Asherah - Vine's Expository Dictionary of Old Testament Words
Usage Number: 1
Strong's Number: H842
Original Word: ’asherâ
Usage Notes: "Asherah; Asherim (pl.)." This noun, which has an Ugaritic cognate, first appears in the Bible in passages anticipating the settlement in Palestine. The word's most frequent appearances, however, are usually in historical literature. Of its 40 appearances, 4 are in Israel's law code, 4 in Judges, 4 in prophetic books, and the rest are in 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
’asherâ refers to a cultic object representing the presence of the Canaanite goddess Asherah. When the people of Israel entered Palestine, they were to have nothing to do with the idolatrous religions of its inhabitants. Rather, God said, "But ye shall destroy their altars, break their images, and cut down their groves [’asherîm]…" (Exod. 34:13). This cult object was manufactured from wood (Judg. 6:26; 1 Kings 14:15) and it could be burned (Deut. 12:3). Some scholars conclude that it was a sacred pole set up near an altar to Baal. Since there was only one goddess with this name, the plural (’asherîm) probably represents her several "poles." ’asherâ signifies the name of the goddess herself: "Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves [’asherâ] four hundred, which eat at Jezebel's table" (1 Kings 18:19). The Canaanites believed that ’asherâ ruled the sea, was the mother of all the gods including Baal, and sometimes was his deadly enemy.
Apparently, the mythology of Canaan maintained that ’asherâ was the consort of Baal, who had displaced El as their highest god. Thus her sacred objects (poles) were immediately beside altars to Baal, and she was worshiped along with him.