WebRegarding Asherah: "In the Middle East the Goddess of the GROVE was Asherah, whose GROVES were found "on every high hill and under every green tree" 1 Kings 14:23. These sacred poles were situated in various locations. : Monotheism in Ancient Israel and the Veneration of the Goddess Asherah (Biblical Seminar ) by Bob Becking, Meindert Dijkstra, Marjo C. A. Korpel, Karel J. H. Vriezen, Sheffield Academic Press 2001, p. 117. 599-610). Yet even in these earlier materials, we sometimes see evidence of a phenomenon that comes to dominate in the exilic period: the impulse to assimilate the attributes of the many gods and goddesses of older polytheistic systems to the one god, YHWH. A Blazing Weapon: Unraveling the Mystery of Greek Fire, Theyre Alive! Despite these and other references associating Asherah with apostasy, contemporary discoveries have further indicated that, at least in the opinion of some ancient Israelites, YHWH and Asherah were appropriately worshipped as a pair. It makes a great difference to God! geographic south pole. The "asherahs" were usually upright wooden objects, often standing beside altars, and in at least eight instances they are described as carved. All rights reserved. Sacrificial feasts were held in the sacred GROVES of Asherah in Jerusalem according to Apion." The Bible also connects sacred poles with the high places (open-air cult sites?) 10 Reasons God Might Not Be Blessing Your Life, Inspiring Mother Breaks Down after Earning Golden Buzzer with Celine Dion Hit, 7 Things that Will Keep Me from Coming Back to Your Church, 6 Truths about Jesus Coming into the World, 9 Christians You Don't Want to Sit Beside on Sunday Morning, 10 Things You Should Know about the Intermediate State of Death, 'You Raise Me Up' Duet Earns A Standing Ovation From The Judges, 7 Things I Would Do Differently if I Were Raising My Children Again. "Who Is Asherah in the Bible?" The Lord God Jehovah is perfect, man is not. Hence the woman being proclaimed as the Hurrian goddess Hepa, Heba, Heva, or Eve, the mother of all living (hai) (Genesis 3:20), that is also Eywa, the mother creation goddess in the film Avatar. Like a pole or tree, they can be said to be planted, stood up, or erected. By the age of 10, most children in the United States have been taught all 50 states that make up the country. Asherah in the Hebrew Bible and Northwest Semitic Literature. There is also a connection with Abraham whom the Hittites referred to as a prince and an ancient tradition of self-governance in Canaan; Hear us my lord, you are the prince (nesi) of God among us (Genesis 23:6). In the time of Hezekiah, there was a similar revival to that of Asa. They set up an Asherah pole and worshiped Baal and all the forces of heaven. Asherah worship was deeply sensual, involving illicit sex and ritual prostitution. But by God we do not mean a general belief in his existence. in Sociology from University of Edinburgh and studied at St. Johns College with a double major in Philosophy and the History of Math of Science. Read More. I can have my cake and eat it too. In Proverbs Wisdom is often referred to as Her at some point in 1st King's and 2nd Chronicles God became enraged for Judah and Israel's defiant worship of the Queen of Heaven in the form of Idolatry the 2nd Commandment from God in Exodus Chapter 20 and Deutronomy chapter 5 Thou Shall Not make unto the any Graven Image neither what is in the Air, what is in the Sea, what is on the Land He Shall Not Bow before them. The Bereans "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so" (Acts 17:10-11). The term images of Asherah is often used in the Hebrew Bible and it is thought that these pillar figurines are what the writers of the bible had in mind. It is likely through the various secular conquests and the changing political landscape that God kept his promise to root out the Asherah images.. Your email address will not be published. the cross is a representation of Jesus to Christians. The strategy for dealing with idolatry that we see employed in the minor prophets is that they are shown to be empty. No where in the Bible does it say God had a wife.. Do not take what great people have written in books and say it is right. 