Beth el
“House of God”
Summary
An important city in central Canaan meaning 'house of God,' where Jacob saw the vision of the heavenly ladder and later became a center of idolatrous worship.
☩Patriarchal Era
Abraham built an altar near Bethel (then called Luz) when he first entered Canaan. Jacob, fleeing from Esau, slept at this place and dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending. Upon waking, he named the place Bethel, saying, 'This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.'
☩Period of the Judges
Bethel became an important religious center where the ark of the covenant was stationed for a time. The prophetess Deborah judged Israel between Ramah and Bethel. Samuel included Bethel in his annual circuit of judgment.
☩Center of Idolatry
When Jeroboam divided the kingdom, he set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem to worship. This corruption persisted until the Assyrian conquest, making Bethel synonymous with idolatry in the prophetic writings.
Related Verses35 mentions
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Beth-el," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. I (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Bethel," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).