Bethel

(the house of God) well known city and holy place of central Palestine, about 12 mlles north of Jerusalem. If we are to accept the precise definition of (Genesis 12:8) the name of Bethel would appear to have existed at this spot even before the arrival of Abram in Canaan. (Genesis 12:8; 13:3,4) Bethel was the scene of Jacob's vision. (Genesis 28:11-19; 31:13) Jacob lived there. (Genesis 35:1-8) The original name was Luz. (Judges 1:22,23) After the conquest Bethel is frequently heard of. In the troubled times when there was no king in Israel, it was to Bethel that the people went up in their distress to ask counsel of God. (Judges 20:18,26,31; 21:2) Authorized Version, "house of God." Here was the ark of the covenant. (Judges 20:26-28; 21:4) Later it is named as one of the holy cities to which Samuel went on circuit. (1 Samuel 7:16) Here Jeroboab placed one of the two calves of gold. Toward the end of Jeroboam's life Bethel fell into the hands of Judah. (2 Chronicles 13:19) Elijah visited Bethel, and we hear of "sons of the prophets" as resident there. (2 Kings 2:2,3) But after the destruction of Baal worship by Jehu Bethel comes once more into view. (2 Kings 10:29) After the desolation of the northern kingdom by the king of Assyria, Bethel still remained an abode of priests. (2 Kings 17:27,28) In later times Bethel is named only once under the scarcely-altered name of Beitin . Its ruins still lie on the righthand side of the road from Jerusalem to Nablus.

1. A town in the south part of Judah, named in (Joshua 12:16) and 1Sam 30:27 In (Joshua 15:30; 19:4; 1 Chronicles 4:29,30) the place appears under the name of CHESIL, BETHUL and BETHUEL. Hiel the Bethelite is recorded as the rebuilder of Jericho. (1 Kings 16:34)
2. In (Joshua 16:1) and 1Sam 13:2 Mount Bethel, a hilly section near Beth-el, is referred to.

Bethel

House of God, the name of a city west of Hai, on the confines of the tribes of Ephraim and Benjamin, Genesis 12:8 28:10-22, and occupying the spot where Jacob slept and had his memorable dream, the name he then gave it superseding the old name Luz, Jude 1:23. Thirty years after, he again pitched his tent there, Genesis 35:1-15. It was captured by Joshua, and given to Benjamin, Joshua 12:9 18:22. The Ephraimites, however, expelled the Canaanites, Jude 1:22-26. Here the ark of the covenant, and probably the tabernacle, long remained, Jud 20:26 1 Samuel 10:3. Samuel held his court here in turn, 1 Samuel 7:16. After Solomon, it became a seat of gross idolatry; Jeroboam choosing it as the place for one of his golden calves, from the sacredness previously attached to it, 1 Kings 12:29. The prophets were charged with messages against Bethel, 1 Kings 13:1,2 Jeremiah 48:13 Am 3:14 7:10. The first of these was fulfilled by Josiah, 2 Kings 23:13; and the others in the later desolation of Bethel, where nothing but ruins can now be found. Its site was identified by Dr. Robinson, in the place now called Beitin. It is twelve miles from Jerusalem towards Shechem, on the southern side of a hill, with a narrow and fertile valley on the east, and the long-traveled road on the west. At the bottom of the hill are the remains of a vast stone reservoir, of an ancient Hebrew age.

House of God.

(1.) A place in Central Palestine, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem, at the head of the pass of Michmash and Ai. It was originally the royal Canaanite city of Luz (Genesis 28:19). The name Bethel was at first apparently given to the sanctuary in the neighbourhood of Luz, and was not given to the city itself till after its conquest by the tribe of Ephraim. When Abram entered Canaan he formed his second encampment between Bethel and Hai (Genesis 12:8); and on his return from Egypt he came back to it, and again "called upon the name of the Lord" (13:4). Here Jacob, on his way from Beersheba to Haran, had a vision of the angels of God ascending and descending on the ladder whose top reached unto heaven (28:10, 19); and on his return he again visited this place, "where God talked with him" (35:1-15), and there he "built an altar, and called the place El-beth-el" (q.v.). To this second occasion of God's speaking with Jacob at Bethel, Hosea (12:4, 5) makes reference.

