The Meaning of Deuteronomy 16:21 Explained

Deuteronomy 16:21

KJV: Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

YLT: 'Thou dost not plant for thee a shrine of any trees near the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou makest for thyself,

Darby: Thou shalt not plant thyself an Asherah of any wood near unto the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

ASV: Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Thou shalt not plant  thee a grove  of any trees  near unto  the altar  of the LORD  thy God,  which thou shalt make  thee. 

What does Deuteronomy 16:21 Mean?

Study Notes

grove
The groves (Heb. Asherim) so often mentioned in the OT were devoted to the worship of Ashtereth, the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, the Aphrodite of the Greeks, the Roman Venus. CF.
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Ashtaroth
Ashtaroth, plural of Ashtoreth 1 Kings 11:5 were figures of Ashtoreth the Phoenician goddess (the Astarte of the Greeks), which were worshipped as idols during times of spiritual declension in Israel.; Judges 10:6 ; 1 Samuel 7:3 ; 1 Samuel 7:4 ; 1 Samuel 12:10 ; 1 Samuel 31:10 ; 1 Kings 11:5 ; 1 Kings 11:33 ; 2 Kings 23:13 . Jeremiah refers Jeremiah 44:18 ; Jeremiah 44:19 to Ashtoreth as the "queen of heaven."

Chapter Summary: Deuteronomy 16

1  The feast of the Passover
9  of weeks
13  of tabernacles
16  Every male must offer, as he is able, at these three feasts
18  Of judges and justice
21  Asherah poles and images are forbidden

What do the individual words in Deuteronomy 16:21 mean?

Not You shall plant for yourself as a wooden image any tree near the altar to Yahweh your God which you build for yourself -
לֹֽא־ תִטַּ֥ע לְךָ֛ אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה כָּל־ עֵ֑ץ אֵ֗צֶל מִזְבַּ֛ח יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּעֲשֶׂה־ לָּֽךְ ס

תִטַּ֥ע  You  shall  plant 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: נָטַע  
Sense: to plant, fasten, fix, establish.
לְךָ֛  for  yourself 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה  as  a  wooden  image 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֲשֵׁרָה  
Sense: a Babylonian (Astarte)-Canaanite goddess (of fortune and happiness), the supposed consort of Baal, her images.
כָּל־  any 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
עֵ֑ץ  tree 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֵץ  
Sense: tree, wood, timber, stock, plank, stalk, stick, gallows.
אֵ֗צֶל  near 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֵצֶל  
Sense: beside, by, near, nearness, joining, proximity subst.
מִזְבַּ֛ח  the  altar  to 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
יְהוָ֥ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
תַּעֲשֶׂה־  you  build 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָּֽךְ  for  yourself 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
ס  - 
Parse: Punctuation