Difference between revisions of "Bethel"

<p> 1. Name, signifying 'house of God,' given to the place where God first appeared to Jacob in a dream. It led him to say, "Surely the Lord is in this place . . . . this is none other but the house of God . . . . and he called the name of that place Beth-el." &nbsp;Genesis 28:16-19 . God thus gave to Jacob the apprehension that the house of God on earth — the gate of heaven — was to be connected with him and his seed, and afterwards God acknowledged the place and the name, saying, "I am the God of Beth-el," &nbsp;Genesis 31:13 . To take Jacob out of a false position God bade him go up to Beth-el and dwell there, and Jacob felt he must take no idols there, so he told his household to put away the strange gods from among them, to be clean, and to change their garments. "He built there an altar and called the place <i> El-beth-el; </i> " and there God met him, revealed His name to him, and confirmed the change of his name to Israel (cf. &nbsp;Genesis 32:28,29 ), blessed him, and renewed His promises. &nbsp;Genesis 35:1-16 . </p> <p> It was afterwards conquered and given to Benjamin. &nbsp;Joshua 12:9; &nbsp;Joshua 18:22; &nbsp;Judges 1:22 . Apparently the tabernacle was pitched at [[Shiloh]] near Bethel, for Israel went there to inquire of God, and Samuel told Saul that he should meet three men "going up to God to Beth-el." &nbsp;Judges 21:19; &nbsp;1 Samuel 10:3 . At the division of the kingdom Beth-el fell to Israel, and Jeroboam set up there one of the golden calves to prevent the Israelites going to Jerusalem to worship. An altar was erected and sacrifices offered to the idol; but it was condemned by a man of God, and the altar was rent. &nbsp;1 Kings 12:29-33; &nbsp;1 Kings 13:1-32; &nbsp;Amos 7:10,13 . There were sons of the prophets dwelling at Beth-el, &nbsp;2 Kings 2:3 , but the idolatrous altar was not destroyed until the days of Josiah. &nbsp;2 Kings 23:4,15,17,19 . Among those who returned from exile were men of Beth-el, and the place was again inhabited. &nbsp;Ezra 2:28; &nbsp;Nehemiah 7:32; &nbsp;Nehemiah 11:31 . See also &nbsp;Hosea 10:15; &nbsp;Hosea 12:4; &nbsp;Amos 3:14; &nbsp;Amos 4:4; &nbsp;Amos 5:5,6 . </p> <p> The city had been originally named Luz. It is now identified with <i> Beitin, </i> 35 14' E 31 56' N , some 10 miles north of Jerusalem. It stands on a rocky ridge between two valleys, but has higher ground on each side except the south. &nbsp;Amos 5:5 said it should 'come to nought,' and now amid the scattered ruins are about 20 houses roughly formed out of the old materials. [['Mount Beth-El']]  occurs in &nbsp; Joshua 16:1; &nbsp;1 Samuel 13:2 . See BETH-AVEN. </p> <p> 2. This name, found in &nbsp;Joshua 12:16 (not that in &nbsp; Joshua 12:9 ) and &nbsp;1 Samuel 30:27 , is probably a different place from the preceding because of the names associated with it, and was farther south. It is probably the same as Bethul, Bethuel. In the latter reference the LXX (Vat.) read Baethsur. </p>

<p> [[Bethel]] ( ''Bĕth'Ĕl'' ), ''House Of God.'' &nbsp;Joshua 18:13. 1. A town about twelve miles north of Jerusalem. It was visited by Abraham, &nbsp;Genesis 12:8; &nbsp;Genesis 13:3; marked by Jacob after his vision of the ladder, &nbsp;Genesis 28:11-19; &nbsp;Genesis 31:13; dwelling-place of Jacob, &nbsp;Genesis 35:1-8; name applied to Luz, &nbsp;Judges 1:22-23. See &nbsp;Joshua 16:2; &nbsp;Genesis 28:19; Samuel judged there, &nbsp;1 Samuel 7:16; a place of calf-worship, &nbsp;1 Kings 12:29; &nbsp;2 Kings 10:29; called Beth-aven— ''I.E.,'' "house of idols," &nbsp;Hosea 10:5 (in verse 8 simply Aven); taken by Judah, &nbsp;2 Chronicles 13:19; home of prophets, &nbsp;2 Kings 2:2-3; of a priest, &nbsp;2 Kings 17:28; &nbsp;2 Kings 23:15; &nbsp;2 Kings 23:19; was desolate, &nbsp;Amos 3:14; &nbsp;Amos 5:5-6; settled by Benjamites after the captivity, &nbsp;Nehemiah 11:31; named about seventy times in the Old Testament; not noticed in the New Testament; now called Beitin (nine miles south of Shiloh), a village of about 25 Moslem hovels, standing amid ruins which cover about four acres. </p>

