Deuteronomy 12:2-3 - Announcement Of Particular Laws.

In order to this, Israel was, as soon as the land was possessed, to destroy all the objects and means of idolatrous worship in the land. Upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree (cf. Isaiah 57:7 ; Jeremiah 2:20 ; Jeremiah 3:6 ; Jeremiah 17:2 ; Hosea 4:13 ; 2 Kings 16:4 ; 2 Kings 17:10 ). The heathen had their places of worship on lofty elevations, probably because they imagined they were thus nearer to the object of their worship; and they sought also the shade of woods or thick-foliaged trees ( Ezekiel 6:13 ), under which to perform their rites, as tending to inspire awe, and as in keeping with the mysterious character of their rites. These places of heathen worship in Canaan the Israelites were utterly to destroy, along with the images of their deities and other objects of idolatrous worship. Burn their groves ; their asherahs , idol-pillars of wood (cf. Deuteronomy 7:5 ).