Changes

A typical high place would have:

A typical high place would have:

# An altar to [[Baal]],<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=21|verses=3|version=NASB}} {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=14|verses=3|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/>

# An altar to [[Baal]],<ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=21|verses=3|version=NASB}} {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=14|verses=3|version=NASB}}</ref>

# A stone pillar representing Baal and dedicated to him,<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=3|verses=2|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/>

# A stone pillar representing Baal and dedicated to him,<ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=3|verses=2|version=NASB}}</ref>

# A carved or ''engraved'' wooden pole (called a ''grove'' in the [[King James Version]]) dedicated to [[Asherah]],<ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/>

# A carved or ''engraved'' wooden pole (called a ''grove'' in the [[King James Version]]) dedicated to [[Asherah]],<ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/>

# Any of a number of other idols,<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=17|verses=29|version=NASB}} {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=33|verses=19|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/> and

# Any of a number of other idols,<ref name=Holman/><ref name=Brit2007/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Kings|chap=17|verses=29|version=NASB}} {{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=33|verses=19|version=NASB}}</ref> and

# At least one building,<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=12|verses=31|version=NASB}}</ref><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=13|verses=32|version=NASB}}</ref><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=16|verses=32-33|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/> which might have served as a hall for pagan feasts.<ref name=Brit1911/>

# At least one building,<ref name=Brit1911/><ref name=Holman/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=12|verses=31|version=NASB}}</ref><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=13|verses=32|version=NASB}}</ref><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Kings|chap=16|verses=32-33|version=NASB}}</ref> which might have served as a hall for pagan feasts.<ref name=Brit1911/>

At a minimum, people burnt incense at a high place<ref name=Brit2007/>--but sometimes they held animal or even human sacrifices, and specifically of children.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Jeremiah|chap=7|verses=31|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Holman/>

At a minimum, people burnt incense at a high place<ref name=Brit2007/>—but sometimes they held animal or even human sacrifices, and specifically of children.<ref name=Holman/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=Jeremiah|chap=7|verses=31|version=NASB}}</ref>

== Archaeological Evidence ==

== Archaeological Evidence ==

== Worship at High Places ==

== Worship at High Places ==

Most worship at high places was of pagan gods, especially before the invasion of [[Canaan]] by the nation of [[Israel]].<ref name=Brit2007/> Two historical exceptions existed: in the period between the destruction of [[Shiloh]] and the building of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]], Judge [[Samuel]] worshiped [[God]] Himself at a high place,<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Samuel|chap=9|verses=12-25|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Holman/> and David and Solomon worshipped at a [[Tabernacle]] re-pitched on a high place.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Chronicles|chap=16|verses=1-4,37-40|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Holman/> But once the Tabernacle and/or the Temple were in place, worship of [[God]] at high places was against [[God]]'s will.<ref name=JE>Authors unknown. "[http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/bc.htm Entry for Bamah/Bamot]." ''[[Judaism]] 101: A Glossary of Basic Jewish Terms and Concepts'', Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Retrieved April 18, 2007</ref>

Most worship at high places was of pagan gods, especially before the invasion of [[Canaan]] by the nation of [[Israel]].<ref name=Brit2007/> Two historical exceptions existed: in the period between the destruction of [[Shiloh]] and the building of the [[Temple of Jerusalem]], Judge [[Samuel]] worshiped [[God]] Himself at a high place,<ref name=Holman/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Samuel|chap=9|verses=12-25|version=NASB}}</ref> and David and Solomon worshipped at a [[Tabernacle]] re-pitched on a high place.<ref name=Holman/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=I_Chronicles|chap=16|verses=1-4,37-40|version=NASB}}</ref> But once the Tabernacle and/or the Temple were in place, worship of [[God]] at high places was against [[God]]'s will.<ref name=JE>Authors unknown. "[http://www.ou.org/about/judaism/bc.htm Entry for Bamah/Bamot]." ''[[Judaism]] 101: A Glossary of Basic Jewish Terms and Concepts'', Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. Retrieved April 18, 2007</ref>

That aside, God had specifically enjoined the Israelites from worshiping even Him at any high places,<ref name=Brit2007/> and even directed them to remove all high places as they took possession of the land.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Deuteronomy|chap=7|verses=5|version=NASB}}</ref> They did not do this, and because of this they were tempted continually by the largely sensual worship of the Canaanite gods and often yielded to that temptation. Indeed, King [[Solomon]] built many high places himself to accommodate the belief systems of many of his foreign wives.<ref name=Holman/> In addition, King [[Jeroboam I]] of the [[Northern Kingdom]] set up golden calves, one at each of two high places in his kingdom, as the centerpiece of an alternative religious system that he invented to stop people from going up to [[Jerusalem]] to worship [[God]].<ref name=Holman/> Those high places would not be removed before the [[Fall of Samaria]] more than two centuries (two and a half centuries according to [[James Ussher]]) later.

That aside, God had specifically enjoined the Israelites from worshiping even Him at any high places,<ref name=Brit2007/> and even directed them to remove all high places as they took possession of the land.<ref>{{Bible ref|book=Deuteronomy|chap=7|verses=5|version=NASB}}</ref> They did not do this, and because of this they were tempted continually by the largely sensual worship of the Canaanite gods and often yielded to that temptation. Indeed, King [[Solomon]] built many high places himself to accommodate the belief systems of many of his foreign wives.<ref name=Holman/> In addition, King [[Jeroboam I]] of the [[Northern Kingdom]] set up golden calves, one at each of two high places in his kingdom, as the centerpiece of an alternative religious system that he invented to stop people from going up to [[Jerusalem]] to worship [[God]].<ref name=Holman/> Those high places would not be removed before the [[Fall of Samaria]] more than two centuries (two and a half centuries according to [[James Ussher]]) later.

Part of the evaluation of all the kings of the [[Southern Kingdom]] was whether they did anything about the high places.<ref name=JE/> Only three kings receive credit for removing them completely; these were [[Jehoshaphat]] and the two great reformers, [[Hezekiah]] and [[Josiah]].<ref name=Brit1911/> Jehoshaphat's role in removing high places receives little notice among commentators today, and yet the Bible says that Jehoshaphat removed the high places during his reign, a thing which only two other Kings of the [[Southern Kingdom]] managed to do. Josiah's thoroughgoing removal of high places is, of course, associated with the finding, during his reign, of the "book of the Law in the house of the LORD"<ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=34|verses=14-19|version=NASB}}</ref><ref name=Brit2007/>

Part of the evaluation of all the kings of the [[Southern Kingdom]] was whether they did anything about the high places.<ref name=JE/> Only three kings receive credit for removing them completely; these were [[Jehoshaphat]] and the two great reformers, [[Hezekiah]] and [[Josiah]].<ref name=Brit1911/> Jehoshaphat's role in removing high places receives little notice among commentators today, and yet the Bible says that Jehoshaphat removed the high places during his reign, a thing which only two other Kings of the [[Southern Kingdom]] managed to do. Josiah's thoroughgoing removal of high places is, of course, associated with the finding, during his reign, of the "book of the Law in the house of the LORD"<ref name=Brit2007/><ref>{{Bible ref|book=II_Chronicles|chap=34|verses=14-19|version=NASB}}</ref>

== Famous High Places in OT Times ==

== Famous High Places in OT Times ==

<references/>

<references/>

== See Also ==

== See also ==

* [[Baal]]

* [[Baal]]

* [[Elijah]]

* [[Elijah]]