Biblical Relevance

Khirbet Ader features four large, upright monoliths or menhirs, which date to the end of the Early Bronze Age and may be examples of the worship installations referred to in the Bible as “pillars” or masseboth (מַצֵּבָה, matstsevah; Gen 28:10–22; 31:13, 43–54; 35:16–20; 2 Kgs 3:2; 10:27; 23:13–14; 2 Chr 34:4; 2 Sam 18:18; Isa 19:19; Josh 24:26). These types of ritual standing stones (also referred to by the terms “monolith,” menhir, and betyl) were widespread in the preclassical Levant since the earliest times (sixth—fifth millennium bc) and are widely attested in western Semitic ancient religions during the preclassical period and beyond (Zevit, Religions of Ancient Israel, 259–65). These isolated, elongated monoliths were erected vertically and held ritual meaning, frequently representing the core of open-air religious areas. The best-known example is perhaps represented by the so-called high place at Gezer (Tell el-Jazari; Ussishkin, “History of the High Place”).

The exact function of these standing stones is debated. They may have been used as (Graesser, “Standing Stones”; Bloch-Smith, “Will the Real Massebot Stand Up”):

• votive stones

• grave markers, and hence installations linked to the cult of the dead

• sacred furnishings for a deity

Menhirs could be made of several types of stones, including either natural and unworked slabs or finely cut stones. They were characterized by the absence of both reliefs and inscriptions—apparently a feature specific to western Semitic regions (compared to Mesopotamia or Egypt). The standing stones at Ader were simple monoliths. Similar large menhirs are known from other Early Bronze IV Transjordanian sites, such as Lejjun. The use of such stones as objects of worship and ritual therefore appears to be a typical local tradition of the southern Levant.