisted of a wooden column; and a favourite place for setting it up was by the side of the altars of Baal. |
Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
Thou shalt not plant - Because this was the practice of idolaters, and might be an occasion of reviving idolatry. |
Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove, etc. - We have already seen that groves were planted about idol temples for the purpose of the obscene worship performed in them. (See on Deu 12:3 (note)). On this account God would have no groves or thickets about his altar, that there might be no room for suspicion that any thing contrary to the strictest purity was transacted there. Every part of the Divine worship was publicly performed, for the purpose of general edification. |
4 And the king [04428] commanded [06680] Hilkiah [02518] the high [01419] priest [03548], and the priests [03548] of the second order [04932], and the keepers [08104] of the door [05592], to bring forth [03318] out of the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068] all the vessels [03627] that were made [06213] for Baal [01168], and for the grove [0842], and for all the host [06635] of heaven [08064]: and he burned [08313] them without [02351] Jerusalem [03389] in the fields [07709] of Kidron [06939], and carried [05375] the ashes [06083] of them unto Bethel [01008].
5 And he put down [07673] the idolatrous priests [03649], whom the kings [04428] of Judah [03063] had ordained [05414] to burn incense [06999] in the high places [01116] in the cities [05892] of Judah [03063], and in the places round about [04524] Jerusalem [03389]; them also that burned incense [06999] unto Baal [01168], to the sun [08121], and to the moon [03394], and to the planets [04208], and to all the host [06635] of heaven [08064].
6 And he brought out [03318] the grove [0842] from the house [01004] of the LORD [03068], without [02351] Jerusalem [03389], unto the brook [05158] Kidron [06939], and burned [08313] it at the brook [05158] Kidron [06939], and stamped it small [01854] to powder [06083], and cast [07993] the powder [06083] thereof upon the graves [06913] of the children [01121] of the people [05971].
25 And it came to pass the same night [03915], that the LORD [03068] said [0559] unto him, Take [03947] thy father's [01] young [06499] bullock [07794], even the second [08145] bullock [06499] of seven [07651] years old [08141], and throw down [02040] the altar [04196] of Baal [01168] that thy father [01] hath, and cut down [03772] the grove [0842] that is by it:
13 And they forsook [05800] the LORD [03068], and served [05647] Baal [01168] and Ashtaroth [06252].
3 And ye shall overthrow [05422] their altars [04196], and break [07665] their pillars [04676], and burn [08313] their groves [0842] with fire [0784]; and ye shall hew down [01438] the graven images [06456] of their gods [0430], and destroy [06] the names [08034] of them out of that place [04725].