Deuteronomy 12:3

“And you shall overthrow their altars, etc.] Which were of stone, as Jarchi observes; whereas the altar ordered to be made by the Lord, before the altar of burnt offering in the tabernacle was made, was of earth, (<022024>Exodus 20:24) these were to be demolished, lest the Israelites should be tempted to make use of them; and besides, the Lord would not have any remains of idolatry in the land where his tabernacle and worship were, as being abominable to him: and break down their pillars; or statues erected to the honour of their idols; according to Jarchi it was a single stone hewed out at first for the basis of a statue f114; perhaps such as were called Baetulia, in imitation of the stone…”

“And ye shall overthrow their altars--piles of turf or small stones. and break their pillars--Before the art of sculpture was known, the statues of idols were only rude blocks of colored stones.”

“Their groves - Render their idols of wood: and see the Deuteronomy 7:5 note. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Pillars - Upon which their images were set. Names - That is, all the memorials of them, and the very names given to the places from the idols. Deuteronomy 12:4”

“12:3 sacred pillars: See study note on 7:5. • Asherah poles: The feminine counterpart to the sacred pillar was a wooden pole dedicated to the mother goddess, Asherah. • erase the names: With the destruction of all idols and every vestige of pagan worship, the names of these deities would be forgotten. Future generations would know nothing of them (see also study note on 7:24).”

“ye shall: Num 33:52; Jdg 2:2; Ch2 31:1 overthrow: Heb. break down and burn: Kg1 15:13; Kg2 18:4, Kg2 23:14; Ch2 14:3, Ch2 19:3, Ch2 34:3; Jer 17:2; Mic 5:14 and destroy: Exo 23:13; Psa 16:4; Hos 2:17; Zac 13:2; Rev 13:1 Deuteronomy 12:4”