The Meaning of Deuteronomy 12:3 Explained

Deuteronomy 12:3

KJV: 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.

YLT: and ye have broken down their altars, and shivered their standing pillars, and their shrines ye burn with fire, and graven images of their gods ye cut down, and have destroyed their name out of that place.

Darby: and ye shall break down their altars, and shatter their statues, and burn their Asherahs with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and ye shall destroy the names of them out of that place.

ASV: 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.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Deuteronomy 12:3 Mean?

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 12

1  Monuments of idolatry to be destroyed
4  The place of God's service to be kept
15  Blood is forbidden
17  Holy things must be eaten in the holy place
19  The Levite is not to be forsaken
20  Blood is again forbidden
26  and holy things must be eaten in the holy place
29  Idolatry is not to be enquired after

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 12:3 mean?

And you shall destroy - their altars and break their [sacred] pillars and their wooden images burn with fire and the carved images of their gods you shall cut down and destroy their names from place that
וְנִתַּצְתֶּ֣ם אֶת־ מִזְבּחֹתָ֗ם‪‬ וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם֙ מַצֵּ֣בֹתָ֔ם וַאֲשֵֽׁרֵיהֶם֙ תִּשְׂרְפ֣וּן בָּאֵ֔שׁ וּפְסִילֵ֥י אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם תְּגַדֵּע֑וּן וְאִבַּדְתֶּ֣ם שְׁמָ֔ם מִן־ הַמָּק֖וֹם הַהֽוּא

וְנִתַּצְתֶּ֣ם  And  you  shall  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: נָתַץ  
Sense: to pull down, break down, cast down, throw down, beat down, destroy, overthrow, break out (teeth).
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
מִזְבּחֹתָ֗ם‪‬  their  altars 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
וְשִׁבַּרְתֶּם֙  and  break 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
מַצֵּ֣בֹתָ֔ם  their  [sacred]  pillars 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: מַצֵּבָה  
Sense: pillar, mastaba, stump.
וַאֲשֵֽׁרֵיהֶם֙  and  their  wooden  images 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֲשֵׁרָה  
Sense: a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images.
תִּשְׂרְפ֣וּן  burn 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: שָׂרַף  
Sense: to burn.
בָּאֵ֔שׁ  with  fire 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.
וּפְסִילֵ֥י  and  the  carved  images 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: פָּסִיל  
Sense: image, idol, graven image.
אֱלֹֽהֵיהֶ֖ם  of  their  gods 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
תְּגַדֵּע֑וּן  you  shall  cut  down 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, second person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: גָּדַע  
Sense: to cut, hew, chop, cut down, hew down, hew off, cut off, cut in two, shave off.
וְאִבַּדְתֶּ֣ם  and  destroy 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Conjunctive perfect, second person masculine plural
Root: אָבַד  
Sense: perish, vanish, go astray, be destroyed.
שְׁמָ֔ם  their  names 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
הַמָּק֖וֹם  place 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
הַהֽוּא  that 
Parse: Article, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.