you must drive out all the inhabitants of the land before you. Destroy all their carved images, all their molten images, ¹  and demolish their high places.

They demolished ¹  the sacred pillar of Baal and ²  the temple of Baal; it is used as ³  a latrine ⁴  to this very day.

“Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars; I alone am left and they are seeking my life!” ¹ 

for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, ¹  but are made powerful by God ²  for tearing down strongholds. ³  We tear down arguments ⁴ 

he tore down the altars and Asherah poles, demolished the idols, and smashed all the incense altars throughout the land of Israel. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

He also tore down the tower of Penuel and executed the city’s men.

The sluice gates ¹  are opened; the royal palace is deluged ²  and dissolves. ³ 

“You must not bow down to their gods; you must not serve them or do according to their practices. Instead you must completely overthrow them and smash their standing stones ¹  to pieces. ² 

You must by all means destroy ¹  all the places where the nations you are about to dispossess worship their gods – on the high mountains and hills and under every leafy tree. ² 

Abimelech fought against the city all that day. He captured the city and killed all the people in it. Then he leveled ¹  the city and spread salt over it. ² 

All the people went and demolished ¹  the temple of Baal. They smashed its altars and idols. ²  They killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

Know for certain that ¹  I hereby give you the authority to announce to nations and kingdoms that they will be ²  uprooted and torn down, destroyed and demolished, rebuilt and firmly planted.” ³ 

He will demolish the sacred pillars in the temple of the sun ¹  in Egypt and will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt.”’”

Your altars will be ruined and your incense altars will be broken. I will throw down your slain in front of your idols. ¹ 

He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and tear down your towers with his weapons. ¹ 

I will destroy both the winter and summer houses. ¹  The houses filled with ivory ²  will be ruined, the great ³  houses will be swept away.” ⁴  The Lord is speaking!

“In that day,” says the Lord, “I will destroy ¹  your horses from your midst, and smash your chariots.

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. ¹ 

In all your dwellings, the cities will be laid waste and the high places ruined so that your altars will be laid waste and ruined, your idols will be shattered and demolished, your incense altars will be broken down, and your works wiped out. ¹ 

He also threatened ¹  the men of Penuel, warning, ²  “When I return victoriously, ³  I will tear down this tower.”