Deuteronomy 16:21-22·~1 min
Forbidden Forms of Worship
Israel must not set an Asherah pole beside the LORD's altar or raise up a sacred pillar. The LORD rejects such objects outright.
D21o not set up any wooden Asherah pole next to the altar you will build for the LORD your God, 22and do not set up for yourselves a sacred pillar, which the LORD your God hates.
Section summaryThe chapter ends with a brief ban on bringing Asherah poles or sacred pillars alongside the LORD's altar. Israel is not to mix the worship of the LORD with forms He rejects.
Role in the chapterThis closing warning guards the worship just described from contamination. After commanding right feast and right judgment, the chapter ends by refusing any symbol that would blur the LORD's holiness with rival practices.