Beit El (Bethel, “House of God”) is one of the most frequently mentioned cities in the Bible, the place where Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven and where God renewed the covenant that had begun with Abraham at Alon Moreh. The site, in the hills of Benjamin north of Jerusalem, is central to the patriarchal narrative and to the later history of Israelite worship.
Jacob’s Dream
Jacob, fleeing from his brother Esau after stealing the blessing, stopped for the night at a place he did not yet know was holy: “He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the Lord, and he said: ‘I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying’” (Genesis 28:12-13). When Jacob awoke, he was awed: “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it. How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven” (Genesis 28:16-17). He named the place Beit El, “House of God,” and set up the stone he had used as a pillow as a sacred pillar.
Jacob’s Return
Years later, God commanded Jacob to return to Bethel: “Go up to Bethel and settle there, and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau” (Genesis 35:1). Jacob returned, built the altar, and God appeared to him again, renaming him Israel: “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel” (Genesis 35:10).
Rival Sanctuary
After the division of the kingdom, Jeroboam, the first king of the Northern Kingdom, established a rival sanctuary at Bethel to prevent his people from going to Jerusalem to worship: “He made two golden calves. He said to the people, ‘It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ One he set up in Bethel, and the other in Dan” (1 Kings 12:28-29). The prophets condemned the golden calf at Bethel: Amos prophesied against it, and Hosea called Bethel “Beth Aven” (House of Wickedness). King Josiah eventually destroyed the sanctuary as part of his reforms (2 Kings 23:15).
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Beit El is where Jacob saw heaven open. Hoshen Tours reads Genesis 28 at the site and connects the ladder, the covenant, and the golden calf in the story of Israelite worship.