KJV ORIGINAL
Thou shalt not plant thee a grove of any trees near unto the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
Don't plant a grove of trees near the altar you build for the LORD your God.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God is commanding His people to keep their worship space free from anything associated with pagan religious practices.
📚 Historical Context
In ancient Canaanite religions, sacred groves of trees were commonly used as worship sites for fertility gods and goddesses like Asherah. These groves were places where immoral and idolatrous practices took place. God was instructing the Israelites to avoid any association between their worship of Him and these pagan religious symbols.
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