7 Things I Would Do Differently if I Were Raising My Children California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. (Ex 34:13; De 12:3) They may have simply been uncarved poles, perhaps even trees in some instances, for Gods people were instructed: You must not plant for yourself any sort of tree as a sacred pole.De 16:21. So I will hand over my holy mountainalong with all your wealth and treasures and your pagan shrinesas plunder to your enemies, for sin runs rampant in your land. Ancient Cults Do Not Shed Light On The OT http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/asherah-and-the-asherim-god… [], [] http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/asherah-and-the-asherim-god… [], Oops! This is stretching it a bit. If nobody could see them doing it, they thought, "Hey, I'm getting away with the perfect crime. Under Those raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition may be surprised to learn that the god we were told was singularly sacred once had a wife. Asherah is not Eve, nor is she the wife of God for God does not have a wife ( Jesus has a Bride ie the Church) . This site is a proud member of the Salem Web Network, a subsidiary of, Copyright 2023, Crosswalk.com. Maybe you should read the Bible a little more for better understanding? According to Giovanni Pettinato in Archives of Ebla; An Empire Inscribed in Clay (p.278-279), it is suggested that the word nesi referred to ruler in ancient Ebla and is related to the Egyptian term nsw or king (of upper Egypt) and the Sumerian term ensi or ruler and that these terms were imposed into the vocabulary of Sumer and Egypt when the Canaanite exerted their influence over them. Asherah of the Sea, as she is called there, was the consort of the old god El, the head of the pantheon, and she was the creator of the gods, their mother (Did God Really Have a Wife? by Shmuel Ahituv, BAR, Sept./Oct. Nevertheless, the presence of Asherahs cult in the Jerusalem temple and in the cult city of Bethel indicates that worship of the goddess was also appealing to men, given that it was an all-male clergy that officiated at these (and at every) Israelite religious site. And here are some pictures to wrap it all up: http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_153651851.JPG, http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_153688877.JPG. Phallic Symbol Thus it appears that, although generally the biblical writersespecially certain prophets (Isa 17:8; 27:9; Jer 17:2; Mic 5:14) and the authors responsible for Deuteronomy, Judges, 1 and 2 Kings, and 2 Chroniclesregarded Asherah worship as inappropriate, at least some and possibly many in ancient Israel incorporated the goddesss cult imagery and ritual into the cult of YHWH. An eighth-century B.C.E. Though we have only 3 archaeological references that are indicative of a priestly blessing in the name of Yahweh and His Asherah, the prevalence of this goddess in ancient Israel was downplayed by the author of Deuteronomy, which recieved its final composition in the second temple period after the Jews eradicated all traces of this goddess. In Judges 6, Gideon was called to tear down the altar to Baal and to cut down the Asherah that is beside it. Again, we see Asherah almost as a sidekick to the prominent male deity. He was offended by what was going on. Reassessment of Asherah: A Study According to Textual Sources of the First This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. Abraham prepares a calf for the visitors (Genesis 18:7) which happens to be the symbol of the fertility god Baal, who is noticably absent from the Tale of Aquat, perhaps off on a journey or just retired (1 Kings 18:27): [9] Deuteronomy 12 has Yahweh commanding the destruction of her shrines so as to maintain purity of his worship. Or perhaps the more fundamental question iswhat in the world is an Asherah pole? Asherah worship was deeply sensual, involving illicit sex and ritual prostitution. Put simply, an Asherah pole is a wooden idol (likely in the shape of a tree) used to worship the goddess Asherah. [10] Idols are alluring at times because we want something tangible. Are the Misty Peaks of the Azores Remnants of the Legendary Atlantis? She is most commonly depicted as a carved wooden image rather than by a proper name, which is why the Bible usually mentions her in the grammatical form as either an adjective or a noun (compare 2 Kings 23:6 vs. The mention of these deities in the plural may indicate that each locality had its Baal and Asherah. Plaque depicting Asherah. We see her worship in the form of a tree and right next to the altar. In a related sense, an asherah could refer to a wooden pole, effectively an indoor stand-in for a tree. Throughout the history of civilization, the concept of the apocalypse has been ever present, in one way or another. I would guess that Eve was acquiring the attributes of the Queen of Heaven in a microcosmic way when she said, I have gotten a man with the help of Yahweh (Genesis 4:1) and there is no longer mention of Elohim since the woman is a partner with Yahweh. I don't believe her name is Asherah I think from what I've learned from Enoch and Jubilees Asherah was so supposed to have been married to a bad angel name Baraqiel or Baraqel it means Lightening Giver in Hebrew Baraqiel name was shortened I believe to Baal a weather deity like Zeus or Marmaduke in Babylon. