Deuteronomy 16 · Verse 21

Deuteronomy 16:21

Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the Lord thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
Deuteronomy 16:21, King James Version

Deuteronomy 16:21 in other translations

BSBDo not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God,
WEBYou shall not plant for yourselves an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the LORD your God’s altar, which you shall make for yourselves.
ASVThou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Jehovah 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,
DARBYThou shalt not plant thyself an Asherah of any wood near unto the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
BBELet no holy tree of any sort be planted by the altar of the Lord your God which you will make.
WebsterThou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near to the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make for thee.

What does Deuteronomy 16:21 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
21. Thou shalt not plant thee a grove--A grove has in Scripture a variety of significations--a group of overshadowing trees, or a grove adorned with altars dedicated to a particular deity, or a wooden image in a grove (Jud 6:25; 2Ki 23:4-6). They might be placed near the earthen and temporary altars erected in the wilderness, but they could not exist either at the tabernacle or temples. They were places, which, with their usual accompaniments, presented strong allurements to idolatry; and therefore the Israelites were prohibited from planting them.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 21 Thou shalt not plant thee a grove, etc. - We have already seen that groves were planted about idol temples for the purpose of the obscene worship performed in them. (See on Deu 12:3 (note)). On this account God would have no groves or thickets about his altar, that there might be no room for suspicion that any thing contrary to the strictest purity was transacted there. Every part of the Divine worship was publicly performed, for the purpose of general edification.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Deuteronomy 16:18-22

Care is taken for the due administration of justice. All personal regards must be laid aside, so that right is done to all, and wrong to none. Care is taken to prevent following the idolatrous customs of the heathen. Nothing belies God more, or tends more to corrupt the minds of men, than representing and worshipping, by an image, that God, who is an almighty and eternal Spirit, present every where. Alas! even in…

Read the full comment on Deuteronomy 16:18-22 →

Deuteronomy 16:21 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

לֹֽא\־lo'-notH3808
תִטַּ֥עti.Ta'you will plantH5193
לְךָ֛le.Khafor yourself
אֲשֵׁרָ֖ה'a.she.Rahan Asherah poleH842
כָּל\־kol-anyH3605
עֵ֑ץ'EtztreeH6086
אֵ֗צֶל'E.tzelbesideH681
מִזְבַּ֛חmiz.Bach[the] altar ofH4196
יְהוָ֥הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ'e.lo.Hei.khaGod yourH430
אֲשֶׁ֥ר'a.SherwhichH834
תַּעֲשֶׂה\־ta.'a.seh-you will makeH6213
לָּֽךְ\׃\ \סLakhfor yourself

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Deuteronomy 16:21

  • 2 Chronicles 33:3

    For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

  • 2 Kings 17:16

    And they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.

  • Exodus 34:13

    But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves:

  • 2 Kings 21:3

    For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

  • 1 Kings 14:15

    For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger.

  • Judges 3:7

    And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

  • 1 Kings 16:33

    And Ahab made a grove; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.

  • Deuteronomy 7:5

    But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, and burn their graven images with fire.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Ex 34:13; Jud 3:7; 1Ki 14:15; 16:33; 2Ki 17:16; 21:3; 2Ch 33:3

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Deuteronomy 16:20

    That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

  • Deuteronomy 16:21

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

  • Deuteronomy 16:22

    Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy God hateth.

Read all of Deuteronomy 16

Deuteronomy 16:21 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		No te plantarás bosque de ningún árbol cerca del altar de Jehová tu Dios, que tú te habrás hecho.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Tu ne te planteras pas d’ashère, de quelque bois que ce soit, à côté de l’autel de l’ Éternel, ton Dieu, que tu te feras;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Du sollst dir keine Aschera pflanzen, irgend ein Holz neben dem Altar Jehovas, deines Gottes, den du dir machen wirst.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Non plantabis lucum, et omnem arborem juxta altare Domini Dei tui.