16:21 You must not plant any kind of tree as a sacred Asherah pole 1 near the altar of the Lord your God which you build for yourself. 16:22 You must not erect a sacred pillar, 2 a thing the Lord your God detests.
1 tn Heb “an Asherah, any tree.”
sn Sacred Asherah pole. This refers to a tree (or wooden pole) dedicated to the worship of Asherah, wife/sister of El and goddess of fertility. See also Deut 7:5.
2 sn Sacred pillar. This refers to the stelae (stone pillars; the Hebrew term is מַצֵּבֹת, matsevot) associated with Baal worship, perhaps to mark a spot hallowed by an alleged visitation of the gods. See also Deut 7:5.