In troublous times the people went to Bethel to ask counsel of God (Judges 20:18, 31; 21:2). Here the ark of the covenant was kept for a long time under the care of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron (20:26-28). Here also Samuel held in rotation his court of justice (1 Samuel 7:16). It was included in Israel after the kingdom was divided, and it became one of the seats of the worship of the golden calf (1 Kings 12:28-33; 13:1). Hence the prophet Hosea (Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5, 8) calls it in contempt Beth-aven, i.e., "house of idols." Bethel remained an abode of priests even after the kingdom of Israel was desolated by the king of Assyria (2 Kings 17:28, 29). At length all traces of the idolatries were extirpated by Josiah, king of Judah (2 Kings 23:15-18); and the place was still in existence after the Captivity (Ezra 2:28; Nehemiah 7:32). It has been identified with the ruins of Beitin, a small village amid extensive ruins some 9 miles south of Shiloh.

(2.) Mount Bethel was a hilly district near Bethel (Joshua 16:1; 1 Samuel 13:2).

(3.) A town in the south of Judah (Joshua 8:17; 12:16).

1. (n.) A place of worship; a hallowed spot.

2. (n.) A chapel for dissenters.

3. (n.) A house of worship for seamen.

BETHEL

beth'-el (beth-'el; Baithel and oikos theou, literally, "house of God"):

(1) A town near the place where Abraham halted and offered sacrifice on his way south from Shechem.

1. Identification and Description:

It lay West of Ai (Genesis 12:8). It is named as on the northern border of Benjamin (the southern of Ephraim, Joshua 16:2), at the top of the ascent from the Jordan valley by way of Ai (Joshua 18:13). It lay South of Shiloh (Judges 21:19). Eusebius, Onomasticon places it 12 Roman miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Neapolis. It is represented by the modern Beitin, a village of some 400 inhabitants, which stands on a knoll East of the road to Nablus. There are four springs which yield supplies of good water. In ancient times these were supplemented by a reservoir hewn in the rock South of the town. The surrounding country is bleak and barren, the hills being marked by a succession of stony terraces, which may have suggested the form of the ladder in Jacob's famous dream.

2. The Sanctuary:

The town was originally called Luz (Genesis 28:19, etc.). When Jacob came hither on his way to Paddan-aram we are told that he lighted upon "the place" (Genesis 28:11. Hebrew). The Hebrew maqom, like the cognate Arabic maqam, denotes a sacred place or sanctuary. The maqom was doubtless that at which Abraham had sacrificed, East of the town. In the morning Jacob set up "for a pillar" the stone which had served as his pillow (Genesis 28:18; see PILLAR, matstsebhah), poured oil upon it and called the name of the place Bethel, "house of God"; that is, of God whose epiphany was for him associated with the pillar. This spot became a center of great interest, lending growing importance to the town. In process of time the name Luz disappeared, giving place to that of the adjoining sanctuary, town and sanctuary being identified. Jacob revisited the place on his return from Paddan-aram; here Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died and was buried under "the oak" (Genesis 35:6 f). Probably on rising ground East of Bethel Abraham and Lot stood to view the uninviting highlands and the rich lands of the Jordan valley (Genesis 13:9).

3. History:

Bethel was a royal city of the Canaanites (Joshua 12:16). It appears to have been captured by Joshua (8:7), and it was allotted to Benjamin (Joshua 18:22). In Judges 1:22 it is represented as held by Canaanites, from whom the house of Joseph took it by treachery (compare 1 Chronicles 7:28). Hither the ark was brought from Gilgal (Judges 2:1, Septuagint). Israel came to Bethel to consult the Divine oracle (Judges 20:18), and it became an important center of worship (1 Samuel 10:3). The home of the prophetess Deborah was not far off (Judges 4:5). Samuel visited Bethel on circuit, judging Israel (1 Samuel 7:16).

