He removed the foreign altars and high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and chopped down the Asherah poles.
Parallel translations
- WEB for he took away the foreign altars and the high places, broke down the pillars, cut down the Asherah poles,
- KJV For he took away the altars of the strange gods, and the high places, and brake down the images, and cut down the groves:
- NKJV for he removed the altars of the foreign gods and the high places, and broke down the sacred pillars and cut down the wooden images.
- NASB for he removed the foreign altars and high places, tore down the memorial stones, cut down the Asherim,
- NLT He removed the foreign altars and the pagan shrines. He smashed the sacred pillars and cut down the Asherah poles.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Asa removes foreign altars, high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles. He actively tears down idolatry rather than merely tolerating reform.
Overview
Asa's reforms target the apparatus of Canaanite and foreign worship that repeatedly seduced Israel. Breaking down pillars and cutting Asherah poles fulfills the law's command to destroy false worship and guard exclusive devotion to Yahweh. Such cleansing prefigures the heart-purification Christ works in His people, removing idols so God alone is worshiped.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 7:5Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their idols in the fire.
- 2 Kgs 23:14He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.
- Exod 34:13Rather, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred stones, and chop down their Asherah poles.
- 1 Kgs 15:12–14He banished the male shrine prostitutes from the land and removed all the idols that his fathers had made.
- 2 Chr 15:17The high places were not removed from Israel, but Asa’s heart was fully devoted all his days.
- 2 Kgs 23:6He brought the Asherah pole from the house of the LORD to the Kidron Valley outside Jerusalem, and there he burned it, ground it to powder, and threw its dust on the graves of the common people.
- 1 Kgs 11:7–8At that time on a hill east of Jerusalem, Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites.
- Deut 7:25You must burn up the images of their gods; do not covet the silver and gold that is on them or take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it; for it is detestable to the LORD your God.
- 2 Kgs 18:4He removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles. He also demolished the bronze snake called Nehushtan that Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had burned incense to it.
- 1 Kgs 14:22–24And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.
- Judg 6:25–28On that very night the LORD said to Gideon, “Take your father’s young bull and a second bull seven years old, tear down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole beside it.
- Lev 26:30I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars, and heap your lifeless bodies on the lifeless remains of your idols; and My soul will despise you.
- 2 Chr 34:4Then in his presence the altars of the Baals were torn down, and he cut to pieces the incense altars that were above them. He shattered the Asherah poles, the carved idols, and the cast images, crushed them to dust, and scattered them over the graves of those who had sacrificed to them.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Temple, priesthood, and the repeated need for a faithful king who seeks the LORD all point past every imperfect reign to the King and Temple who finally and fully dwell with God's people.
How 2 Chronicles 14:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.