<li> A town in the south of Judah (&nbsp;Joshua 8:17; &nbsp;12:16 ). <div> <p> '''Copyright Statement''' These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton [[M.A., DD]]  Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by [[Thomas]] Nelson, 1897. Public Domain. </p> <p> '''Bibliography Information''' Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Bethel'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/b/bethel.html. 1897. </p> </div> </li>

<p> ''''' beth´el ''''' ( בּית־אל , <i> ''''' bēth ''''' </i> - <i> ''''' 'ēl ''''' </i> ; Βαιθήλ , <i> ''''' Baithḗl ''''' </i> and οῖκος θεοῦ , <i> ''''' oı́kos theoú ''''' </i> , literally, "house of God"): </p> <p> (1) A town near the place where Abraham halted and offered sacrifice on his way south from Shechem. </p> 1. Identification and Description <p> It lay West of Ai (&nbsp;Genesis 12:8 ). It is named as on the northern border of Benjamin (the southern of Ephraim, &nbsp;Joshua 16:2 ), at the top of the ascent from the [[Jordan]] valley by way of Ai (&nbsp;Joshua 18:13 ). It lay South of Shiloh (&nbsp;Judges 21:19 ). Eusebius, <i> Onomasticon </i> places it 12 Roman miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Neapolis. It is represented by the modern <i> ''''' Beitı̄n ''''' </i> , a village of some 400 inhabitants, which stands on a knoll East of the road to <i> ''''' Nāblus ''''' </i> . 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. </p> 2. The [[Sanctuary]] <p> The town was originally called Luz (&nbsp;Genesis 28:19 , etc.). When Jacob came hither on his way to Paddan-aram we are told that he lighted upon "the place" (&nbsp;Genesis 28:11 . Hebrew). The Hebrew <i> ''''' māḳōm ''''' </i> , like the cognate Arabic <i> ''''' maḳām ''''' </i> , denotes a sacred place or sanctuary. The <i> ''''' māḳōm ''''' </i> 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 (&nbsp;Genesis 28:18; see [[Pillar]] - <i> ''''' maccēbhāh ''''' </i> ), 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" (&nbsp;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 (&nbsp; Genesis 13:9 ). </p> 3. History <p> Bethel was a royal city of the [[Canaanites]] (&nbsp;Joshua 12:16 ). It appears to have been captured by Joshua (&nbsp;Joshua 8:7 ), and it was allotted to Benjamin (&nbsp;Joshua 18:22 ). In &nbsp;Judges 1:22 it is represented as held by Canaanites, from whom the house of [[Joseph]] took it by treachery (compare &nbsp; 1 Chronicles 7:28 ). Hither the ark was brought from Gilgal (&nbsp;Judges 2:1 , Septuagint). Israel came to Bethel to consult the [[Divine]] oracle (&nbsp;Judges 20:18 ), and it became an important center of worship (&nbsp;1 Samuel 10:3 ). The home of the prophetess Deborah was not far off (&nbsp;Judges 4:5 ). Samuel visited Bethel on circuit, judging Israel (&nbsp;1 Samuel 7:16 ). </p> <p> 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 (&nbsp;1 Kings 12:29; &nbsp;Amos 7:13 ). He placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made (&nbsp;1 Kings 12:32 ). To Bethel came the man of God from Judah who pronounced doom against Jeroboam (1 Ki 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 (&nbsp;Amos 3:14; &nbsp;Amos 4:4; &nbsp;Amos 5:11 m; &nbsp; Amos 9:1; &nbsp;Hosea 4:15; &nbsp;Hosea 5:8; &nbsp;Hosea 10:5 , &nbsp;Hosea 10:8 , 23). 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 &nbsp;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 (&nbsp;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 (&nbsp;2 Kings 23:4 , &nbsp;2 Kings 23:25 ). The men of Bethel were among those who returned from [[Babylon]] with [[Zerubbabel]] (&nbsp;Ezra 2:28; &nbsp;Nehemiah 7:32 ), and it is mentioned as reoccupied by the Benjamites (&nbsp;Nehemiah 11:31 ). Zechariah (&nbsp;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 Macc 9:50; <i> Ant </i> , Xiii , i, 3). It is named again as a small town which, along with Ephraim, was taken by Vespasian as he approached Jerusalem ( <i> BJ </i> , IV, ix, 9). </p> <p> (2) A city in Judah which in &nbsp;1 Samuel 30:27 is called Bethel; in &nbsp; Joshua 19:4 Bethul; and in &nbsp; 1 Chronicles 4:30 Bethuel. The site has not been identified. In &nbsp; Joshua 15:30 [[Septuagint]] gives Baithel in Judah, where the Hebrew has <i> ''''' Keṣı̄l ''''' </i> ̌ - probably a scribal error. </p>

