Where is Bethel in the Bible?

What happened at Bethel?

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 (1Ki.12.28-33). This act led to Bethel becoming a major center of idolatry, and the prophets Amos and Hosea condemned the worship there (Amo.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; 1Sa.13.5; 14:23), likely referring to its association with idolatry. Bethel was destroyed by King Josiah during his religious reforms (2Ki.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.

Where does Bethel appear in the Bible?

Bethel is referenced in 61 verses across 14 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

• 1 Chronicles 7:28
• 1 Kings 12:29
• 1 Kings 12:32
• 1 Kings 12:33
• 1 Kings 13:1
• 1 Kings 13:4
• 1 Kings 13:10
• 1 Kings 13:11
• 1 Kings 13:32
• 1 Samuel 7:16
• 1 Samuel 10:3
• 1 Samuel 13:2
• 2 Chronicles 13:19
• 2 Kings 2:2
• 2 Kings 2:3
• 2 Kings 2:23
• 2 Kings 10:29
• 2 Kings 17:28
• 2 Kings 23:15
• 2 Kings 23:17
• 2 Kings 23:19
• Amos 3:14
• Amos 4:4
• Amos 5:5

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Bethel.