I Kings 14:23 · Bible study
1 Kings 14:23 Commentary: Why Judah Built High Places
Hebrew · 7 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why did Judah build high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles despite having the temple?
Research Summary
- Meaning: Judah's widespread adoption of Canaanite worship practices, high places, stone pillars, and Asherah poles, despite having the authorized temple in Jerusalem.
- Key words: bāmōt (high places), maṣṣēbōt (sacred pillars), ʾăšērîm (Asherah poles).
- Main debate: Whether the high places were literal shrines or symbolic of syncretism; the terms themselves are well understood, but the theological implications are extensive.
- Theological theme: Covenant unfaithfulness expressed through syncretistic worship, provoking God's jealousy (v.22).
- Best use: A warning against mixing biblically faithful worship with practices drawn from surrounding culture.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
WEB World English Bible 2000
For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
KJV King James Version 1769
For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
For they also built them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree;
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And they build--also they--for themselves high places, and standing-pillars, and shrines, on every high height, and under every green tree;
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they also built for themselves high places, and columns, and Asherahs on every high hill and under every green tree;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For they also built them altars, and statues, and groves, upon every high hill, and under every green tree:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Porque ellos también se edificaron altos, estatuas, y bosques, en todo collado alto, y debajo de todo árbol frondoso:
Porque eles também se edificaram altos, estátuas, e bosques, em todo morro alto, e debaixo de toda árvore frondosa:
Ils se bâtirent, eux aussi, des hauts lieux avec des statues et des idoles sur toute colline élevée et sous tout arbre vert.
Denn sie bauten auch Höhen, Säulen und Ascherahbilder auf allen hohen Hügeln und unter allen grünen Bäumen.
Want ook zij bouwden zich hoogten, en opgerichte beelden, en bossen, op allen hogen heuvel, en onder allen groenen boom.
Si eressero anch’essi degli alti luoghi con delle statue e degl’idoli d’Astarte su tutte le alte colline e sotto ogni albero verdeggiante.
Albowiem i oni pobudowali sobie wyżyny, i słupy, i gaje na każdym pagórku wysokim, i pod każdem drzewem zielonem.
И устроили они у себя высоты и статуи и капища на всяком высоком холме и под всяким тенистым деревом.
因為 他們 在 各 高 岡上，各 青翠 樹 下 築 壇，立柱像 和木偶。
For they made high places and upright stones and wood pillars on every high hill and under every green tree;
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Kings 14:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree this verse marks a turning point in Judah's covenant loyalty. Barnes draws attention to the phrase 'they also', the same verb used for Jeroboam's northern shrines (1 Kings 12:31; 13:32). Now Judah follows suit. The 'high places' were small shrines or tabernacles, often draped with colorful tapestry (Barnes; Ezekiel 16:16). The 'sacred pillars' (maṣṣēbōt) were not carved images but standing stones, like those Jacob set up at Bethel (Cambridge; Genesis 28:18). The 'Asherah poles' were wooden symbols of the Canaanite goddess, either poles or living trees (Barnes; Ellicott). The location language, 'on every high hill and under every green tree', precisely mirrors what Israel was commanded to destroy in Canaan (Deuteronomy 12:2). Gill and Matthew Henry stress the aggravating circumstances: Judah had the authorized temple in Jerusalem, the city God had chosen. They had no excuse. Keil and Delitzsch note that Rehoboam began well for three years but then abandoned the law (2 Chronicles 11:17, 12:1). This verse records the result: a nation sliding into the same abominations for which the Canaanites had been driven out.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse describes Judah's concrete acts of building three types of cultic installations — high places, standing stones, and wooden Asherah poles — in locations associated with Canaanite worship, marking clear apostasy from the exclusive worship of Yahweh prescribed in the covenant.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of 'high places' | All commentators understand <em>bāmōt</em> as open-air worship sites on elevated ground, often with structures. | Protestant and Anglican sources (Barnes, Cambridge) emphasize they were built as shrines; some older Jewish tradition sees them as simply mounds or platforms. |
| Meaning of 'sacred pillars' | <em>Maṣṣēbōt</em> are upright stones, not carved images. | Some translations render them 'images' (KJV) or 'obelisks' (Cambridge margin). The debate is whether they were memorial stones (like Jacob's) or idols proper. Most modern scholars see them as cultic objects representing deity. |
| Asherah poles: goddess or tree? | The term refers to wooden cultic objects associated with the Canaanite goddess Asherah. | Whether the poles themselves were symbols only (Reformed tradition) or were charged with idolatrous presence (Canaanite religion); all Christian traditions read it as a symbol of false worship. |
| Historical accuracy of Rehoboam's early faithfulness | 2 Chronicles 11:17 indicates Judah followed Yahweh for three years. | Some commentators (Keil and Delitzsch) take this as historical; others (Matthew Henry) see it as later idealization. The Kings account focuses on the later apostasy. |
| Relationship to the northern kingdom's sin | Both Judah and Israel committed similar idolatry. | Whether Judah's guilt was greater because they had the temple (Gill, Matthew Henry) or less because they retained some orthodox worship; the text presents the 'also' as an intensifier. |
Historical & Cultural Context
When the temple stood in Jerusalem, worship at 'high places', open-air shrines on ridges, had been tolerated (1 Kings 3:2). But the law was clear: after the central sanctuary was established, all other sites were forbidden (Deuteronomy 12:4, 7). By Rehoboam's reign, the temple had been standing for decades. Building new high places was a deliberate rejection of that one place God had set his name.