With the disruption of the kingdom came Bethel's greatest period of splendor and significance. To counteract the influence of Jerusalem as the national religious center Jeroboam embarked on the policy which won for him the unenviable reputation of having "made Israel to sin." Here he erected a temple, set up an image, the golden calf, and established an imposing ritual. It became the royal sanctuary and the religious center of his kingdom (1 Kings 12:29 Amos 7:13). He placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made (1 Kings 12:32). To Bethel came the man of God from Judah who pronounced doom against Jeroboam (1 Kings 13), and who, having been seduced from duty by an aged prophet in Bethel, was slain by a lion. According to the prophets Amos and Hosea the splendid idolatries of Bethel were accompanied by terrible moral and religious degradation. Against the place they launched the most scathing denunciations, declaring the vengeance such things must entail (Amos 3:14; Amos 4:4; Amos 5:11 m; Amos 9:1 Hosea 4:15; Hosea 5:8; Hosea 10:5, 8, 15). With the latter the name Bethel gives place in mockery to Beth-aven. Bethel shared in the downfall of Samaria wrought by the Assyrians; and according to an old tradition, Shalmaneser possessed himself of the golden calf (compare Jeremiah 48:13). The priest, sent by the Assyrians to teach the people whom they had settled in the land how to serve Yahweh, dwelt in Bethel (2 Kings 17:28). King Josiah completed the demolition of the sanctuary at Bethel, destroying all the instruments of idolatry, and harr ying the tombs of the idolaters. The monument of the man of God from Judah he allowed to stand (2 Kings 23:4, 25). The men of Bethel were among those who returned from Babylon with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:28 Nehemiah 7:32), and it is mentioned as reoccupied by the Benjamites (Nehemiah 11:31). Zechariah (Zechariah 7:2) records the sending of certain men from Jerusalem in the 4th year of King Darius to inquire regarding particular religious practices. Bethel was one of the towns fortified by Bacchides in the time of the Maccabees (1 Maccabees 9:50; Ant, XIII, i, 3). It is named again as a small town which, along with Ephraim, was taken by Vespasian as he approached Jerusalem (BJ, IV, ix, 9).

(2) A city in Judah which in 1 Samuel 30:27 is called Bethel; in Joshua 19:4 Bethul; and in 1 Chronicles 4:30 Bethuel. The site has not been identified. In Joshua 15:30 Septuagint gives Baithel in Judah, where the Hebrew has Kecil-probably a scribal error.

W. Ewing

BETHEL, MOUNT

(har beth-'el; Baithel louza (1 Samuel 13:2, the Revised Version (British and American) "the mount of Bethel"; Joshua 16:1)): The hill which stretches from the North of the town to Tell `Acur. The road to Shechem lies along the ridge. An army in possession of these heights easily commanded the route from north to south.

416. El Beth-el -- "the God of Bethel," an altar of Jacob
... El Beth-el. 417 . "the God of Bethel," an altar of Jacob. Transliteration: El
Beth-el Phonetic Spelling: (ale bayth-ale') Short Definition: El-bethel. ...
/hebrew/416.htm - 6k

1017. Beth Haeli -- an inhabitant of Bethel
... an inhabitant of Bethel. Transliteration: Beth Haeli Phonetic Spelling: (bayth
haw-el-ee') Short Definition: Bethelite. ... of Bethel NASB Word Usage Bethelite (1). ...
/hebrew/1017.htm - 6k

3870. Luz -- earlier name of Bethel, also a Hittite city
... 3869, 3870. Luz. 3871 . earlier name of Bethel, also a Hittite city.
Transliteration: Luz Phonetic Spelling: (looz) Short Definition: Luz. ...
/hebrew/3870.htm - 6k

3466. Yeshanah -- a city near Bethel
... 3465, 3466. Yeshanah. 3467 . a city near Bethel. Transliteration: Yeshanah
Phonetic Spelling: (yesh-aw-naw') Short Definition: Jeshanah. Word Origin fem. ...
/hebrew/3466.htm - 6k

1008. Betheel -- "house of God," a city in Ephraim, also a place ...
... Betheel. 1009 . "house of God," a city in Ephraim, also a place in S. Judah.
Transliteration: Betheel Phonetic Spelling: (bayth-ale') Short Definition: Bethel ...
/hebrew/1008.htm - 6k

206. Aven -- "wickedness," a contemptuous synonym for two places
... Aven. The same as 'aven; idolatry; Aven, the contemptuous synonym of three places,
one in Coele-Syria, one in Egypt (On), and one in Palestine (Bethel) -- Aven. ...
/hebrew/206.htm - 6k

Old and New Year 446. O God of Bethel, by Whose Hand
... IV. SPECIAL OCCASIONS Old and New Year 446. O God of Bethel, by whose hand. CM ... John
Logan, 1781. O God of Bethel, by whose hand. Thy people still are fed; ...
/.../old and new year 446.htm

