Deu 12:2-3 | TNotes | STEP | 12:2 green tree: The Canaanites selected groves of trees for worship sites because their lush foliage demonstrated fertility. Sometimes trees were stylized in the form of wooden poles driven into the ground and dedicated to the worship of the mother goddess, Asherah (see 7:5 ).

‏ Deuteronomy 12:2-3

12:2 ^a green tree: The Canaanites selected groves of trees for worship sites because their lush foliage demonstrated fertility. Sometimes trees were stylized in the form of wooden poles driven into the ground and dedicated to the worship of the mother goddess, Asherah (see 7:5 ^b).
12:3 ^c sacred pillars: See study note on 7:5.

• Asherah poles: The feminine counterpart to the sacred pillar was a wooden pole dedicated to the mother goddess, Asherah.

• erase the names: With the destruction of all idols and every vestige of pagan worship, the names of these deities would be forgotten. Future generations would know nothing of them (see also study note on 7:24).