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125. The sacred poles apparently stood upright and were made of wood, or at least contained wood, the Israelites being commanded to cut them down and to burn them. Asherah was also worshiped as the goddess of love and war and was sometimes linked with Anath, another Canaanite When you look at something logically, you have placed yourself at a distance from it (Innerspace by Aryeh Kaplan, p.58). When Abraham first entered the cave, he saw a light, then dust scattered, revealing two graves. One possibility is that in royal circles, especially in the southern capital city of Jerusalem, the cult of Asherah was particularly attractive to the kings mother. New York: 2000. Our rescue isnt found in sticks. In the final revision of the history of the first temple period, Asherah is only a foreign deity that needed to be banned, though the Samaritans and Edomites still worshiped her after the Jews returned from captivity in Babylonia. Predominantly, the pillar figurines were found in private homes, suggesting their domesticity. It has been suggested that the poles represented the female principle, whereas the pillars represented the male principle. Archaeologists argue that these statues depict the goddess Asherah. According to the biblical record, these sacred poles or stylized trees associated with Asherah were erected by the Israelites throughout most of their history, especially during the premonarchic (tribal) period (Judg 6:2526, 28, 30)) and during the period of the divided monarchy, both in the northern kingdom of Israel (1Kgs 14:15; 16:33; 2 Kgs 13:6; 17:10, 16; 23:15; and parallel references in 2 Chronicles) and in Judah, in the south (1 Kgs 14:23, 15:13; 2 Kgs 18:4; 21:3, 7; 23:6, 14; and parallel references in 2 Chronicles). From the Israel Museum via Wikimedia Commons. It was essentially a phallic symbol. But do we still have God-substitutes? Does it make any difference? Even while idolatry is reviled in the Hebrew Bible, ample archaeological evidence suggests that those living outside the metropolis idolized statuary and cult objects as part of their religion, leading one scholar to opine: Folk religion can be defined as everything that those who wrote the Bible condemned.. The cryptic blessing is in an early rendition of Deuteronomy 33.2-3, when Asherahs influence had not yet been fully subordinated. That's all I have for now this was a very exciting Article to read thanks for Posting it much appreciated. By the time of the New Testament, idolatry seems to have taken a different flavor. Were theonlyPop Archaeology site combining scientific research with out-of-the-box perspectives. The main reason Israel was exiled was because of her sins of idolatry: 2 Kings 17:16They rejected all the commands of the LORD their God and made two calves from metal. Asherah is represented many times in various forms scattered throughout the region. The branch He mentions is probably an Asherah, a tree or a wooden pole that stood for the fertility goddess. Nefer Say Nefer - Was Nefertiti Buried in the Valley of the Queens? He (Abraham) saw a light radiating from the cave, so there he prayed, and there the blessed Holy One spoke with him. The Iliad can provide new insights on the role of motherhood among the ancient Greek gods, and by extension, amongst ancient mortal Greek women themselves. A That's why God got angry and for the record Jesus said that the Unpardonable Sin is Sinning against the Holy Spirit there is no coming back from that blunder. It's kind of like Seatlle, but windier and with more trees. A (Nick Thompson/ CC BY NC SA 2.0 ), In fact, this phrase Yahweh and his Asherah was so quotidian that it actually appears in the Hebrew Bible itself. In the above article the author mentions Asherah as being the mother of the 70 gods of the Canaanite pantheon. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down. (NLT). Both of these phrases are stereotypically used by the biblical writers to describe sites of idolatrous worship, implying, as does Judges 6, that the worship of Asherah was an apostate behavior in Israel and improper for followers of YHWH. Manasseh, King of Judah, followed the despicable practices of the pagan nations. According to The Bible, an image of Asherah stood in the Temple in Jerusalem for about two-thirds of its existence. By God himself, of course. Examine the Core Theme of Reconciliation in the Bible, General Biblical Studies, Interdenominational Christian Training Center, The term Asherah appears 40 times in the. It was essentially a phallic symbol. As much as the ruling elite tried to inhibit Asherah and Yahwehs marriage, their union appears solidified in an ancient blessing seen with some regularity at a number of excavation sites in the region. ( The Met ). Cut