Nefesh

In a Nabataean votive inscription from Salkhad, an Aramaic heap of stones set up in memorial is described as "for Allat and her wgr", a term equated to the Hasaitic nephesh.

Unlike the Israelite prohibition of the graven image, Nabataean aniconism allows anthropomorphic representation of deities but demonstrates a preference for non- figural imagery.

Often explained as representations of Dushara, the central Nabataean deity, betyls occur in a wide variety of shapes, groupings, and niches.

[4] An example of this type of funerary marker can be found in the Obelisk Tomb and Bab el-Siq Triclinium, Petra, Jordan.

Some examples of monumental funerary sculpture near Jerusalem bear inscriptions that include the term nephesh, and the word is generally accepted as a reference to the pyramid structure above or beside the tomb.