Ulangan 16:21--17:1

Examples of Legal Cases

16:21 You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred Asherah pole ¹  near the altar of the Lord your God which you build for yourself. 16:22 You must not erect a sacred pillar, ²  a thing the Lord your God detests. 17:1 You must not sacrifice to him ³  a bull or sheep that has a blemish or any other defect, because that is considered offensive ⁴  to the Lord your God.

[16:21]  ¹ tn Heb “an Asherah, any tree.”

[16:21]  sn Sacred Asherah pole. This refers to a tree (or wooden pole) dedicated to the worship of Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. See also Deut 7:5.

[16:22]  ² sn Sacred pillar. This refers to the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.

[17:1]  ³ tn Heb “to the Lord your God.” See note on “he” in 16:1.

[17:1]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew word תּוֹעֵבָה (to’evah, “an abomination”; cf. NAB) describes persons, things, or practices offensive to ritual or moral order. See M. Grisanti, NIDOTTE 4:314-18; see also the note on the word “abhorrent” in Deut 7:25.