Lexical Definition

‎בֵּית־אֵל‎ Bêyth-ʼÊl (bayth-ale') Bethel ^N:N--L
from ‎בַּיִת‎ and ‎אֵל‎; house of God

Beth-el.

• § Bethel = "house of God"
• Beth-El, a place in Palestine

1) ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name)
2) a place in south country of Judah, not far from Beersheba and Ziklag

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎ֵ˜בּיתְאֵל‎₇₁ proper name, of a location Bethel (so read, not ‎בֵּיתאֵֿל‎ as Josh 7:2 + according to see d. H; compare Baer Gen 12:8 house of God, or house of El) —

1. ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identification with Luz (former name) Gen 28:19; Gen 35:6; Josh 18:13; Judg 1:23 apparently distinguished from Luz Josh 16:2 (yet compare Di); name connected with vision of Jacob when journeying to Paddan-Aram (JE) Gen 28:19; Gen 35:7 (where ‎אֵל‎ ‎ֵ˜בּיתְאֵל‎, but ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9 Ol strike out ‎אֵל‎; Di maintains); compare Hos 12:5* when journeying from P.-A. Hos 35:15 (P); name apparently given first to a stone (Gen 28:18; Gen 35:14) compare We^{Skizzen iii. 70}; ‎הַר ֵ˜בּיתְאֵל‎ 1Sam 13:2 later important place of worship 1Sam 10:3 ‎עָלָה אֶלֿ‎ ‎הָאֱלֹהִים בֵּיתְאֵל‎; abode of prophet 1Kgs 13:11; 2Kgs 2:3 Jeroboam set up one of the golden calves at Bethel 1Kgs 12:29f. compare also 1Kgs 13:1f; 2Kgs 10:29; 2Kgs 23:15; Jer 48:13 see further 2Kgs 17:28; 2Kgs 23:15 Th proposes on internal grounds, ‎בֵּית אַל‎ house of nothingness, or ‎אָלָה‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎ house of execration; ‎אָלָה‎ ‎׳‎‎בּ‎ also Ren^{Hist. iii. 185}; in prophets Amos 3:14; Amos 4:4; Amos 5:5 (twice in verse); Amos 5:6; Amos 7:10; Amos 7:13; Hos 10:15 note especially Amos 5:5 ‎ביתאל יִהְיֶה לְאָ֑וֶן‎, & ‎בֵּית אָוֶן‎ (house of iniquity) as substitute for ‎ביתאל‎ Hos 4:15; Hos 5:8; Hos 10:5 (‎עֶגְלוֺת בית און‎); — modern Beitîn Rob^{BR i. 448 f.} Guérin^{Judée iii. 14-27} compare Bd^{Pal 215} Survey^{ii. 305.}

2. place in south country of Judah, not far from Beersheba & Ziklag 1Sam 30:27 compare We Dr; = ᵑ0 ‎כסיל‎ Josh 15:30 (text error; ᵐ5 Βαιθηλ); also ‎בְּתוּל‎ Josh 19:4, ‎בְּתוּאֵל‎ 1Chr 4:30.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Bethel_1 • Important city in Israel, associated with Abraham and Jacob.

Bethel, also called Luz, was an important city in Israel, associated with the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob, later becoming a center of idolatry. (Multiple references, see article for details)

• A location first mentioned at Gen.12.8;
• referred to as Bethel or Bethel (KJV= House of God) בֵּית־אֵל, or Bethel (KJV= Beth-el) בֵּית הָאֱלִי, or Aven (NIV= "wickedness") אָוֶן, or Bochim בֹּכִים, or Luz לוּז, or El-bethel (KJV= El-beth-el) אֵל בֵּית־אֵל.
  

Bethel, meaning "house of God" in Hebrew, was an important city in ancient Israel, located about 10 miles north of Jerusalem. It is mentioned numerous times throughout the Old Testament and is closely associated with the patriarchs Abraham and Israel (or 'Jacob').

The city was originally called Luz (Genesis 28:19; 35:6; 48:3; Judges 1:23) and was renamed Bethel by Jacob after his vision of a ladder reaching to heaven (Genesis 28:10-22). In this vision, God confirmed the covenant He had made with Abraham and promised to be with Jacob wherever he went. Jacob set up a stone pillar at the site, anointed it with oil, and made a vow to God.

Abraham had previously built an altar between Bethel and Ai (Genesis 12:8; 13:3), and Jacob later returned to Bethel, where he built an altar and received a renewed promise from God (Genesis 35:1-15). The place was also called El-bethel, meaning "God of Bethel" (Genesis 35:7).

During the period of the judges, Deborah held court under a palm tree between Ramah and Bethel (Judges 4:5), and the Israelites went up to Bethel to seek guidance from God (Judges 20:18, 26; 21:2). The Ark of the Covenant was temporarily located at Bethel (Judges 20:27).

After the division of the kingdom, Jeroboam I set up a golden calf at Bethel to prevent the people from going to Jerusalem to worship (1 Kings 12:28-33). This act led to Bethel becoming a major center of idolatry, and the prophets Amos and Hosea condemned the worship there (Amos 3:14; 4:4; 5:5-6; 7:10, 13; Hosea 10:5, 8, 15).

The city was called Aven, meaning "wickedness," by Hosea (Hosea 10:8) and Beth-aven, meaning "house of wickedness," in other passages (Joshua 7:2; 18:12; 1 Samuel 13:5; 14:23), likely referring to its association with idolatry.

Bethel was destroyed by King Josiah during his religious reforms (2 Kings 23:4, 15-19) but was later resettled after the Babylonian exile (Ezra 2:28; Nehemiah 7:32; 11:31).

The city was also known as Bochim, meaning "weepers," in Judges 2:1, 5, where an angel of the Lord rebuked the Israelites for their disobedience.

Bethel played a significant role in Israel's history, serving as a place of worship, a center of idolatry, and a symbol of God's presence and promises to His people.

All entries for Bethel or Aven or Bochim or Luz or El-bethel: בֵּית־אֵל ☩ בֵּית הָאֱלִי ☩ אָוֶן ☩ בֹּכִים ☩ לוּז ☩ אֵל בֵּית־אֵל