Deuteronomy 12:2-3
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The command isn't just to tear down structures, but to obliterate every place of worship, "on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree," signifying that even seemingly natural, everyday spots were corrupted by idolatry and must be cleansed. This highlights how pervasive and deeply rooted the surrounding nations' false worship had become, demanding a total severance from anything that might remind Israel of their practices.
You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
As the Israelites prepare to enter and conquer the land of Canaan, God commands them to eradicate all traces of the pagan worship practiced by its inhabitants. This includes completely destroying the high places, hills, and sacred trees where the Canaanites offered sacrifices and bowed down to their gods. This radical command is the first step in establishing pure worship of the Lord alone in the Promised Land.
Imagine moving into a brand new home, but the previous owners left behind remnants of their strange, unsettling traditions. God gives Israel a similar, but far more serious, directive.
Deuteronomy 12:2 is a stark command: 'You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods.' This wasn't about petty demolition; it was a radical act of spiritual cleansing.
The Reason Why
The land Israel was entering was saturated with the worship of other gods. These weren't just abstract deities; they had physical places of worship—high mountains, hills, and shady trees—all designed to draw people into their service. God demanded that every single one of these be utterly destroyed. This was essential for Israel to focus their allegiance solely on Him.
Total Devotion Required
'Utterly destroy' implies a complete eradication. There was to be no blending of worship, no 'borrowing' of sacred sites, and no preserving of any idol or symbol. This wasn't just about removing physical objects; it was about severing the spiritual ties that bound the previous inhabitants to their false gods, preventing Israel from falling into the same trap.
It's easy to see this command as simply tearing down buildings. But the 'places' God refers to held a much deeper, more dangerous power.
The command to destroy the places of worship wasn't merely about removing stones and trees; it was about eradicating the very and of false worship.
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The Power of Place
Ancient cultures believed their gods were immanent in specific locations—mountains, hills, and trees. These weren't just scenic spots; they were believed to be conduits to the divine. For Israel, continuing to worship at these sites, even if they tried to redirect that worship to Yahweh, would have been a dangerous compromise. It risked confusing Yahweh with the local deities and adopting their corrupt practices.
Erasing the Past
Commentaries highlight that the command extended to destroying the names of these places and idols (as seen in other related passages). This meant removing any lingering association or memorial that could spark a return to idolatry. God wanted a spiritual 'clean slate' for His people, ensuring their worship of Him was pure and undivided.
Understand the original words
mizbeach · Hebrew Noun
Places designated for religious sacrifice and contact with divine beings. While legitimate altars were built for YHWH, those mentioned here were associated with pagan idolatry and required destruction to maintain spiritual purity.
matstsebah · Hebrew Noun
Sacred stones or standing stones often used in Canaanite worship to represent the presence of a deity. Their destruction was commanded to prevent Israel from adopting the idolatrous practices of the nations.
asherah · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the cultic objects or trees associated with the Canaanite goddess Asherah. They were symbols of fertility and pagan worship that stood in direct opposition to the worship of YHWH.
pesel · Hebrew Noun
Objects crafted from wood, stone, or metal to represent a false deity. Scripture strictly forbids making or bowing down to such images because they misrepresent the nature of the invisible, transcendent God.
This passage directly commands the Israelites to overthrow the altars and break the sacred pillars of the nations they will dispossess, echoing the destructive impulse of Deuteronomy 12:2 to eradicate idolatrous worship.
Leviticus 26:30This verse speaks of the desolation of Israel's high places and the destruction of their idols, mirroring the consequence of failing to obey the command in Deuteronomy 12:2 to clear out foreign worship sites.
Jeremiah 2:20The prophet Jeremiah rebukes Israel for their persistent idolatry, referencing their worship on high mountains and under trees, the very places condemned for destruction in Deuteronomy 12:2.
1 Kings 18:20This passage highlights the pervasiveness of Baal worship on Mount Carmel, illustrating the kind of idolatrous sites, situated on elevated ground, that Israel was commanded to utterly destroy according to Deuteronomy 12:2.
Ezekiel 6:13Ezekiel prophesies judgment upon Israel for their unfaithfulness, specifically mentioning their worship in every high hill and on every mountain top, under every green tree, directly echoing the locations specified for destruction in Deuteronomy 12:2.
gillDeuteronomy 12:2: "Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:"
Ye shall utterly destroy all the places wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods,.... The temples erected for the worship of them by the Canaanites, of which there were many, as appears by the various names of places given them from the temples in them, as Bethshemesh, Bethbaalmeon,…
calvinDeuteronomy 12:1-3: "These are the statutes and judgments, which ye shall observe to do in the land, which the LORD God of thy fathers giveth thee to possess it, all the days that ye live upon the earth."
And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
Diruetisque aras earum, et statuas earum confringetis, lucos earum comburetis igni, et s…
The command isn't just to tear down structures, but to obliterate every place of worship, "on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree," signifying that even seemingly natural, everyday spots were corrupted by idolatry and must be cleansed. This highlights how pervasive and deeply rooted the surrounding nations' false worship had become, demanding a total severance from anything that might remind Israel of their practices.
As the Israelites prepare to enter and conquer the land of Canaan, God commands them to eradicate all traces of the pagan worship practiced by its inhabitants. This includes completely destroying the high places, hills, and sacred trees where the Canaanites offered sacrifices and bowed down to their gods. This radical command is the first step in establishing pure worship of the Lord alone in the Promised Land.
As the Israelites prepare to enter and conquer the land of Canaan, God commands them to eradicate all traces of the pagan worship practiced by its inhabitants. This includes completely destroying the high places, hills, and sacred trees where the Canaanites offered sacrifices and bowed down to their gods. This radical command is the first step in establishing pure worship of the Lord alone in the Promised Land.
"You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations whom you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree. You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and…" — The command isn't just to tear down structures, but to obliterate every place of worship, "on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree," signifying that even seemingly natural…
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Last reviewed October 2026