<p> Beth´el, originally Luz, an ancient town which [[Eusebius]] places 12 R. miles north of Jerusalem, on the right hand of the road to Shechem, Jacob rested here one night on his way to [[Padan]] Aram, and commemorated the vision with which he was favored by erecting and pouring oil upon the stone which had served him for a pillow, and giving to the place the name of Bethel (place or house of God), which eventually superseded the more ancient designation of Luz (&nbsp;Genesis 28:11-19). Under that name it is mentioned proleptically with reference to the earlier time of Abraham (&nbsp;Genesis 12:8; &nbsp;Genesis 13:3). 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 on his going forth (&nbsp;Genesis 35:1-15; comp. 32:28, and 28:20-22). It seems not to have been a town in those early times; but at the conquest of the land, Bethel is mentioned as the royal city of the Canaanites (&nbsp;Joshua 12:9). It became a boundary town of Benjamin towards Ephraim (&nbsp;Joshua 18:22), and was actually conquered by the latter tribe from the Canaanites (&nbsp;Judges 1:22-26). At this place, already consecrated in the time of the patriarchs, the ark of the covenant was apparently for a long while, deposited [[[Ark Of The Covenant]]]  and probably the tabernacle also (&nbsp;Judges 20:26; comp. &nbsp;1 Samuel 10:3). It was also one of the places at which Samuel held in rotation his court of justice (&nbsp;1 Samuel 7:16). After the separation of the kingdoms Bethel was included in that of Israel, which seems to show, that although originally in the formal distribution assigned to Benjamin, it had been actually possessed by Ephraim in right of conquest from the Canaanites—which might have been held by that somewhat unscrupulous tribe to determine the right of possession to a place of importance close on their own frontier. Jeroboam 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 (&nbsp;1 Kings 12:28-33; &nbsp;1 Kings 13:1). This appropriation, however, completely desecrated Bethel in the estimation of the orthodox Jews; and the prophets name it with abhorrence and contempt—even applying to it the name of Bethaven (house of idols) instead Bethel (house of God) (&nbsp;Amos 1:5; &nbsp;Hosea 4:15; &nbsp;Hosea 5:8; &nbsp;Hosea 10:5; &nbsp;Hosea 10:8). The town was taken from Jeroboam by Abijah, king of Judah (&nbsp;2 Chronicles 13:19); but it again reverted to Israel (&nbsp;2 Kings 10:29). After the Israelites were carried away captive by the Assyrians, all traces of this illegal worship were extirpated by Josiah, king of Judah, who thus fulfilled a prophecy made to Jeroboam 350 years before (&nbsp;2 Kings 13:1-2; &nbsp;2 Kings 23:15-18). The place was still in existence after the Captivity, and was in the possession of the Benjamites (&nbsp;Ezra 2:28; &nbsp;Nehemiah 7:32). In the time of the Maccabees Bethel was fortified by Bacchides for the king of Syria. It is not named in the New Testament; but it still existed, and was taken by Vespasian. It is described by Eusebius and [[Jerome]] as a small village; and this is the last notice of it as an inhabited place. Bethel and its name were believed to have perished until within these few years; when it has been identified with Beitin, the situation of which corresponds very exactly with the position assigned to the ancient Bethel. The ruins, which are considerable, lie upon the point of a low hill, between the heads of two shallow wadys which unite below, and run off into a deep and rugged valley. The spot is shut in by higher land on every side. </p>