What is an Asherah pole in the Bible?
At the time of Christ, an Ashera pole was a sacred tree or post erected near Canaanite places of worship to honour the pagan goddess Ashera, also known as Astarte. Canaaniteplaces of worship tohonor the pagan goddess Ashera, also known as Astarte. Ashera poles are mentioned many times in the Bible, sometimes as "sacred poles", notably in the Book of Kings.
Who was Ashera?
Ashera would have been the name given to the goddess of fertility. Indeed, in those days, it was common for a god or goddess to be designated as responsible for good harvests and healthy livestock.
However, various sources mention Ashera as consort of the Canaanite creator god El or associated with the fertility god Baal, sometimes even referred to as the Lord God.
Ashera's poles were therefore either a wooden pole, carved or not, erected for the veneration of the pagan deity, or a wooden pole, carved or not, erected for the veneration of the pagan deity.esse, or a tree planted near a sacred place where pagan worshippers offered sacrifices.
The mast of Ashera in the Books of Kings
The two Books of Kings recount the long work of the kings who felled the "sacred poles", as the Ashera poles were often called. They also tell the stories of those who rebuilt them.
As an example, in this passage from the Second Book of Kings in chapter 21, verse 3, King Manasseh of Judah set up a mast in the Lord's temple:
"He rebuilt the sacred places that his father Ezekiah had removed, and he raised altars to Baal. He made a sacred pole, as did Acab, king of Israel. He bowed down before all the host of heaven and made himself its servant."
Some time later, during a great purification, King Josiah had Ashera's pole removed and reduced to dust, scattering it over tombs:
"The Sacred Post, they carried from the house of the Lord outside Jerusalem to the Kidron ravine, and burned it in the Kidron ravine. They ground it into dust and threw the dust into the mass grave." Second Book of Kings 23:6
References to the Asherah pole in the Old Testament
"Tear down their altars; smash their sacred stones, and cut down their asherahs."
Book of Exodus 34:13
"But this is how you must deal with them: Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, chop down their asherahs, and destroy their idols by fire."
Book of Deuteronomy 7:5
"You shall not plant an asherah of any kind of wood next to the altar of the L ord , your God, which you will build"
Book of Deuteronomy 16:21
"Then the Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the L ord ; they forgot the L ord , their God, and served the Baals and the Asherahs,"
Book of Judges 3:7
"That same night the L ord said to him: Take your father’s bull, the bull fattened for seven years, and pull down your father’s altar to Baal. As for the asherah beside it, cut it down and build an altar to the L ord , your God, on top of this stronghold with the pile of wood. Then take the fattened bull and offer it as a whole-burnt sacrifice on the wood from the asherah you have cut down. So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded him. But he was too afraid of his family and of the townspeople to do it by day; he did it at night. Early the next morning the townspeople found that the altar of Baal had been dismantled, the asherah beside it cut down, and the fattened bull offered on the altar that was built."
Judges 6:25-28
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