John Gill Commentary Deuteronomy 16:21

"Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside the altar of Jehovah thy God, which thou shalt make thee." — Deuteronomy 16:21 (ASV)

You shall not plant a grove of any trees
Of any sort of trees, as oaks or any other; not but that it was lawful to plant trees and groves of them, but not for a religious or idolatrous use: particularly

near unto the altar of the Lord your God, which you shall make ;
as the Heathens did near their altars, lest it should be thought to be done for a like superstitious and idolatrous use; which evil the Jews sometimes fell into in the times of wicked reigns, and which their good and pious kings removed and destroyed; see (2 Kings 18:4) (21:3) (2 Kings 23:4 2 Kings 23:7 2 Kings 23:14 2 Kings 23:15) and Hecataeus ^F2 , an Heathen historian, relates of the city of Jerusalem, that there were there no image, nor plantation, nor grove, nor any such thing.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F2: Apud Euseb. Praepar. Evangel. l. 9. c. 4. p. 408.