MAṢṢEBHĀH. - A pillar, a large upright stone (from the verb nāṣab "to set upright"; Septuagint: στήλη, λίθος σκοπός, ὑπόστασις, Ez. 26, 11; Vulgate: titulus, lapis, statuae). In the Bible it is commemorative of a divine benefit (Gen. 28, 18, 22; 31, 13; 35, 14), or of a covenant (between Jacob and Laban: Gen. 31, 45, 51 f.; of the covenant of Sinai: Ex. 24, 4); it is a symbol of the worship of the true God (Is. 19, 19). As a funerary stele (II Sam. 18, 18; Gen. 35, 20), it is still in use today among Muslims. The m. was often an idolatrous stele, alongside the 'āferāh and the altar, in Canaanite sanctuaries or sacred high places (Ex. 32, 24; 34, 13; Deut. 7, 5; 12, 3; Jer. 43, 13; in Ez. 26, 11 "protecting columns," like those at the entrance of the temple of Melkart at Tyre).
The m. were arranged at equal intervals, on a line often oriented north-south. The number varied: at Gezer 10 remain in one sanctuary, 4 in another; at Thanac only 2; in rural sanctuaries it is likely that there was only one. The most ordinary ones had the proportions of a man; at Gezer there are some about 3 meters tall; some are smoothed by the kisses and anointings received over centuries; others are rough. Their relation to the deity is not clear: whether it is a dwelling or a symbol of it. The Law therefore prohibited them (Lev. 26, 1; Deut. 16, 22). They are nevertheless found in the bānāth or sanctuaries in honor of Yahweh (I Kings 14, 23; II Kings 17, 10; 18, 4; 23, 14; II Chron. 14, 2; 31, 1; Hos. 3, 4; 10, 1 f.; Mic. 5, 12); and also in honor of Baal (II Kings 3, 2; 10, 26 f.). In Is. 6, 13 the m. is a tree trunk, deprived of its branches. Distinct from the m. are the solar stelae in honor of Baal: hammānim (Lev. 26, 30; Is. 17, 8; 27, 9; Ez. 6, 4, 6; II Chron. 14, 4; 34, 4, 7), placed above the altar.
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Francesco Spadafora