high places Summary and Overview

from the earliest times it was the custom among all nations to ere

HIGH' PLACES . The notion of heaven as the dwelling-place of God led naturally to the thought that the higher one rose above the level ground the nearer one came to God. This deduction lay at the base of the systematic use of hills and mountaintops for religious worship, Trojans sacrificed to Zeus (Jupiter) on Mount Ida; Greeks, Persians, Germans, and many other nations followed the custom. We are therefore prepared to find the Bible containing notices of the "high places," as these altars were called. The patriarchs offered their sacrifices wherever they pitched their tents. Gen 12:7-8; Gen 26:25; Gen 28:18, but even they sometimes sacrificed upon the mountains. Gen 22:2; Gen 31:54. The Moabites, Num 22:41; Num 23:14, Num 23:28; Isa 15:2; Jer 48:35, and the Canaanites. Num 33:52; Deut 12:2, are often mentioned in the Bible as habitual sacrificers upon the high places. But not only these idolaters, but Moses also -- although it might seem to be an imitation of the heathen -- at the command of God or of his own accord, chose the mountains for religious purposes. Ex 17:15; Num 20:25. It will be remembered that the first altar erected to Jehovah in the Holy Land was upon Mount Ebal. Deut 27:5; Josh 8:30. The Israelites found that all prominent points had been consecrated by the former inhabitants for idol-worship, and they used the same localities in the Jehovah-worship. There was, however, an express direction given in respect to selecting places of worship. Deut 12:11-14. But their course, (though in the beginning innocent) was a fatal snare. It was perhaps impossible to worship Jehovah purely amidst the suggestions of the former impurity which those high places called up, so in the books of Moses we find strict commands to destroy them. Lev 26:30; Num 33:52; Deut 33:29. Israel is directed to repair unto the one altar of burnt-offering. Deut 12:5-6; Deut 16:21. But on the other hand, an earlier law, Ex 20:24 ff., gave the people directions how to build altars, as if there might be really more than one. And it is certain that the Deuteronomic regulation was violated, at least in letter, for Gideon, Jud 6:25-26, Samuel at Mizpeh, 1 Sam 7:10, at an unnamed high place, 9:12, and at Bethlehem, 1 Sam 16:5; Saul at Gilgal, 1 Sam 13:9, David, 1 Chr 21:26, Elijah on Mount Carmel, 1 Kgs 18:30, and other prophets, 1 Sam 10:5, offered sacrifices away from the tabernacle, and even upon high places. To account for this strange anomaly some suggest that the command already alluded to was "prospective, and was not to come into force until such time as the tribes were settled in the Promised Land, and had rest from all their neighbors round about." Others plead the inconvenience, or in all probability at times the impossibility, of coming up to Jerusalem, as an excuse. But it should be borne in mind that in the above-mentioned incidents there was either a divine command or a divine sanction. The Rabbins declare that for the greater part of the time before the building of the temple it was allowable to offer sacrifices upon the high places. 2 Sam 15:32; cf. 1 Kgs 3:2. Whatever may be the explanation, the worship on the high places gratified a popular demand, and God did not punish them for this violation of the command in Deuteronomy. Elijah, indeed, complains because so many altars of Jehovah were thrown down, 1 Kgs 19:10. They formed local centres of religion; indeed, there is a resemblance in this respect between them and the synagogues. Solomon, however, took a step downward in this matter, he gave the sanction of his example to the erection of high places, not only for Jehovah, but for heathen divinities, 1 Kgs 11:7-8. The idolatry of the capital found imitators. When Jeroboam would strengthen himself against the attraction of Jerusalem, he erected calves at the high places of Dan and Bethel, 1 Kgs 12:29-31. From that time the Jews of the northern kingdom used the high places as places of worship, both of Jehovah and of false gods. In Judah the worship of Jehovah on the high places continued. Even the pious kings -- Asa, 1 Kgs 15:14, Jehoshaphat, 1 Kgs 22:43, Jehoash, 2 Kgs 12:3, Aniaziah, 2 Kgs 14:4, Azariah, 2 Kgs 15:4, Jotham, 2 Kgs 15:35 -- made no attempt to remove it, although their failure to do so constitutes a stock charge against them by the writers of the books of the Kings. But in Chronicles, Asa and Jehoshaphat, 2 Chr 14:3; 2 Chr 17:6; 2 Chr 20:33, are both stated to have taken away the high places. The discrepancy is removed by supposing these kings really did remove the high places used for idolatrous worship, but found themselves unable to remove those dedicated to Jehovah. Meanwhile, the prophets, among whom were Amos 7:9; Hosea 10:8 and Micah 1:5, lifted up their denunciations against the practice. At last Hezekiah set himself vigorously against the high places, 2 Kgs 18:4. But it was reserved to Josiah to uproot the evil. The nation, under the recently-discovered book of the Law (Deuteronomy), for the first time, perhaps, realized how sinful their practice had been, and therefore joined the king in destroying all traces of it. 2 Kgs 23:5. After the time of Josiah there is no mention of Jehovistic high places, although the later prophets speak of idolatrous high places. Jer 17:3; Eze 6:6. The high places had their particular priests. 1 Kgs 12:31; 2 Kgs 17:32; 2 Kgs 23:8 ff. The worship thereat consisted both in sacrifices and offerings. Upon them was an altar, which is distinguished from the high place, 2 Kgs 23:15, and about them, in some cases at least, a structure called the "house of the high place." 1 Kgs 12:31; 1 Kgs 13:32; 2 Kgs 23:19. This gave them a temple-like appearance. The word for "high place" was occasionally transferred to such a temple or shrine, and therefore a "high place" in a valley, Jer 7:31, or in the city's streets is spoken of. Eze 16:31.

