Cities & towns · Central highlands
Bethel
What was Bethel?
Bethel — “house of God” — is where Jacob dreamed of a stairway to heaven and God renewed the covenant promise.
TodayBeitin, in the central West Bank highlands
Name meansHouse of God
EventJacob’s ladder
Abraham built one of his first altars near Bethel. Fleeing from Esau, Jacob slept there on a stone and saw a stairway to heaven with angels ascending and descending.
“Surely the LORD is in this place,” he said, and named it Bethel — house of God. He returned years later, and God confirmed his new name, Israel.
Sadly, Bethel later became the site of Jeroboam’s golden calf, a “house of God” turned to idolatry — and a warning in the prophets.
Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)
Genesis 28:12 “And Jacob had a dream about a ladder that rested on the earth with its top reaching up to heaven, and God’s angels were going up and down the ladder.” Genesis 28:19 “and he called that place Bethel, though previously the city had been named Luz.” Genesis 35:1 “Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.””
Related places
Original BibleDawn profile. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Scripture quoted from the public-domain Berean Standard Bible.