Bethel was a city in ancient Israel, located in the tribe of Ephraim, near the border with Benjamin. The city is remembered for being the place where God appeared to Jacob and where Jeroboam I, Israel’s first king, built two golden calves for the people to worship and turned away from the Lord.
The city of Bethel has had other names throughout its history, the best known being Luz and Bethaven, a name given to the city by the prophet Hosea in reference to the idolatry practiced in the city.
Today, the remains of the ancient city of Bethel can be found in the West Bank region, in the village of Beitin.
Founding of Bethel and the first peoples
According to excavations carried out between the 1930s and 1960s, there is evidence of urban activity in the Bethel region since 2200 BC [2]. The archaeologists found the remains of a small fortification on the site, which suggests that even in ancient times the city was used to defend the region.
The Bible tells us that when Abraham, the patriarch of the nation of Israel, was on pilgrimage in the region of Canaan, he passed through the vicinity of Bethel. The date of Abraham’s life coincides with the approximate date of the city’s foundation. Based on this, we can say that the biblical text confirms that the city has existed since before 2200 BC.
There is very little information about the city’s first inhabitants. What is assumed is that they belonged to the Jebusite people, since they dominated/built several cities in the region, such as Jerusalem.
The city was later destroyed, until it was rebuilt and reopened in the mid-1400s BC [3], shortly before Joshua led the Israelites in the conquest of the Promised Land.
After the Israelites took over the land, around 1400 BC, the city came under the control of the tribe of Ephraim.
As the city was in the middle of a trade route linking the northern and southern regions of Canaan, it began to receive many merchants and grew politically. Its main economic activities during this period were trade and cereal production
History of Bethel
In addition to the account of the conquest of Bethel by the Israelites, the Bible makes several mentions of the city, starting from the period of the patriarchs and ending during Israel’s monarchy.
Abraham in Bethel
As mentioned, Abraham passed through the region a few years after the city was founded. There the patriarch of Israel erected an altar of worship to God, where he “called on the name of the Lord” (Gen 12:8B).
From there he went on to the hills east of Bethel, where he set up camp, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar dedicated to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
Genesis 12:8
Jacob in Bethel
Years later, Jacob passed through the city while fleeing from his brother Esau. There Jacob had a dream in which a great ladder went up to heaven. Angels were ascending and descending the ladder, and at the top was the Lord himself.
After this dream, Jacob made a vow with God, saying that if the Lord accompanied him on the journey, he would serve him and give him the tithe of everything he conquered.
Jacob traveled peacefully and lived for 20 years in Padanaram, in the house of his uncle Laban. During this time, he married Leah and Rachel, fathered their 12 children and became very wealthy.
Jacob’s return to Canaan
After fleeing from Laban and heading back to Canaan, Jacob passed through Bethel. There he set up an altar to God, who spoke to him and confirmed the promise made to Abraham that his descendants would inherit the land. God also changed Jacob’s name to Israel.
“[…] Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel […]”
Genesis 35:10 (NIV)
Jacob flees with his sons to Bethel
After the massacre carried out by Jacob’s sons in Shechem,
Israel’s leaders gather in Bethel after concubine’s death
At the end of the period of the judges, a time when God raised up leaders to lead and deliver the people in times of apostasy, a tragedy occurred in the tribe of Benjamin.
In this tragedy, some residents of the city of Gibeah raped and killed a Levite’s concubine.
To deal with the matter, the leaders of the Israelite tribes met in Bethel to consult the Lord and decide whether or not to attack the tribe of Benjamin and condemn them for their crimes.
After consulting God, the tribes of Israel attacked the Bejamites, who were massacred and almost completely lost their population.
Golden calf in Bethel
Jeroboam I, the first king of Israel after the division into two kingdoms, made a golden calf in Bethel and placed it for the Israelites to worship, leading the people into idolatry and apostasy once again. Jeroboam I did this so that the people would not worship the God of the Jews.
God then sent a prophet to the city. He prophesied against the altar and the golden calf created by Jeroboam I.
‘He cried out against the altar, according to the command of the Lord: – O altar, O altar! Thus says the Lord: “A son will be born into the family of David, and his name will be Josiah. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the local shrines who now burn incense here, and human bones will be burned on you.”‘ ‘
1 Kings 13:2 (NIV)
Geography of Bethel
Like the city of Ramah, Bethel was fortunate to be located near the Jordan valley. The region is known for being fertile and conducive to agriculture.
Various grains were grown in the area, the main ones being wheat and barley.
In addition to the wealth coming from the land, the city was prosperous due to trade with neighboring tribes and nations.
Being in the middle of a trade route that connected the north and south of Canaaã, the city grew as a result of the trade of products with these other regions, such as ceramics and the grains grown there.
Origin and meaning of the name “Betel”
The name “Bethel” comes from the Hebrew Bêṯ-ʼĒl(בית אל) and means “house of God” [1].
This name refers to the experience Jacob had on the site where the city was built. Jacob, while fleeing from his brother Esau, stopped near the mountains and rested. During his sleep, he had a vision of a ladder connecting heaven, on which angels ascended and descended.
At the top of the ladder is the Lord, who confirmed the promise given to Abraham, saying that the land of Canaan would belong to Jacob’s descendants. After waking up, Jacob took the stone he had used as a pillow, lifted it up as a pillar and poured oil on it. He then called the area Bethel.
“Yet he was also afraid and said, ‘How fearful is this place! It is none other than the house of God; it is the gateway to heaven!’”
Genesis 28:17 (NVT)
Learn more
[Video] Blessing and curse at Bethel! Israel with Aline!
Sources
[1] Bethel. Encyclopedia of meanings.
[2] Kelso, James Leon; Albright, William Foxwell (1968). The Excavation of Bethel (1934-1960). Annual of the American Schools of Oriental Research. Vol. 39. Cambridge, Mass.: American School of Oriental Research in Jerusalem.
[3] Lipschits, Oded (2017). “Bethel Revisited.” In Lipschits, O.; Gadot, Y.; Adams, M. J. (eds.). Rethinking Israel: Studies in the History and Archaeology of Ancient Israel in Honor of Israel Finkelstein. Penn State Press. pp. 233-246.
{ “@context”: “https://schema.org/”, “@type”: “Place”, “name”: “Betel de Israel”, “address”: { “@type”: “PostalAddress”, “addressLocality”: “Betel”, “addressRegion”: “Efraim”, “addressCountry”: “Israel” }, “geo”: { “@type”: “GeoCoordinates”, “latitude”: “31.57”, “longitude”: “35.13” } }
- Beth-shita – 9 de November de 2025
- Beth-Milo – 8 de November de 2025
- Beth-Bara – 8 de November de 2025