The term "Ashe'rim" refers to the plural form of "Asherah," which is often associated with wooden symbols or poles used in the worship of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. These objects were frequently mentioned in the Old Testament as part of the idolatrous practices that the Israelites were commanded to avoid. The Ashe'rim were typically erected near altars dedicated to Baal and other pagan deities, serving as cultic symbols that were contrary to the worship of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Biblical References:

1. Deuteronomy 16:21 : "Do not set up any wooden Asherah pole beside the altar you build for the LORD your God." This commandment underscores the prohibition against incorporating pagan symbols into the worship of Yahweh. The presence of an Asherah pole was seen as a direct violation of the covenant relationship between God and Israel.

2. Judges 3:7 : "And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. They forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs." This verse highlights the recurring theme of Israel's apostasy, where the people turned away from God to serve foreign deities, including Asherah, which led to their oppression by surrounding nations.

3. 1 Kings 14:15 : "And the LORD will strike Israel, so that it will be like a reed swaying in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave to their fathers and will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger." This passage illustrates the consequences of Israel's idolatry, emphasizing that the worship of Asherah was a significant factor in God's judgment against the nation.

4. 2 Kings 23:6 : "He 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." This verse describes King Josiah's reforms, where he actively sought to purify the worship practices in Judah by removing and destroying objects associated with idolatry, including the Asherah poles.

Cultural and Religious Context:

The worship of Asherah and the use of Ashe'rim were deeply embedded in the religious practices of the Canaanites and other neighboring cultures. Asherah was considered a mother goddess, often associated with fertility and motherhood, and was sometimes depicted as the consort of El or Baal. The Israelites, influenced by these surrounding cultures, frequently fell into the temptation of syncretism, blending the worship of Yahweh with that of other deities, which was strictly forbidden by the Mosaic Law.

The presence of Ashe'rim in Israelite society was a constant challenge to the purity of their worship and their covenantal relationship with God. Prophets and reformers, such as Elijah and Josiah, played crucial roles in calling the people back to exclusive worship of Yahweh and in removing these symbols of idolatry from the land.

Theological Significance:

The repeated mention of Ashe'rim in the Old Testament serves as a reminder of the dangers of idolatry and the importance of faithfulness to God. The Israelites' struggle with idolatry reflects the broader human tendency to turn away from the Creator and towards created things. The biblical narrative consistently calls God's people to reject all forms of idolatry and to worship Him alone, as expressed in the first commandment: "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3).

The destruction of Ashe'rim by faithful leaders symbolizes the need for spiritual renewal and the rejection of anything that competes with the worship of the one true God. This theme remains relevant for believers today, emphasizing the call to maintain purity in worship and devotion to God.Ashe'rim (19 Occurrences)

Exodus 34:13
But ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and ye shall cut down their Asherim.
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Deuteronomy 7:5
But thus shall ye deal with them: ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and hew down their Asherim, and burn their graven images with fire.
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Deuteronomy 12:3
And ye shall break down their altars, and dash in pieces their pillars, and burn their Asherim with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods; and ye shall destroy their name out of that place.
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1 Kings 14:15
for the LORD will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and He will root up Israel out of this good land, which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River; because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD.
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1 Kings 14:23
For they also built them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every leafy tree;
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2 Kings 17:10
and they set them up pillars and Asherim upon every high hill, and under every leafy tree;
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2 Kings 23:14
And he broke in pieces the pillars, and cut down the Asherim, and filled their places with the bones of men.
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2 Chronicles 14:3
for he took away the strange altars, and the high places, and broke down the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim;
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2 Chronicles 17:6
And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD; and furthermore he took away the high places and the Asherim out of Judah.
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2 Chronicles 24:18
And they forsook the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols; and wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guiltiness.
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2 Chronicles 31:1
Now when all this was finished, all Israel that were present went out to the cities of Judah, and broke in pieces the pillars, and hewed down the Asherim, and broke down the high places and the altars out of all Judah and Benjamin, in Ephraim also and Manasseh, until they had destroyed them all. Then all the children of Israel returned, every man to his possession, into their own cities.
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2 Chronicles 33:19
His prayer also, and how God was entreated of him, and all his sin and his transgression, and the places wherein he built high places, and set up the Asherim and the graven images, before he humbled himself; behold, they are written in the history of the seers.
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2 Chronicles 34:3
For in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father; and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images.
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2 Chronicles 34:4
And they broke down the altars of the Baalim in his presence; and the sun-images, that were on high above them, he hewed down; and the Asherim, and the graven images, and the molten images, he broke in pieces, and made dust of them, and strewed it upon the graves of them that had sacrificed unto them.
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2 Chronicles 34:7
And he broke down the altars, and beat the Asherim and the graven images into powder, and hewed down all the sun-images throughout all the land of Israel, and returned to Jerusalem.
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Isaiah 17:8
And he shall not regard the altars, the work of his hands, neither shall he look to that which his fingers have made, either the Asherim, or the sun-images.
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Isaiah 27:9
Therefore by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be expiated, and this is all the fruit of taking away his sin: when he maketh all the stones of the altar as chalkstones that are beaten in pieces, so that the Asherim and the sun-images shall rise no more.
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Jeremiah 17:2
Like the symbols of their sons are their altars, and their Asherim are by the leafy trees, upon the high hills.
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Micah 5:14
I will have your Asherahs pulled up from among you: and I will send destruction on your images.
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Ashe'rim (19 Occurrences)
Ashe'rim. Asherim, Ashe'rim. Asherite . Multi-Version Concordance
Ashe'rim (19 Occurrences). Exodus 34:13 But ye shall break down ...
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Asherim (20 Occurrences)

/a/asherim.htm - 13k

Asherite (1 Occurrence)

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