MATZEVA

also spelled Mazzevah (Hebrew: tombstone, monument), plural Matzevot, or Mazzevoth, a stone pillar erected on elevated ground beside a sacrificial altar. It was considered sacred to the god it symbolized and had a wooden pole (ashera) nearby to signify a goddess. After conquering the Canaanites, early Israelites used these symbols as their own until their use was outlawed as idolatrous (e.g., Deuteronomy 16:21). In the Old Testament (Genesis 28:1822; 2 Samuel 18:18; Joshua 4:2023) matzeva is used to designate a stone memorial, or monument, or, more specifically, as in the case of Rachel, a tombstone resting upright on a grave (Genesis 35:20). This latter meaning is retained in modern Hebrew.