The 'sacred pillars' (maṣṣēbōt) had ambiguous origins. Jacob set up such a stone at Bethel as a memorial (Genesis 28:18). But the law expressly prohibited them as objects of worship (Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:22). In Canaanite religion, these stones marked the presence of a deity. The 'Asherah poles' were named for the Canaanite goddess Asherah, consort of Baal. They could be wooden poles or even living trees, planted beside altars (cf. 1 Kings 14:15; Judges 6:25). The language 'on every high hill and under every green tree' echoes Deuteronomy 12:2, where Israel is told to destroy exactly such sites of the nations. Now Judah builds them.
Historically, Rehoboam's reign began with promise. He fortified cities and received refugees from the north (2 Chronicles 11:5, 17). But when his kingdom seemed secure, he and his people turned to syncretism (Keil and Delitzsch; 2 Chronicles 12:1). The queen mother Naamah was an Ammonitess, and her influence may have contributed (Keil and Delitzsch; 1 Kings 14:21). The result was a society that looked superficially like Judah but practiced the religion of the surrounding nations. The verse's three terse items, high places, pillars, Asherah poles, catalog a comprehensive apostasy: every location, every form of worship, stripped of the distinctiveness God had commanded.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentary sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscript traditions. The KJV reading 'images' for 'pillars' reflects a translation choice rather than a textual difference. The precise terms for the cultic objects are consistent in the Masoretic text.
Reception History
This verse has been cited by Christian commentators across traditions as a classic example of syncretism. Reformation-era writers (Geneva Bible, Matthew Henry) used it to warn against mixing biblical worship with human inventions, particularly in the context of the division between church and state. In the 19th century, Anglican and Protestant exegetes (Barnes, Cambridge, Ellicott) focused on the archaeological and cultural background, connecting the high places and pillars to Canaanite religion. The verse is also read in liturgical settings as part of the narrative of Judah's decline, often paired with its parallel in 2 Chronicles 12. A common pastoral application is the warning that proximity to true worship does not immunize a community from unfaithfulness.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Compromise of Syncretism, Judah 'also' built high places, copying the northern kingdom and the Canaanites. Even with the temple in their midst, they added other altars. This is not a rejection of God but a mixing of worship, which the prophets call adultery (cf. v.22, 'provoked him to jealousy').
- The Symbols of False Worship, Sacred pillars and Asherah poles were tangible representations of a pagan worldview. The maṣṣēbōt mimicked standing stones once used for memorials; the ʾăšērîm mimicked the sacred trees of Canaanite fertility rites. Both violated specific commands (Leviticus 26:1; Deuteronomy 16:21, 22).
- The Ubiquity of Apostasy, 'On every high hill and under every green tree' describes not just a few places but the entire landscape. The worship of God was no longer concentrated in Jerusalem; it was scattered, competing with Baal, Asherah, and every local spirit. This is what covenant infidelity looks like: it leaves no corner untouched.
Five-point outline
- They had the temple, yet built other places of worship, The central sanctuary was not enough.
- They erected stones prohibited by God, Standing pillars that the law forbade.
- They set up poles of a foreign goddess, Asherah, the consort of Baal.
