after Jacob left Laban’s house with his wives Leah and Rachel. Laban pursued him to get back the idols that Rachel had stolen. After Laban was convinced that Jacob had not stolen his idols, Jacob and Laban make a covenant. “Jacob took a stone (ʼben) and set it up as a pillar (massebah) which would be a witness of the agreement they had made on that occasion (Genesis 31:44–45).

There are several occasions where the massebah is not associated with pagan worship. When the massebah is associated with the worship of Yahweh, the massebah is accepted as a valid expression of commitment to Yahweh.