Old Testament References to Asherah Poles and Pagan Worship

Asherah poles, frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, were objects associated with pagan worship, specifically the Canaanite goddess Asherah ^{[7, 8]}. The Hebrew term asherah refers to a wooden image or pillar representing this goddess ^[6]. These poles were often erected in groves, on high hills, or under green trees, signifying places of illicit worship ^{[1, 2, 6]}.

Asherah was understood to be a sensual Canaanite goddess, sometimes identified as Astarte, and was considered the feminine counterpart to the Assyrian Ishtar ^{[6, 7]}. In Canaanite mythology, Asherah was seen as the mother of the gods and the consort of El or Baal ^{[8, 14]}. Her worship often involved fertility rites ^[14]. The symbols of Asherah were typically wooden poles or trees, which could be green poles or even the stem of a tree stripped of its branches and shaped into an image ^{[7, 8]}. These objects were sometimes made of silver or carved stone as well ^[7].

The presence and destruction of Asherah poles are recurring themes throughout the historical books and prophetic literature of the Old Testament, illustrating the persistent struggle against idolatry in ancient Israel.

Biblical References and Context

The Old Testament frequently condemns the erection and worship associated with Asherah poles. For example, the book of Deuteronomy explicitly prohibits setting up an Asherah pole beside the altar of the Lord ^[15]. This command underscores the exclusivity of Yahweh worship and the rejection of syncretism.

In the book of Judges, the prophet Gideon is commanded by God to tear down the altar of Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it, indicating that these objects were central to the pagan worship practices that Israel was to eradicate ^[7].

The kings of Israel and Judah often vacillated between fidelity to Yahweh and engagement in pagan practices, including the veneration of Asherah.

King Ahab is noted for making an Asherah pole, a practice that King Manasseh later emulated ^[4]. Ahab's reign was particularly marked by the promotion of Baal worship and the associated Asherah cult ^{[7, 11]}.
King Manasseh is depicted as one of the most wicked kings of Judah. He rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, raised altars for Baal, and made an Asherah pole, worshiping and serving "all the host of heaven" ^{[4, 11]}. His actions included setting up Asherah poles and engraved images, which are recorded in the "Records of the Seers" ^{[3, 5]}. Manasseh's spiritual infidelity involved rebuilding pagan shrines and reintroducing astral worship, sins for which the northern kingdom had previously been judged ^[11].
King Hezekiah, in contrast, is praised for his reforms. He "compared favorably with David" and actively destroyed false objects of worship, including pagan shrines, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles ^[9]. This act of purification was a significant part of his effort to restore proper worship of Yahweh ^[9].
King Josiah also undertook extensive religious reforms, which included the removal and destruction of Asherah poles and other idolatrous objects from the Temple and throughout the land ^[7].

The prophets also spoke out against the worship of Asherah.

Jeremiah lamented that the children of Israel remembered their altars and Asherah poles by green trees and on high hills, indicating the deep-seated nature of these idolatrous practices ^[2].
Micah prophesied the destruction of sacred pillars and Asherah poles, linking them to the pagan deities and their powers of fertility ^[8]. The prophet Isaiah also refers to the worship of Asherah in wooded areas or through the use of Asherah poles ^[13].

Symbolism and Interpretation

The Asherah pole, often made of wood, represented Canaanite fertility goddesses, particularly Asherah, who was considered the mother of the gods ^[12]. These shrines may have evolved from stylized sacred trees associated with fertility ^[12]. The "sacred pillars," often made of engraved stone, were typically associated with pagan male deities like Baal, and the Asherah pole was considered their feminine counterpart ^{[10, 12]}. Some interpretations suggest that both the stone pillars and the wooden Asherah poles may have carried sexual implications, representing male and female fertility symbols respectively ^[8].

The practice of setting up Asherah poles was a "chronic sin" for God's people, often accompanied by fertility rites ^[14]. The presence of these poles signified a departure from the covenant with Yahweh and an embrace of the religious practices of the surrounding Canaanite cultures. The command to destroy these objects was not merely about removing physical idols but about eradicating the memory and influence of these pagan deities, ensuring that future generations would know nothing of them ^[10]. The destruction of Asherah poles was a tangible act of devotion to God and a rejection of syncretism, which sought to blend the worship of Yahweh with the worship of other gods ^{[9, 10]}.

