Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Deuteronomy 12:3
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.
Their groves – Render their idols of wood: and see the Deu 7:5 note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. Ye shall overthrow their altars] Where unholy sacrifices have been offered; and break their pillars, probably meaning statues and representations of their gods cut out of stone; and burn their groves, such as those about the temple of Ashtaroth, the Canaanitish Venus, whose impure rites were practised in different parts of the inclosures or groves round her temples; and ye shall hew down the graven images, probably implying all images carved out of wood; and destroy the names of them, which were no doubt at first graven on the stones, and carved on the trees, and then applied to the surrounding districts. In various instances the names of whole mountains, valleys, and districts were borrowed from the gods worshipped there.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Their pillars, upon which their images were set. The names of them, i.e. all the memorials of them, and the very names given to the places from the idols.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. And ye shall overthrow theiraltarspiles of turf or small stones.
and break theirpillarsBefore the art of sculpture was known, the statues ofidols were only rude blocks of colored stones.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And you shall overthrow their altars,…. 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, Ex 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 y; perhaps such as were called Baetulia, in imitation of the stone Jacob set up for a pillar at Bethel, Ge 28:18
and burn their groves with fire; which were planted about their temples, and under which also their idols were placed, and where they privately committed the most abominable lewdness under the notion of religion. The Targum of Jonathan renders the word “abominations”, meaning idols; and so Jarchi interprets it by a tree that is worshipped; [See comments on De 7:5]
and you shall hew down the graven images of their gods; which were made of wood:
and destroy the names of them out of the place; by never making any mention of them in common discourse, and by changing the names of places called from them; and especially by destroying all the relics of them, and whatever appertained to them, which might lead to the mention of them; see Ho 2:17.
y Misn. Avodah Zarah, c. 3. sect. 7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(3) Destroy the names.The substitution in later times of bosheth for baal in the names Jerubbaal (Jerubbesheth), Eshbaal (Ishbosheth), Meribbaal (Mephibosheth), is a curious example of the literal fulfilment of this command, or, perhaps, rather of the command in Exo. 23:13, of which the spirit and purport agree with this.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. Their groves More properly, their images of Asherah. Comp. Deu 7:5; Deu 16:21; also Exo 34:13.
And destroy the names of them This close connexion of names and places is found in Phoenician and Canaanite mythology, which is remarkable for the number of its local divinities: and it helps to explain why Moses, not content with ordering the destruction of the pagan sanctuaries, insisted upon the abolition of the names. The Israelites were to destroy all that might suggest idol-worship. The Puritans claimed to be carrying out the spirit of this command when, in their iconoclastic zeal, they almost despoiled the churches and cathedrals of works of art in the form of statues and paintings.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Deu 12:3 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.
Ver. 3. And ye shall hew down. ] As was here done notably in King Edward VI’s days, notwithstanding the withstandings of the rude rabble, which more regarded commotioners than commissioners, and were more guided by rage than by right, &c. a So that as one Mr Body, a commissioner, was pulling down images in Cornwall, he was suddenly stabbed into the body, by a priest, with a knife.
a Life of Edward VI, by Sir John Heywood.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
break = smash.
pillars. These “menhirs” constantly dug up to-day. groves = Hebrew. ‘asherah. See App-42.
graven images = sculptures, as in Deu 7:25.
destroy = cause to perish. Hebrew. ‘abad. Compare Exo 23:24; Exo 34:13. Jdg 2:2; Jdg 6:28. 2Ki 10:19; 2Ki 11:1. Eze 6:3.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
ye shall: Num 33:52, Jdg 2:2, 2Ch 31:1
overthrow: Heb. break down
and burn: 1Ki 15:13, 2Ki 18:4, 2Ki 23:14, 2Ch 14:3, 2Ch 19:3, 2Ch 34:3, Jer 17:2, Mic 5:14
and destroy: Exo 23:13, Psa 16:4, Hos 2:17, Zec 13:2, Rev 13:1
Reciprocal: Exo 23:24 – overthrow Exo 34:13 – ye shall Deu 7:5 – destroy Deu 7:25 – graven Jdg 17:3 – a graven image 1Ki 14:15 – beyond the river 2Ki 11:18 – brake they 2Ki 17:10 – in every 2Ch 23:17 – brake his altars 2Ch 28:4 – General Dan 11:8 – their gods
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
12:3 And ye shall overthrow their altars, and break their pillars, and burn their {b} groves with fire; and ye shall hew down the graven images of their gods, and destroy the names of them out of that place.
(b) In which they sacrificed to their idols.