What are the…
high places and what is their significance?

Hebrew: bamot, singular bamah / —meaning: an eminence, natural or artificial, where worship by sacrifice or offerings was made (1 Kings 13:32; 2 Kings 17:29)

Ancient “high places” were elevated sites—typically natural hilltops, mountainsides, or artificially raised platforms—used as open-air shrines for religious worship in the ancient Near East, particularly among the Canaanites . These locations symbolized closeness to the gods, as higher ground was believed to bring worshipers nearer to the gods or the heavens. They were common from at least the patriarchal period (around the 2nd millennium BC) through the Iron Age and into the 6th century BC or later.

Idolatrous high places

Before the Israelite conquest of Canaan (c. 12th–11th century BC), high places were dedicated to fertility deities like Baal (god of storms and agriculture) and Asherah. They served as local shrines tied to agricultural cycles, with rituals emphasizing prosperity and reproduction.

After the Israelites entered the Promised Land they were strictly told to overthrow the high places of the Canaanites (Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 12:2, 3), and they were forbidden to worship the Lord on high places (Deuteronomy 12:11-14), and were enjoined to use but one altar for sacrifices (Leviticus 17:3-4; Deuteronomy 12; 16:21).

The injunction against high places was, however, poorly obeyed, and we find again and again mention made of them (2 Kings 14:4; 15:4, 35; 2 Chronicles 15:17, etc.).

In the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), high places appear over 100 times, mostly in 1–2 Kings, as a barometer of Israel’s faithfulnes.

Key Features and Components

High places were sometimes simple yet functional, often including:

Altars: Stone or earthen platforms for burnt offerings and sacrifices, sometimes hewn directly from rock.

Sacred Pillars (Matzevot): Upright standing stones representing the presence of a god.

Asherim: Wooden poles or trees symbolizing fertility goddesses like Asherah.

Incense Altars (Ḥammanim): Small structures for burning incense.

Sacred Groves or Trees: Often surrounding the site for shade and ritual seclusion, though these could facilitate secretive or obscene rites.

These elements made high places versatile for festivals, vows, feasts, and communal sacrifices. Archaeological evidence, such as the bamah at Beersheba (Beer-Sheba) (destroyed during King Josiah's reforms), confirms their existence with trenches, hearths, and stone enclosures.

Similar elevated shrines existed across the region—e.g., Baal's mountain associations in Ugaritic texts or even Rome's Capitoline Hill—reflecting a shared pagan reverence for heights.

Samaritan Passover rites at Mount Gerizim today echo ancient high place ceremonies.

More information

• What is a Bamah?
• Answers about idolatry and false gods in the Bible
• Answers about idols in the Bible
• What are the 10 Commandments?

Godly use of high places

The first altar after the Flood was built on a mountain.

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. —Genesis 8:20

Patriarchs like Abraham built altars at high places in Shechem, Bethel, and Hebron (Genesis 12:6–8; 22:1–2).

The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him. —Genesis 12:7

It was on a mountain in Gilead that Laban and Jacob offered sacrifices.

Then Jacob offered a sacrifice on the mountain… —Genesis 31:54 excerpt (context: Gen. 31:22-55)

Prophets like Samuel and Elijah also used them (1 Samuel 9:12–14).

Urban Variations: While usually on hills, some were in cities, at gates, or even valleys.

Idolatrous shift

Post-temple (after Solomon's era), high places became sites of syncretism—blending worship of God with pagan Canaanite practices like Molech child sacrifices or Baal rites (Jeremiah 32:35; 2 Kings 16:4). Kings like Solomon even built idolatrous ones for foreign wives’ gods, leading to divine judgment and the kingdom’s division (1 Kings 11:7–11).

God commanded their demolition (Deuteronomy 12:4–5). Pious kings like Hezekiah and Josiah destroyed them (2 Kings 18:4; 23:4–20), including Bethel's ancient site, to purge idolatry. Their persistence contributed to exile (2 Kings 17:20).