Sources

I Kings “I Kings 14:23 (BSB) — They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.”
Jeremiah “Jeremiah 17:2 (BSB) — Even their children remember their altars and Asherah poles by the green trees and on the high hills.”
II Chronicles “II Chronicles 33:19 (BSB) — His prayer and how God received his plea, as well as all his sin and unfaithfulness, and the sites where he built high places and set up Asherah poles and idols before he humbled himself, they are indeed written in the Records of the Seers.”
II Kings “II Kings 21:3 (BSB) — For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped and served all the host of heaven.”
2 Chronicles “His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin and his trespass, and the places in which he built high places, and set up the Asherah poles and the engraved images, before he humbled himself: behold, they are written in the history of Hozai. -- 2 Chronicles 33:19”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Grove — (1.) Heb. asherah, properly a wooden image, or a pillar representing Ashtoreth, a sensual Canaanitish goddess, probably usually set up in a grove (2 Kings 21:7; 23:4). In the Revised Version the word "Asherah" (q.v.) is introduced as a proper noun, the name of the wooden symbol of a goddess, with the plurals Asherim (Ex. 34:13) and Asheroth (Judg. 3:13). The LXX. have rendered asherah in 2 Chr. 15:16 by "Astarte." The Vulgate has done this also in Judg. 3:7. (2.) Heb. eshel (Gen. 21:33). In 1 Sam. 22:6 and 31:13 the Authorized Version renders this word by "tr”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: Asherah — And pl. Asherim in Revised Version, instead of "grove" and "groves" of the Authorized Version. This was the name of a sensual Canaanitish goddess Astarte, the feminine of the Assyrian Ishtar. Its symbol was the stem of a tree deprived of its boughs, and rudely shaped into an image, and planted in the ground. Such religious symbols ("groves") are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Ex. 34:13; Judg. 6:25; 2 Kings 23:6; 1 Kings 16:33, etc.). These images were also sometimes made of silver or of carved stone (2 Kings 21:7; "the graven image of Asherah," R.V.). ”
Micah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Micah 5:13: 5:13-14 sacred pillars . . . Asherah poles: Stones were set up as places or objects of worship; they could represent pagan deities. The Asherah poles were green poles or trees that represented the goddess Asherah and her powers of fertility. Both the stones and the trees may have had sexual implications—one male, the other female. Asherah was seen as the mother of gods and El’s (or Baal’s) consort.”
2 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Kings 18:3: 18:3-4 Unlike Ahaz (16:2), Hezekiah compared favorably with David. Hezekiah destroyed false objects of worship, including the pagan shrines . . . sacred pillars, and . . . Asherah poles (see 16:3-10; 17:9-11, 19). • Apparently the bronze serpent used by Moses (Num 21) had become an object of illicit worship.”
Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 12:3: 12:3 sacred pillars: See study note on 7:5. • Asherah poles: The feminine counterpart to the sacred pillar was a wooden pole dedicated to the mother goddess, Asherah. • erase the names: With the destruction of all idols and every vestige of pagan worship, the names of these deities would be forgotten. Future generations would know nothing of them (see also study note on 7:24).”
2 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 2 Kings 21:3: 21:3-5 Manasseh’s spiritual infidelity included rebuilding local pagan shrines that his father had destroyed (18:3). He also promoted wicked religious practices associated with the worship of Baal and set up an Asherah pole (see 18:3; 1 Kgs 16:32) and reintroduced astral worship. God had judged the northern kingdom for these sins (2 Kgs 17:16).”
Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 7:5: 7:5 Engraved stone pillars called stelae usually represented pagan male deities. These sacred pillars were commonly found at shrines dedicated to Baal. • Asherah poles, usually made of wood, represented Canaanite fertility goddesses, particularly Asherah, the mother of the gods. These shrines might have developed as stylized sacred trees associated with fertility (see study note on 12:2).”
Isaiah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Isaiah 17:8: 17:8 Canaanites and then Israelites worshiped the fertility goddess Asherah in wooded areas or, in the absence of wooded areas, using Asherah poles (see 27:9; 65:3; Mic 5:14).”
1 Kings (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on 1 Kings 14:15: 14:15 Asherah was thought to be the consort of El, the elder god of ancient Canaan. Asherah worship included fertility rites at sacred trees or poles; it became a chronic sin for God’s people (15:13; 16:33; 18:19; Deut 16:21; Judg 3:7).”
Deuteronomy (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Deuteronomy 16:21: 16:21-22 Asherah pole . . . sacred pillars: See study note on 7:5; see also 12:3; Isa 27:8-9; Mic 5:13-15.”

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