- They did this everywhere, without shame, On every high hill, under every green tree.
- This provoked God to jealousy (v.22), The marriage bond between God and his people was broken; judgment followed (Shishak's invasion, vv.25, 26).
Illustration hooks
- A married person who keeps a shrine to an old flame in the garage, loyalty split, no area of life untouched.
- A church that adopts the marketing strategies of the world while still preaching Jesus, the message becomes mixed, the distinctiveness fades.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know when my worship has become syncretistic, when I'm blending the world's values with God's commands?
- Why do we build our own 'high places', habits, relationships, pursuits, that compete with God even when we attend church faithfully?
Leading a Discussion
Read 1 Kings 14:21, 24 together. Focus on verse 23 and the pattern of apostasy it describes. Notice that the text does not say Judah abandoned God entirely; it says they built these things 'also.' They kept the temple and the sacrifices but added Canaanite worship. This is syncretism: blending what God forbids with what he commands.
Discussion questions
- What physical objects did the people of Judah build or set up? List each one from the verse.
- Where were these objects placed? What does the location language ('every high hill, under every green tree') suggest about the scope of this practice?
- Why did the author include the word 'also' (v.23)? How does it connect back to the northern kingdom (1 Kings 12:31) and forward to God's jealousy (v.22)?
- What do the 'high places,' 'sacred pillars,' and 'Asherah poles' represent in terms of religious worldviews? Consider the lexical data: maṣṣēbōt were stones, ʾăšērîm were poles or trees associated with a goddess.
- In what ways do Christians today build 'high places', activities, priorities, or relationships, that compete with the exclusive worship of God? Be specific but gracious.
- How does the historical background of Deuteronomy 12:2 shed light on why this verse in Kings is important? What were the Israelites supposed to do with such places?
- What does this verse reveal about human nature? Why would people who already had God's temple want to add other forms of worship?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Leviticus 26:1 | “‘You shall make for yourselves no idols, and you shall not raise up a carved image or a pillar, and you shall not place any figured stone in your land, to bow down to it; for I am Yahweh your God. |
| Deuteronomy 12:2 | You shall surely destroy all the places in which the nations that you shall dispossess served their gods: on the high mountains, and on the hills, and under every green tree. |
| Deuteronomy 16:22 | Neither shall you set yourself up a sacred stone which Yahweh your God hates. |
| I Kings 3:2 | However, the people sacrificed in the high places, because there was not yet a house built for Yahweh’s name. |
| I Kings 14:15 | For Yahweh will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking Yahweh to anger. |
| II Kings 17:9 | The children of Israel secretly did things that were not right against Yahweh their God; and they built high places for themselves in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fortified city; |
| II Kings 17:10 | and they set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree; |
| II Kings 21:3 | For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he raised up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel did, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
7 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses the emphatic force of the phrase "they also," showing that both Israel and Judah shared the same sin of building high places. He identifies these shrines as small tapestry-covered tabernacles, accompanied by sacred pillars and groves erected on prominent hills under notable trees.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator argues that "images" in this passage is misleading; the Hebrew word actually refers to stone pillars or obelisks set up as memorials, not carved figures. They also note that the term "groves" should be rendered as Asherim, sacred wooden poles associated with Baal worship.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note observes that the people not only failed to remove the Canaanite high places but actively built new ones of their own, copying the very same idols and groves on every hill and tree. Their sin was deliberate imitation of the pagans God had commanded them to dispossess.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that Judah’s sin was especially inexcusable because the tribe had the temple in its territory, making their high places and idols a direct violation of God’s law. He also notes that their groves and hilltop worship copied the specific customs of pagan nations like the Persians.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch sees Jerusalem being called the Lord’s chosen city as a stark contrast to Rehoboam’s idolatry, not just a judgment on the ten tribes. They also note the queen-mother’s name appears because of her political influence, not because she led the king into sin.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that the standard forty-one years for Rehoboam's age at accession is a scribal error; he was actually twenty-one, which fits biblical references to his youth and inexperience. The repeated mention of his Ammonite mother is intentional, pointing to her as the source of Judah's idolatrous corruption.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that the biblical writer finishes Jeroboam’s story first even though he outlived Rehoboam, so that Rehoboam’s entire reign can be read as one continuous, sorrowful record. He calls it a sad account of spiritual decline, robbery, and the humiliating replacement of gold shields with bronze.