Archaeological and scientific researches have made it evident that in the varying forms of early religions, and in lands far distant from each other, high places were selected for worship of a sacrificial character. This was so especially among the Moabites (Isaiah 15:2; Isaiah 16:12; Numbers 23:28). The three altars built by Abraham at Shechem, between Bethel and Ai, and at Mamre, were on heights. Such sites consecrated of old would naturally be resorted to in after times as sanctuaries. Not only these, but heights originally dedicated to idols (Numbers 33:52; Leviticus 26:30). The law forbade sacrificial worship elsewhere save at the one national sanctuary. Old usage however strove against the law, and too frequently reasserted itself. The high places polluted by idol worship (2 Kings 23:9) were condemned by all the kings that worshipped Jehovah. But those sacred to Jehovah (2 Chronicles 32:12; 2 Chronicles 33:17) were tolerated by less thoroughly reforming kings; and sacrifices and burnt incense were offered on them (1 Kings 12:3; 1 Kings 14:4; 1 Kings 15:35). Hezekiah and Josiah removed them utterly, as opposed to the letter of the law and mostly to the spirit of it too (2 Kings 18:4; 2 Kings 23:5 margin; 2 Chronicles 34:3). In the time of the judges (Judges 6:25-26; Judges 13:16-23; 1 Samuel 7:10; 1 Samuel 16:5), and while the temple was yet unbuilt (1 Kings 3:2), and in the Israelite northern kingdom where religious order could not be preserved, owing to the severance from Judah (1 Kings 18:30), greater latitude was allowed. But the strict rule was against it, except where God especially (1 Chronicles 21:26) sanctioned sacrifice on some one occasion at a place (Deuteronomy 12:4-11; Leviticus 17:3-4; John 4:20). The priests whom the kings of Judah ordained to burn incense in the high places were called Chemarim; compare Hosea 10:5; Zephaniah 1:4 idol priests not having reached the age of puberty, meaning "ministers of the gods," the Tyrian camilli, (black attired ministers, subordinate to the priests, they felled the victim), from chaamar "to be black." The high places of Dan and Bethel were already sacred by usage; so Jeroboam found it easy to induce the people to forsake the temple and cherubim at Jerusalem for his calves in Dan and Bethel. Bamoth, the Hebrew for "high places," became so common that the term was used for a shrine in a valley or a city (2 Kings 17:9; Ezekiel 16:31; Jeremiah 7:31). In Ezekiel 20:29, I said ... what is the high place whereunto ye go? And the name thereof is called Bamah unto this day," the sense is, You ought to have long since put away the name, and the high place which it expresces; the very name implies it is not sanctioned by Me; therefore your sacrifice even to ME in it (much more to idols) is only a "provocation" to Me (Ezekiel 20:28). In Ezekiel 16:16," of thy garments thou didst take and deckedst thy high places with divers colors," the sense is: as a harlot spreading her tent of divers colors to lure victims, so Israel set up on the high places, not stone chapels, but tents hung with colored tapestry, as the "woven hangings of (Asherah) Astarte" (the right translation for "grove") (2 Kings 23:7). Asa in one place is said to have taken away the high places, in another not so; also Jehoshaphat similarly. The seeming discrepancy occurs not only between Kings and Chronicles, but even between different passages of the same chronicler. Doubtless the godly kings at first tried to put down entirely the high places, but afterwards yielded to the general usage of the people in cases where the high place was to Jehovah; where it was to idols they put them down utterly. "They opposed impiety but winked at error" (Hall). So rooted was the practice that the removal of the high places was made by Rabshakeh a taunt against Hezekiah as if it were an impious innovation against Jehovah's honour; evidently he knew that the act had provoked the enmity of a considerable party among the Jews.