them down. In fact, the very notion of polytheism is inherent in the quest for Asherah. In the beginning of the history of Israel as well as the beginning of history of many peoples, it mentions that Abrahams wife was named Sarai which means princess and Nahors wifes name was Milcah which means queen but in Assyrian, Sarru means king and Malika/Malku means prince.When God changes their name in Genesis 17 Abraham is told that kings shall issue from him (17:6) using the term malekim for kings but in Sarahs case, she is told that rulers of people shall issue from her, using the term malekai and depending on which vernacular you are using, the y as a suffix can mean my ruler.. The north pole is not a country, so it doesn't have a flag. What we see with the new covenant is that God changes our hearts. A number of modern Bible translations, though, have rendered the original-language word as sacred pole(s) [or post] but transliterated it when the reference is apparently to the goddess. He even went so far as to put the Asherah within the house of the Lord. Indeed, unearthing a goddess who has been buried for close to two millennia has its distinct disadvantages. For Sale In Britain: A Small Ancient Man With A Colossal Penis, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse: Unleashing the End of the World, Alleged Sighting of the Mythical Manananggal in the Philippines Causes Public Anxiety, What is Shambhala? There are other Hera, also known by her Latin title as Juno, is best known in Western culture as the wife of Zeus, king of the gods. The extra-biblical information we have concerning Asherah comes from the city of Ugarit from the 14th-12th-centuries B.C.E. They would mockingly show the inadequacy of worshipping sticks of wood (that you have to craft) that you created while rejecting the living God. Understanding the Mysterious Kingdom of Shambhala, The Green Children of Woolpit: Legendary Visitors from Another World, Medieval Sea Monster Was Likely a Whale, New Research Reveals. In older translations, it will often be interpreted as grove. Their appearance in the Old Testament, as to be expected, is always in the negative. Who Is Asherah in the Bible? She was occasionally called Elath (Elat), the Goddess, and may have also been called Qudshu, Holiness.. This fact suggests that Jehu perceived the sacred pole as appropriate in the worship of YHWH. And the history that we see of the Asherah pole is fitting for our own battle with idolatry. The Wikipedia page on Khirbet el-Qom is about one of the sites where a reference to Yahweh and His Asherah was found in a double tomb near Hebron and the account of Abraham purchasing the Cave of Machpelah (Genesis 23:9) or the Cave of the Two Tombs that was for Sarah (who was possibly a priestess of the moon god Sin), was given a connection to the first ancestors in the book of Zohar: How then did they worship? Why is God jealous. Since the 1920s, archaeologists have uncovered more than 850 terracotta female figurines throughout Israel and Judah dating to the eighth and seventh century BC. 2006, p.64). What causes infertility and how the IVF works? Its our plight that moved the heavensit is the LORD Himself who would come and rescue us. If that was the case, we would have seen the death of these Asherah poles when Asa, Hezekiah, or Jehosophat put in order stirring reforms and cut down the Asherim. The Sacred Poles. Webwhat does an asherah pole look like. Learn Religions, Nov. 28, 2022, learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125. During the period of the Judges, it is noted that the apostate Israelites went serving the Baals and the sacred poles [the Asherim]. (Jg 3:7, ftn; compare 2:13.) Information and translations of asherah pole in the most comprehensive dictionary definitions resource on the web. Israelite ceramic figure of a nude woman, identified as an Asherah pillar. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This daily newsletter provides a starting point for personal study, and gives valuable insight into the verses that make up the Word of God. In Christ, we see the fullness of God made manifest. The story starts with Aquats father Daniel (Ezekial 15:14,20) who upon seeing the approach of the craftsman god Kothar wa-Khasis (skillful and clever), tells his wife to prepare a lamb. But there is more than removal of idols (more than keeping yourself from temptation) that must take place if real holiness and dedication are to be the result. I can go to the Temple and look like I'm really somebody in the community. Only seven instances of Asherah are references to the goddess herself. Historians and archaeologists have pieced together Asherahs narrative and found large chunks of it interwoven in the artifacts from the region and in the scriptures of the Hebrew Bible