How Jadon the Prophet was Persuaded by Another Lying Prophet and ...
... CHAPTER 9. How Jadon The Prophet Was Persuaded By Another Lying Prophet And
Returned [To Bethel,] And Was Afterwards Slain By A Lion. ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 9 how jadon the.htm

The Best Inheritance in Canaan
... The truth is, I did all possible to gain a home at Bethel, or on Moriah; either
place seemed better than this; at least it did for some time, until I learned ...
/.../berry/adventures in the land of canaan/chapter six the best inheritance.htm

The Chariot of Fire
... Apparently this Gilgal is not the well-known place so called, which was down in
the Jordan valley close to Jericho, else the road from it to Bethel could not ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture f/the chariot of fire.htm

The Same is Proved from the visions which Appeared to Jacob.
... For I have seen what Laban doeth unto thee. I am the God who appeared to thee in
Bethel, [2151] where thou anointedst a pillar and vowedst a vow unto Me. ...
/.../chapter lviii the same is proved.htm

Jeroboam
... He would bring this about by creating within the borders of his newly formed kingdom
two centers of worship, one at Bethel and the other at Dan. ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 7 jeroboam.htm

The Mantle of Elijah
... And Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here, for Jehovah has sent me as far as Bethel."
But Elisha said, "As surely as Jehovah lives and as you live, I will not ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sherman/the childrens bible/the mantle of elijah.htm

The Assyrian Captivity
... Through the man of God that had appeared before the altar at Bethel, through Elijah
and Elisha, through Amos and Hosea, the Lord had repeatedly set before the ...
/.../white/the story of prophets and kings/chapter 23 the assyrian captivity.htm

The Sins of Society
... vanities. We must give up seeking Bethel, Gilgal, or Beersheba, seats of
the calf worship, if we are to seek God to purpose. The ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the sins of society.htm

Chapter xxxv
... 1. And God said to Jacob: Arise, go up to Bethel and tarry there, and \make there
an altar unto God who appeared to thee at the time of the flight from before ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/leupold/exposition of genesis volume 1/chapter xxxv.htm

Bethel (67 Occurrences)
... The name Bethel was at first apparently given to the sanctuary in the neighbourhood
of Luz, and was not given to the city itself till after its conquest by the ...
/b/bethel.htm - 38k

Bethel-sarezer (1 Occurrence)
Bethel-sarezer. Beth-el-luz, Bethel-sarezer. Bethemek . Multi-Version
Concordance Bethel-sarezer (1 Occurrence). Zechariah ...
/b/bethel-sarezer.htm - 6k

El-bethel (1 Occurrence)
El-bethel. Elbethel, El-bethel. El-beth-el . Easton's Bible Dictionary
God of Bethel, the name of the place where Jacob had the ...
/e/el-bethel.htm - 7k

Luz (7 Occurrences)
... (1.) The ancient name of a royal Canaanitish city near the site of Bethel (Genesis
28:19; 35:6), on the border of Benjamin (Joshua 18:13). ... (see BETHEL.). ...
/l/luz.htm - 11k

Ai (32 Occurrences)
... It lay to the east of Bethel, "beside Beth-aven." The spot which is most probably
the site of this ancient city is Haiyan, 2 miles east from Bethel. ...
/a/ai.htm - 21k

Bethaven (6 Occurrences)
... House of nothingness; ie, "of idols", a place in the mountains of Benjamin, east
of Bethel (Joshua 7:2; 18:12; 1 Samuel 13:5). In Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5 it ...
/b/bethaven.htm - 9k

Deborah (10 Occurrences)
... Many years afterwards she died at Bethel, and was buried under the "oak of weeping",
Allon-bachuth (35:8). (2.) A prophetess, "wife" (woman?) of Lapidoth. ...
/d/deborah.htm - 14k

Beth-aven (6 Occurrences)
... House of nothingness; ie, "of idols", a place in the mountains of Benjamin, east
of Bethel (Joshua 7:2; 18:12; 1 Samuel 13:5). In Hosea 4:15; 5:8; 10:5 it ...
/b/beth-aven.htm - 9k

Hai (2 Occurrences)
... Genesis 12:8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and
pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there ...
/h/hai.htm - 7k

Jacob (361 Occurrences)
... The vision of angels was the counterpart of that he had formerly seen at Bethel,
when, twenty years before, the weary, solitary traveller, on his way to Padan ...
/j/jacob.htm - 77k

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