A standing stone laid on its side may show Hezekiah’s reform reached Judah’s homes

A new study by Prof. Avraham Faust of Bar-Ilan University suggests that a standing stone found at Tel ‘Eton, in the Judean lowlands, may be evidence of King Hezekiah’s religious reform.¹

The stone, about 1.4 meters tall and weighing about 750 kilograms, once stood in the largest room of a large residence known as Building 101. At some point its owners laid it on its side and built a stone platform around it, before the Assyrians destroyed the town at the end of the eighth century BC. 2 Kings 18:4 says Hezekiah “removed the high places, shattered the sacred pillars, and cut down the Asherah poles.”

Faust argues the reform may have reached household worship, not only public shrines like those at Arad and Beersheba. The stone was put out of use but treated with respect, not smashed. He does not claim proof, and evidence for Hezekiah’s reform remains debated. The timing, though, fits his reign.