itself. The Bible also connects sacred poles with the high places (open-air cult sites?) ]. In the mid-1970s, a large pottery storage jar known as a pithos was found at Kuntillet Ajrud in the northeast part of the Sinai Peninsula. This does not necessarily denote a church steeple wherein its purpose was to set the building apart from others as a place of worship and not an item to be worshiped. Asherah poles do not make an appearance. However, his son Amon resumed the degrading worship of Baal and Asherah, with its accompanying ceremonial prostitution. For example, one of the Canaanite epithets of Asherah, elat, goddess, is etymologically identical to the Hebrew word for the terebinth tree (ela). If Jezebel had the goddess Asherah Astarteas the one she worshiped.. One should know it was nothing to do with The Lord God most High Jehovah. When northern Israel was dispersed into the nations by the Assyrians in 722 BCE, they carried this "tree" custom with them. COPYRIGHT 2023 BIBLICAL ARCHAEOLOGY SOCIETY 5614 Connecticut Ave NW #343, Washington DC 20015-2604. Whether as Asherah, Astarte, or any other name, feminine manifestations of the godhead were systematically and sometimes violently opposed by the religious authorities of the Kingdom of Judah and its Temple. However Asherah (as wikipedia said) was wife of sumerian god Anu, whileAstarte is known from the mythic Baal Cycle, which is a story of Baal fighting with Yam, god of the sea in cannanite mythology. You bet. If you only try to uproot them, they grow back; but they can be supplanted. The sacred pole of Samaria, moreover, which was erected during the reign of King Ahab (reigned 873852 B.C.E. Trees were revered as symbols of life and nourishment in arid regions and so became associated with Asherah and her cult. discord packing lines vendeur in french masculine or feminine streptococcus spp high in stool symptoms jeremy alters berman. Most people have that, yet their souls are riddled with idols. At times, to appease Baal and Asherah, human sacrifices were made. Fairchild, Mary. This is because southern royal ideology typically described the kings metaphorical father as YHWH. (2Ch 33:11-13, 15, 21-23) This made it necessary for righteous King Josiah, who succeeded Amon to the throne, to pull down the houses of the male temple prostitutes that were in the house of Jehovah, where the women were weaving tent shrines for the sacred pole.2Ki 23:4-7. Even if Asherah was no more than a sacred tree it's possible that it was worshipped alongside Yahweh. Required fields are marked *. WebPut simply, an Asherah pole is a wooden idol (likely in the shape of a tree) used to worship the goddess Asherah. But who was Asherah to the ancient Israelites? Trees, often connected to fertility, had been considered a sacred symbol for the nurturing figure of Asherah. I think Ashera was all of the above: A goddess (in Ugarit it was the proper name of a specific goddess); A title for goddesses (such as the great goddess, the queen goddess or the spouse of the god X or Y); And, of course, a Cult Symbol such as a sacred tree, or a pole in a shape of a tree, or even a Menorah in a shape of a tree which stood in temples, and symbolized (at least originally, in the earlier days), the presence of these goddess in the worship sites, The suffix in the form of affiliation modifier ( = his Asherah) which is found in the inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud and Khirbet el-Qom, and which, in Hebrew, is typical for nouns and not for proper names, may refer to either a still cult object (in the form of a noun), or to a title of a goddess (then Yahweh and his Asherah might mean Yahweh and his queen-goddess) As for the suffix in the plural form which we find the Bible this is typical to the manner in which the Bible refers to other gods too, such as Baal (we find the form Bealim which means Baals) and Aashtoret (we find the form Ashtarot which means Ashtarots). Ready for a unique experience? She's within the Holy Trinity during the middle ages people used to say I baptize you in the name of The Father, The Son, and in the name of the Mother aka Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. She is often placed beside the chief male deity. No dew, no rain; no welling up of the deep, no sweetness of Baals voice. I am sure you are familiar with his legend which states that he was born in a manger surrounded by shepherds, about 7,500-year-old Juniper Stump Is Believed Oldest Goddess Asherah Idol, about Tracing The Footprints Of The Philistines To Minoan Knossos On Crete, about The Resurrection of Asherah, Mother-Goddess of Humankind, about Goddess NinkharsagAncient Powerful Mother who Faded into The Holy Ghost, about Unravelling the Roots of Hera, the Wrathful Goddess of Marriage, Dizzying Inca Rope Bridges