And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.

And when his heart had taken courage for the ways of the Lord, he took away also the high places and the groves out of Juda.

And he took courage in the ways of Jehovah; moreover, he removed the high places and Asherahs out of Judah.

and his heart is high in the ways of Jehovah, and again he hath turned aside the high places and the shrines out of Judah.

His heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord; and he went so far as to take away the high places and the wood pillars out of Judah.

And when his heart had taken courage because of the ways of the Lord, he now also took away the high places and the sacred groves from Judah.

His heart was lifted up - This expression generally occurs in a bad sense Deuteronomy 8:14; 2-Chronicles 26:16; Psalm 131:1; Proverbs 18:12; but here it must be taken differently. The margin "was encouraged" expresses fairly the true meaning. He first began by setting an example of faithfulness to Yahweh. He then proceeded to use his best endeavors to extirpate idolatry.
He took away the high places - Compare 2-Chronicles 20:33, and see the 2-Chronicles 15:17 note.

And his heart was (c) lifted up in the ways of the LORD: moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah.
(c) He gave himself wholly to serve the Lord.

And his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord,.... It was engaged in them, was bent and set upon them; he walked in them with great pleasure and cheerfulness, being inspired with zeal and courage; he was fearless and intrepid, and regarded not any opposition he might have, or expect to have, in the work of reformation in which he was concerned:
moreover, he took away the high places; such as were dedicated to idols, but not those in which the true God was worshipped, 2-Chronicles 20:33
and groves out of Judah; where idols were placed; for though these had been removed by Asa, yet had been renewed in the latter part of his days, when more negligent of religion.

his heart was lifted up in the ways of the Lord--Full of faith and piety, he possessed zeal and courage to undertake the reformation of manners, to suppress all the works and objects of idolatry (see on 2-Chronicles 20:33), and he held out public encouragement to the pure worship of God.

This blessing encouraged Jehoshaphat to extirpate from the land all idolatrous worship, and to teach the people the law of the Lord. לב נּבהּ, usually sensu malo, to be haughty, proud, cf. e.g., 2-Chronicles 26:16; 2-Chronicles 32:25; here sensu bono, of rising courage to advance in ways pleasing to God: and he removed the high places also, etc. עוד points back to 2-Chronicles 17:3 : not only did he himself keep far from the Baals, but he removed, besides, all memorials of the Baal-worship from Judah. On בּמות and אשׁרים, see on 2-Chronicles 14:2.

Lifted up - Above all discouragements, and fears. He was valiant and resolute for God and his ways. Groves - Those wherein idols were worshipped, and though Asa had done this before, yet either he did not do it thoroughly; or the Jews (who were many of them mad upon their idols) had secretly made new ones, in the latter part of his reign, when he grew more infirm in body, and more remiss in God's cause.