An Asherah pole was a sacred tree or pole that stood near Canaanite religious locations to honor the Ugaritic mother-goddess Asherah, consort of El. Asherah was the chief goddess of Tyre, Sidon and Elath. She was associated with the Sea and the serpent. Asherah was also worshipped as the Queen of Heaven.
The word “Asherah” in the Hebrew Bible mostly refers to a sacred tree or pole set up near an altar to the god Baal. Asherah poles were often mentioned in connection with Baal, the chief male divinity of the Canaanite peoples. The Book of Kings reports that King Manasseh set one up in the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. The worship of Asherah was common in ancient Israel before the religious reforms of King Josiah in 621 BC, who destroyed Asherah poles and cut down Asherah shrines (2 Kings 23:4, 14).
Despite God’s command to destroy Asherah poles and idols, they continued to be erected on high places and shrines. “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make” (Deuteronomy 16:21). Though forbidden by the Lord, the first reference to Asherah poles appears in the book of Exodus 34:13, when God warns the Israelites against making molten gods. Despite the prohibition, later passages in the Hebrew Bible confirm that Asherah poles remained active in Israelite worship.
The first mention of an Asherah pole is in Exodus 34:13 (ESV): “You shall tear down their altars and break their pillars and cut down their Asherim.” Here God instructs Moses to cut down the Asherah poles that the Israelites will find in the land of Canaan once they enter the Promised Land.
In Deuteronomy 7:5 (ESV), God commands the Israelites: “But thus shall you deal with them: you shall break down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and chop down their Asherim and burn their carved images with fire.” Again, God wants his people to destroy the Asherah poles and other idols they will encounter when conquering Canaan.
Deuteronomy 12:3 (ESV) says: “You shall tear down their altars and dash in pieces their pillars and burn their Asherim with fire. You shall chop down the carved images of their gods and destroy their name out of that place.” Here the command to destroy Asherah poles is repeated.
In Deuteronomy 16:21 (ESV), God specifically prohibits making Asherah poles: “You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God that you shall make.” God does not want his people worshipping Asherah.
Judges 3:7 (ESV) notes what happened when Israel disobeyed: “And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. They forgot the Lord their God and served the Baals and the Asheroth.” Here we see that the Israelites turned to worshipping Asherah poles.
1 Kings 14:15 (ESV) records God’s judgement on Israel’s disobedience: “the Lord will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water, and root up Israel out of this good land that he gave to their fathers and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the Lord to anger.” Worshipping Asherah incurred God’s wrath.
2 Kings 17:16 (ESV) explains the sinful behavior: “And they abandoned all the commandments of the Lord their God, and made for themselves metal images of two calves; and they made an Asherah and worshiped all the host of heaven and served Baal.” Here we see Asherah worship tied to idolatry.
2 Kings 18:4 (ESV) positively states: “He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah.” King Hezekiah destroys the Asherah poles, following God’s instructions.
2 Kings 21:3 and 21:7 (ESV) lament that evil King Manasseh “rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them…And the carved image of Asherah that he had made he set in the house of which the Lord said to David and to Solomon his son, ‘In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, I will put my name forever.'” Despite God’s command and Hezekiah’s reforms, Manasseh rebuilt the Asherah poles.
2 Kings 23:6 (ESV) praises King Josiah’s reforms: “And he brought out the Asherah from the house of the Lord, outside Jerusalem, to the brook Kidron, and burned it at the brook Kidron and beat it to dust and cast the dust of it upon the graves of the common people.” Josiah returns proper worship by removing the Asherah pole from the temple and burning it.
2 Kings 23:7 (ESV) further states Josiah “broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord, where the women wove hangings for the Asherah.” The Asherah poles were associated with male cult prostitution.
2 Kings 23:14 (ESV) explains the extent of Josiah’s reforms: “And he broke in pieces the pillars and cut down the Asherim and filled their places with the bones of men.” Josiah destroys the Asherah poles and shrines throughout Judah.
2 Kings 23:15 (ESV) emphasizes Josiah’s thorough actions: “Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, that altar with the high place he pulled down and burned, reducing it to dust. He also burned the Asherah.” The evil altar at Bethel with an Asherah pole is demolished.
Isaiah 17:8 (ESV) references those who still worship idols: “He will not look to the altars, the work of his hands, and he will not look on what his own fingers have made, either the Asherim or the altars of incense.” Even after the reforms, some continued idolatrous practices.
Isaiah 27:9 (ESV) foretells the future destruction of pagan idols: “Therefore by this the guilt of Jacob will be atoned for, and this will be the full fruit of the removal of his sin: when he makes all the stones of the altars like chalkstones crushed to pieces, no Asherim or incense altars will remain standing.” The Asherah poles will ultimately be completely destroyed.
Jeremiah 17:2 (ESV) condemns Judah’s sin: “While their children remember their altars and their Asherim, beside every green tree and on the high hills.” The people are worshipping Asherah in groves and on hills.
Micah 5:14 (ESV) warns of God’s judgement on idolatry: “and I will root out your Asherah images from among you and destroy your cities.” The Asherah poles will be utterly rooted out.
Overall, the Hebrew Bible strongly condemns the worship of Asherah poles as idolatry offensive to God. Though God commanded his people to destroy these sacred trees and poles associated with Asherah, the alluring pagan worship continued through much of Israel’s ancient history, incurring God’s wrath. Good kings like Hezekiah and Josiah instituted reforms doing away with Asherah poles, but evil kings like Manasseh brought them back. The prophets warned that God would eventually judge this idolatry. The worship of Asherah poles was one of the factors leading to God’s judgement on both Israel and Judah in exile. Though some Israelites continued worshipping Asherah even after the reforms, the Hebrew Bible looks forward to the day when this idolatry will be permanently and completely eliminated.
In summary, an Asherah pole was a sacred tree or wooden pole that stood near Canaanite high places and shrines to honor the mother goddess Asherah. Though God commanded his people not to worship Asherah and to destroy her idols, Asherah pole veneration persisted through much of Israel’s history, leading to judgment and exile. Good kings removed them and prophets warned against them, but wayward kings and peoples brought the poles back. The ultimate hope was for the complete eradication of Asherah worship in Israel.