Discovery BoxDeuteronomy 16:22 
Context16:22 You must not erect a sacred pillar, 1 a thing the Lord your God detests.
Deuteronomy 27:2
Context27:2 When you cross the Jordan River 2 to the land the Lord your God is giving you, you must erect great stones and cover 3 them with plaster.
Deuteronomy 27:4
Context27:4 So when you cross the Jordan you must erect on Mount Ebal 4 these stones about which I am commanding you today, and you must cover them with plaster.
1 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.
2 tn The word “River” is not in the Hebrew text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn Heb “plaster” (so KJV, ASV; likewise in v. 4). In the translation “cover” has been used for stylistic reasons.
4 tc Smr reads “Mount Gerizim” for the MT reading “Mount Ebal” to justify the location of the Samaritan temple there in the postexilic period. This reading is patently self-serving and does not reflect the original. In the NT when the Samaritan woman of Sychar referred to “this mountain” as the place of worship for her community she obviously had Gerizim in mind (cf. John 4:20).