Were Grass-Made Marvels of Engineering. You have proven without doubt the disobedience of the chosen people of , to run after the gods of other nations. (1Ki 14:22-24; 2Ki 17:10) Only seldom did kings such as Hezekiah (and Josiah) come along, who removed the high places and broke the sacred pillars to pieces and cut down the sacred pole.2Ki 18:4; 2Ch 34:7. Ancient Origins 2013 - 2023Disclaimer- Terms of Publication - Privacy Policy & Cookies - Advertising Policy -Submissions - We Give Back - Contact us. In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. First Person: Did the Kingdoms of Saul, David and Solomon Actually Exist? By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy. 1992. Was her worship confined to folk religion only, or was her influence felt in the book religion of the Hebrew Bible as well? It seems as well in 2 Chronicles, that the goodness or wickedness of a king is determined by what they did with the Asherim. These sacrifices usually consisted of the firstborn child of the person making the sacrifice (see Jeremiah 19:5). For my anger blazes like a fire that will burn forever. (NLT). Dig into the illuminating world of the Bible with a BAS All-Access membership. But the gospel teaches something different. Another word for terebinth (alla) and two words for oak (elon and allon) are also closely related. Subscribe to the CompellingTruth.org Newsletter: Asherah (also Ashtoreth or Astarte, though there may have been a distinction) was the primary goddess worshiped by the ancient Canaanites and neighboring peoples, including the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:10). AtAncient Origins, we believe that one of the most important fields of knowledge we can pursue as human beings is our beginnings. WebThe branch He mentions is probably an Asherah, a tree or a wooden pole that stood for the fertility goddess. Micah 5:14 shows God s anger towards them, [] #3. Asherah worship turned good people into sex addicts. inscriptions that mention YHWH and his Asherah (meaning YHWHs companion [consort? All of the things which we long for that can make idols tempting are found perfectly in Jesus Christ. In their mythology, the Canaanites (or Israelites of a certain Canaanite cult) sometimes paired Asherah with Yahweh, as though she was Yahwehs wife. For perhaps hundreds of years before Abraham migrated to what would become known as Israel, Asherah was revered as Athirat, Earth Mother and Fertility The 4.What Is an Asherah Pole and Does it Have Biblical Significance? | The Word Ministries, http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0011_0_09825.html, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200273085, http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200270520, http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/ancient-israel/asherah-and-the-asherim-god…, http://www.transoxiana.org/0108/roberts-enheduanna.html, http://www.transoxiana.org/0108/roberts-enheduana.html. Was this something present within their own communities that they would have to abandon once they reached the land, or would this be a new temptation for them upon coming into contact with these nations? Its possible that the divine name Yahweh Elohim that appears in connection with the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2-3 may refer to Yahweh and His Asherah.. In the Kabbalah it is the attribute referred to as Binah, means understanding; God founded the earth with wisdom and established the heavens with understanding (Binah) (Proverbs 3:19); In a possible reference to the goddess; Say to Wisdom, You are my sister, and proclaim Understanding (Binah) a kinswoman (Proverbs 7:4). http://www.transoxiana.org/0108/roberts-enheduanna.html, If you look at the Anchor Bible Series on the book of Psalms you will notice that they are full of expressions borrowed from Canaanite mythology. Such religious symbols ("groves") are frequently alluded to in Scripture ( Exodus 34:13 ; Judges 6:25 ; 2 Kings 23:6 ; 1 Kings 16:33 , etc. Canaanite goddess Asherah, 13th century BCE. WebAsherah was often associated with carved trees. and the Cult of Yahweh in Israel. God says that their wickedness was the same as sticking that idol (and what they were doing) right in His noseright in His face. https://www.learnreligions.com/asherah-in-the-bible-6824125 (accessed March 4, 2023). In Canaanite religion her primary role was that of mother goddess. 10 Reasons Why the Trial of Jesus Was Illegal. Meanwhile Adam arose in his image, saw Abraham, and smiled, so Abraham knew he was destined to be buried there (The Zohar by Daniel Matt, vol.2, p.221). An Asherah pole, like the ones found here, often represented trees associated with this mother goddess, but some archeologists believe they used living trees for these objects of religion.