Matzevah

Matzevah or masseba[1] (Hebrew: מַצֵּבָה maṣṣēḇā; "pillar") or stele (Greek: στήλην stílin) in the Septuagint, is a term used in the Hebrew Bible for a sacred pillar, a type of standing stone.

The term has been adopted by archaeologists for Israelite and related contexts, such as the Canaanite and the Nabataean ones.

[3] Use of the exclusive word[clarification needed] can be found in Genesis 28:18, 28:22, 31:13, 31:45, 35:14, 35:20, Exodus 24:4, Deuteronomy 16:22 and Hosea 3:4.

In Genesis 28:22, Jacob says "and this stone, which I have set up for a matzevah, shall be God's house" and in Genesis 31:13 Yahweh says to Jacob "I am the God of Bethel [lit.

"House of God"] where you anointed a matzevah and made a vow to me...".

Ras Macalister found a circle of ten or more massebot in his work in Gezer