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GROVE*
Mistaken KJB translation of a Hebrew word that was the name of a Canaanite goddess, Asherah. Often sacred trees were designated as symbols of that fertility goddess; sometimes wooden poles were erected. God commanded the Israelites to destroy those symbols (called “Asherim,” “Asheroth”) by cutting them down (Ex 34:13) and burning them (Dt 12:3). Because the poles were wooden, archaeologists have been unable to find any clear remains. In an early sanctuary at Ai, however, a large piece of carbonized wood was discovered lying between incense burners. It may have been a tree trunk from which the branches had been trimmed. Some researchers suggest it was an Asherah pole.
God strictly forbade the Israelites to worship Asherah or to erect sacred symbols in her honor. From time to time Israel disobeyed God and engaged in false worship. One account of the downfall of the northern kingdom attributes its failure to the existence of groves and the worship of the pagan goddess and her male counterpart, Baal (2 Kgs 17:7-18). Jezebel, a priestess of the Tyrian Baal, promoted the spread of such idolatry. The “grove” of Genesis 21:33 (KJB) was actually a tamarisk tree.
See also Canaanite Deities and Religion; Gods and Goddesses; High Place; Idols, Idolatry.