1. A city of central Palestine, memorable as a holy site from early times. Many have inferred (from Judg. i, 23, 2G; Josh, xviii, 13) that it was the same place originally called Luz (q. v.), but from other pas- sages it appears that they were different, although contiguous (see below). Of the origin of the name Bethel there are two accounts extant: 1. It was be- stowed on the spot by Jacob under the awe inspired by the nocturnal vision of God when on his journey from his father's house at Bcershcba to seek his wife in Haran (Gen. xxviii, 19). He took the stone which had served for his pillow and put (p'^) it for a pillar, and anointed it with oil ; and he " called the name of that place (Sffl C'^p^) Bethel ; but the name of 'the' city (T^in) was called Luz at the first." The ex- pression in the last paragraph of this account is cu- rious, and indicates a distinction between the early Canaanite "city" Luz and the "place," as yet a mere undistinguished spot, marked only by the "stone" or the heap (Joseph, role, \i8oig ov/.trpopovpivoic,') erected by Jacob to commemorate his vision. 2. But, accord- ing to the other account, Bethel received its name on < the occasion of a blessing bestowed by God upon Ja- cob after his return from Padan-aram, at which time also (according to this narrative) the name of Israel was given him. Here again Jacob erects (3£??) a : "pillar of stone," which, as before, he anoints with oil (Gen. xxxv, 14, 15). The key of this story would seem to be the fact of God's "speaking" with Jacob. " God went up from him in the place where He ' spake' with him" — "Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He 'spake' with him," and "called the name of the place where God spake with him Bethel." Although these two narratives evidently represent distinct events, yet, as would appear to be the case in other instances in the lives of the patriarchs, the latter is i but a renewal of the original transaction. It is per- haps worth notice that the prophet Hosea, in the only reference which the Hebrew Scriptures contain to this occurrence, had evidently the second of (,hc two nar- ratives before him, since in a summary of the life of Jacob lis introduces it in the order in -which it occurs in Genesis, laying full ami characteristic stress on the key- word of the story: "lie had power over the angel and prevailed; he wept and made supplication unto him ; He found him in Bethel, and there Ho spake with us, even Jehovah, God of hosts" (IIos. xii, 4, 5). Both these accounts agree in omitting any mention of town or buildings at Bethel at that early period, and in draw- ing a marked distinction between the "city" of Luz and the consecrated "place" in its neighborhood (comp. Cen. xxxv, 7). Even in the ancient chroni- cles of the conquest the two are still distinguished (Josh, xvi, 1, 2); and the appropriation of the name j>f Bethel to the city appears not to have, been made till yet later, when it was taken by the tribe of Ephraim, after which the name of Luz occurs no more (Judg. i, 22-26). If this view be correct, there is a strict parallel between Bethel and Moriah, which (ac- cording to the tradition commonly followed) received its consecration when Abraham offered up Isaac, but did not become the site of an actual sanctuary till the erection of the Temple there by Solomon. See Mo- BiAH. The actual stone of Bethel itself is the sub-
ject of a Jewish tradition, according to which it was removed to the second Temple, and served as the ped- estal for the ark, where it survived the destruction of the Temple by the Romans, and was resorted to by the Jews in their lamentations (Reland, Palcesl. p. 638).
At a still earlier date, according to Gen. xii, c*, the name of Bethel would appear to have existed at this spot even before the arrival of Abram in Canaan : he removed from the oaks of Morch to " ' the' mountain on the east of Bethel," with " Bethel on the west and Hai on the east." Here he built an altar ; and hither he returned from Egypt with Lot before their separa- tion (xiii, 3, 4). In these passages, however, the name seems to lie used proleptically, with reference to the history of Jacob. After his prosperous return, Bethel became a favorite station with Jacob ; here he built an altar, buried Deborah, received the name of Israel (for the second time), and promises of blessing; and here also he accomplished the vow which he had made en his going forth (Gen. xxxv, 1-15 ; comp. xxxii, 28, and xxviii, 20-22). Although not a town in those early times, at the conquest of the land Bethel (unless this be a different place [see below]) is mentioned as a royal city of the Canaanites (Josh, xii, 1C). It became a boundary town of Benjamin toward Ephraim (Josh. xviii, 22), and was actually conquered by the latter tribe from the Canaanites (Judg. i, 22-26). In the troubled times when there Mas no king in Israel, it was to Bethel that the people went up in their distress to ask counsel of God (Judg. xx, 18, 31 ; xxi, 2; in the A. V. the name is translated "house of God)." At this place, already consecrated in the time of the patriarchs, the ark of the covenant was, apparently for a long while, deposited [see Ark], and probably the tabernacle also (Judg. xx, 26; comp. 1 Sam. x, 3), under the charge of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, with an altar and proper appliances for the offering of burnt-offerings and peace-offerings (xxi, 4); and the unwonted mention of a regular road or causeway as existing between it and the great town of Shechem is doubtless an indication that it was already in much repute. It was also one of the places at which Samuel held in rotation his court of justice (1 Sam. vii, 16). After the separation of the kingdoms Bethel was in- cluded in that of Israel, which seems to show that al- though originally, in the formal distribution, assigned to Benjamin, it had been actually possessed by Ephraim in right of conquest from the Canaanites, a fact that may have been held by that somewhat unscrupulous tribe as determining their right of possession to a place of importance close on their own frontier. Jerol oam made it the southern seat (Dan being the northern) of the worship of the golden calves ; and it seems to have been the chief seat of that worship (1 Kings xii, 28-.r3 : xiii, 1). The choice of Bethel was probably determined by the consideration that the spot was already sacred in the estimation of the Israelites, not only from patri- archal consecration, but from the more recent presence of the ark ; which might seem to point it out ; s a proper seat for an establishment designed to rival that of Jerusalem. This appropriation, however, complete- ly desecrated Bethel in the estimation of the orthodox Jews ; and the prophets name it with abhorrence and contempt — even applying to it, 1 ly a sort of jeu de mot, the name of Betii-avex (house of idols') instead of Beth-el (house of God) (Amos v, 5 ■ llos. iv, 15; v, 8; x, 5, 8). Tho town was taken from Jeroboam by Abijah, king of Judah (2 Chron. xiii, 10); but it again reverted to Israel (2 Kings x, 28), being probably recovered by Baasha (2 Chron. xvi, 1). It then remains unmen- tioned for a long period. The worship of Baal, intro- duced by the Phoenician queen of Ahab (1 Kings xvi, 31), bad probably alienated public favor from the sim- ple erections of Jeroboam to more gorgeous shrines (2 Kings x, 21, 22). Samaria had been built (1 Kings xvi, 24), and Jezreel, and these things must have all tended to draw public notice to the more northern part