Lexicon :: Strong's G1041 - bōmos

“Instead, you must tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, and chop down their Asherah poles.

“You are to appoint Aaron and his sons to carry out their priestly responsibilities, but any unauthorized person who comes near the sanctuary is to be put to death.”

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”

God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.”

So Balak took him to Lookout Field[fn] on top of Pisgah, built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”

“Instead, this is what you are to do to them: tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, cut down their Asherah poles, and burn their carved images.

“Tear down their altars, smash their sacred pillars, burn their Asherah poles, cut down the carved images of their gods, and wipe out their names from every[fn] place.

When they came to the region of[fn] the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh built a large, impressive altar there by the Jordan.

“This is what the LORD’s entire community says: ‘What is this treachery you have committed today against the God of Israel by turning away from the LORD and building an altar for yourselves, so that you are in rebellion against the LORD today?

“But if the land you possess is defiled, cross over to the land the LORD possesses where the LORD’s tabernacle stands, and take possession of it among us. But don’t rebel against the LORD or against us by building for yourselves an altar other than the altar of the LORD our God.

“that we have built for ourselves an altar to turn away from him. May the LORD himself hold us accountable if we intended to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings on it, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it.

“Therefore we said: Let’s take action and build an altar for ourselves, but not for burnt offering or sacrifice.

So the Reubenites and Gadites named the altar: It[fn] is a witness between us that the LORD is God.

When all this was completed, all Israel who had attended went out to the cities of Judah and broke up the sacred pillars, chopped down the Asherah poles, and tore down the high places and altars throughout Judah and Benjamin, as well as in Ephraim and Manasseh, to the last one.[fn] Then all the Israelites returned to their cities, each to his own possession.

Dibon went up to its temple

to weep at its high places.

Moab wails on Nebo and at[fn] Medeba.

Every head is shaved;

every beard is chopped short.

When Moab appears

and tires himself out on the high place

and comes to his sanctuary to pray,

it will do him no good.

They will not look to the altars they made with their hands or to the Asherahs and shrines[fn] they made with their fingers.

Therefore Jacob’s iniquity will be atoned for in this way,

and the result of the removal of his sin will be this:

when he makes all the altar stones

like crushed bits of chalk,

no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.

“They have built the high places of Topheth[fn] in Ben Hinnom Valley[fn] in order to burn their sons and daughters in the fire, a thing I did not command; I never entertained the thought.

“Your gods are indeed as numerous as your cities, Judah, and the altars you have set up to Shame[fn] ​— ​altars to burn incense to Baal ​— ​as numerous as the streets of Jerusalem.

“They have built the high places of Baal in Ben Hinnom Valley to sacrifice their sons and daughters in the fire[fn] to Molech ​— ​something I had not commanded them. I had never entertained the thought[fn] that they do this detestable act causing Judah to sin!

“In Moab, I will stop” ​— ​this is the LORD’s declaration ​— ​“the one who offers sacrifices on the high place and burns incense to his gods.

Therefore look, the days are coming —

this is the LORD’s declaration —

when I will make the shout of battle heard

against Rabbah of the Ammonites.

It will become a desolate mound,

and its surrounding villages will be set on fire.

Israel will dispossess their dispossessors,

says the LORD.

The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel,

will be destroyed;

thorns and thistles will grow over their altars.

They will say to the mountains, “Cover us! ”

and to the hills, “Fall on us! ”

“Isaac’s high places will be deserted,

and Israel’s sanctuaries will be in ruins;

I will rise up against the house of Jeroboam

with a sword.”