By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-06-17 07:16:12 | Updated at 2026-06-17 15:38:58
8 hours ago
A massive cultic stone unearthed at an ancient Israelite mansion in southern Israel could provide fresh archaeological support for the biblical account of King Hezekiah's religious reforms, according to research published in the Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology.
Bar-Ilan University's Professor Avraham Faust argues in the 2026 study the imposing stone monument, known as a massebah, was deliberately dismantled and repurposed during the 8th century BCE.
The timing aligns with the period when King Hezekiah is said to have suppressed local worship practices to centralise Jewish religious observance at the Temple in Jerusalem.
"Standing stones were a common religious feature in the ancient Middle East and beyond from prehistory to a much later period and are attested in both archaeological finds and written sources, including in the Bible," Professor Faust said.
The artifact measures roughly 1.4 metres in height and weighs approximately 750 kilograms.
Archaeologists uncovered the stone at Tel 'Eton, situated in the Judean lowlands, 20 miles southeast of Ashkelon, during excavation work conducted in 2014 and 2015.
"We did not immediately understand what we had found," Mr Faust recalled. "At the beginning, we thought the stone layer was part of the collapse of a wall, and that the large stone was part of it."
The team initially contemplated breaking the stone apart for easier removal but ultimately abandoned that approach.
The finding of the massive cultic stone in the ruins may support a biblical account regarding King Hezekiah
TEL 'ETON ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
"Only later, we understood that it must have been a massebah," he explained.
The stone's distinctive shape and rough-hewn form confirmed its identification as a cultic standing stone, a monument type widespread throughout ancient Near Eastern religious practice.
The discovery carries particular significance for ongoing scholarly debates about King Hezekiah's religious campaign. The Bible describes the king abolishing shrines and destroying massebahs, with a passage in II Kings stating he "smashed the pillars (massebahs) and cut down the sacred post."
"Most scholars consider and debate two main reforms that led to religious changes during the Iron Age, King Hezekiah's and King Josiah's," Mr Faust told The Times of Israel. "Since Josiah's reform is thought to have happened later in the 7th century, it is not really relevant, but King Hezekiah is believed to have reigned in the 8th century, so it could fit."
Archaeologists excavated Room Cn the 101 Building at Tel ‘Eton
TEL 'ETON ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXPEDITION
Many biblical scholars remain sceptical, believing the relevant verses were inserted into the text at a later date rather than recording actual historical events.
Others maintain the passages reflect genuine historical circumstances.
Part of the challenge in verifying King Hezekiah's reform has been the scarcity of relevant archaeological evidence from public religious sites.
"The debate has focused on public buildings devoted to cultic activity, but we have very few such buildings from Judah, and even considering additional evidence for public cult, we are left with evidence from three or four sites," Mr Faust said.
Cultic structures at Lachish, Arad and Beersheva represent the limited examples archaeologists have identified as potentially connected to the reform period.
"Their interpretation is debated. For some scholars, they are enough to prove the reform; for others, they are not," Mr Faust noted.
"But if we look carefully at domestic architecture, we might find additional evidence."
The Tel 'Eton massebah suggests household worship may have been more widespread than previously recognised, potentially opening new avenues for investigating the reform's historical authenticity.
