Ye shall utterly destroy all the places, wherein the nations which ye shall possess served their gods, upon the high mountains, and upon the hills, and under every green tree:
You must completely destroy all the places where the nations you will conquer worshiped their gods—on the high mountains, on the hills, and under every green tree.
God is commanding the Israelites to completely remove all traces of pagan worship sites when they take over the Promised Land.
📚 Historical Context
This command was given to the Israelites before they entered the Promised Land of Canaan around 1400 BC. The Canaanite peoples worshiped various gods at outdoor shrines, often located on elevated places like mountains and hills, or in sacred groves under large trees. God knew that these worship sites would be a constant temptation for the Israelites to abandon their faith and adopt pagan practices.
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