And he brake down the houses of the sodomites, that were by the house of the LORD, where the women wove hangings for the grove.
And he tore down the buildings where male shrine prostitutes lived, which were right next to the LORD's temple, where women made fabric coverings for the Asherah pole.
This verse describes King Josiah destroying buildings used for pagan worship practices that had been set up dangerously close to God's temple.
📚 Historical Context
This occurred during King Josiah's religious reforms around 621 BC, when he was purging Judah of all pagan worship practices. These buildings housed male prostitutes who were part of Canaanite fertility religion, and the 'grove' refers to wooden poles representing the goddess Asherah that had been placed even within the temple complex.
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