H4678 H4678
A pillar or standing stone erected as a memorial or sacred marker; also the stump or trunk remnant of a felled tree
Derived from the root meaning 'to stand,' this feminine noun covers two quite different referents. As a pillar or standing stone, it marks memorials — Jacob's anointed pillar at Bethel (Gen 35:14) and Absalom's monument in the King's Valley (2 Sam 18:18). As a stump, it appears in Isaiah's parable of judgment: even after the holy land is burned, a stump remains as a seed of hope (Isa 6:13). The divergence is sharp across translations: Spanish distinguishes 'estela/pilar' from 'tronco,' while Arabic uses 'nusub' for the stone pillar — evidence that the two senses were clearly felt as distinct.
Senses
1. pillar, standing stone — A pillar or standing stone set up as a memorial, sacred marker, or monument. Jacob erects and anoints one at Bethel (Gen 35:14), sets one over Rachel's grave (Gen 35:20), and Absalom raises his own in the King's Valley (2 Sam 18:18). Spanish 'estela/pilar' and German 'Malstein/Denkmal' preserve the monumental connotation. Arabic 'nusub' (نُصُب) underscores the act of erecting something upright as a sacred or commemorative marker. 4×
AR["لِ-النُّصْبِ","نُصُبَ","نُصُبُ","نُصْبًا"]·ben["স্তম্ভ","স্তম্ভকে"]·DE["der-Malstein-","der-Saeule","ein-Denkmal","zu-der-Saeule"]·EN["pillar-of","the-pillar","to-the-pillar"]·FR["colonne-de","le-colonne","à-le-colonne"]·heb["ל-מצבת","מצבת"]·HI["स्तंभ","स्तंभ-को","स्तम्भ"]·ID["-tugu","tugu"]·IT["a-il-colonna","colonna-di","il-colonna"]·jav["dhateng-tugu","tugu"]·KO["그-기둥을","기둥을","기둥이다"]·PT["a-coluna","coluna-de"]·RU["столб"]·ES["a-la-estela","la-estela","pilar-de"]·SW["mwamba","nguzo"]·TR["dikili-taşa","dikili-taşı","sütun","sütunu"]·urd["ستون","ستون-کو"]
2. stump, trunk remnant — A tree stump or trunk remnant, used exclusively in Isaiah 6:13 (twice, with and without possessive suffix). After the burning of the land, the stump (matseveth) remains — a seed of future life amid desolation. Spanish 'tronco' and English 'stump' diverge sharply from the 'pillar' translations, confirming this as a genuinely separate botanical sense rooted in the same idea of something left standing. 2×
AR["سَاقٌ","سَاقُهَا"]·ben["তার-মূল","মূল"]·DE["[מצבת]","[מצבתה]"]·EN["its-stump","stump"]·FR["[מצבת]","[מצבתה]"]·heb["מצבת","מצבתה"]·HI["उसका-ठूंठ","ठूंठ"]·ID["adalah-tunggulnya","tunggul"]·IT["[מצבת]","[מצבתה]"]·jav["tunggak","tunggak-ipun"]·KO["그녀의-그루터기라","그루터기가"]·PT["tronco","tronco-sua"]·RU["ствол","ствол-её"]·ES["su-tronco","tronco"]·SW["kisiki","ndio-kisiki-chake"]·TR["kutugu"]·urd["اس-کا-تنا","تنا"]
Related Senses
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מַצֵּבָה, מַצֶּ֫בֶת n.f. pillar, maṣṣēbā, stump; on this v. also Lagrange Études Bibl. 197 ff. and review by BauZMG lvii (1903), 830; also GFMEB massebah Sta Bib. Theol. i. § 55 OC WhitehouseHastDB pillar—abs. מַצֵּבָה Ho 3:4 +, מַצֶּ֫בֶת 2 S 18:18a (read הַמּ׳ 𝔊 Dr Bu Kit), v 18b Is 6:13, cstr. מַצְּבַת 2 K 3:2; 10:27, מַצֶּ֫בֶת Gn 35:14, 20; sf. מַצַּבְתָּהּ Is 6:13; pl. abs. מַצֵּבוֹת 1 K…