Exodus 34:13

13 But also destroy thou their altars, break the images, and cut thou down their [maumet] woods; (And also destroy thou their altars, and break in pieces their images, and cut thou down their idol woods, or their sacred poles;)

Exodus 34:13 Meaning and Commentary

Exodus 34:13

But ye shall destroy their altars
On which they had sacrificed to their idols; since, if they were allowed to continue, they might be temptations to offer sacrifice thereon, contrary to the command of God:

break their images:
of gold or silver, wood or stone, which they made for themselves, and worshipped as deities; seeing if these continued, the sight of them might lead to the worship of them, and so bring under the divine displeasure, as a breach of the command of God given them:

and cut down their groves;
which were clusters of trees, where they had their temples and their idols, and did service to them, and where, besides idolatry, many impurities were committed. Such places were originally used by good men for devotion, being shady and solitary, but when abused to superstitious and idolatrous uses, were forbidden. It is said ^F14, the word for "grove" is general, and includes every tree they serve, or plant, for an idol.

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 R. Sol. Urbin. Ohel Moed, fol. 72. 1.

Exodus 34:13 In-Context

11 Keep thou all things, which I command to thee today (Obey thou everything which I command to thee today); I myself shall cast out before thy face (the) Amorites, and Canaanites, and Hittites, and Perizzites, and Hivites, and Jebusites.

12 Beware, lest any time thou join friendships with the dwellers of that land, which friendships (shall) be into falling to thee.

13 But also destroy thou their altars, break the images, and cut thou down their [maumet] woods; (And also destroy thou their altars, and break in pieces their images, and cut thou down their idol woods, or their sacred poles;)

14 do not thou worship an alien God; a jealous lover is the Lord's name, God is a fervent lover; (do not thou worship any foreign, or any other, god; for the Lord's name is Jealous, and he is a jealous God;)

15 make thou not (a) covenant with the men of those countries, lest when they have done fornication, that is, idolatry, with their gods, and have worshipped the simulacra of them, any man call thee (someone call thee), that thou eat (some) of the things offered to an idol.