{
  "id": "dict_001611",
  "term": "El-Bethel",
  "slug": "el-bethel",
  "letter": "E",
  "entry_type": "biblical_place_name",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.” It is the name Jacob gave to the place where the Lord had revealed Himself to him, marking renewed worship and remembrance.",
  "simple_one_line": "El-Bethel is Jacob’s name for the place of God’s revelation at Bethel.",
  "tooltip_text": "A narrative place-name meaning “God of Bethel,” tied to Jacob’s altar and worship in Genesis.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Bethel",
    "Jacob",
    "altar",
    "covenant",
    "worship"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Bethel",
    "Jacob",
    "Genesis 35",
    "Genesis 28"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "El-Bethel is a biblical place-name meaning “God of Bethel.” In Genesis, Jacob uses the name in connection with the altar he builds after God calls him back to Bethel, highlighting God’s prior revelation and Jacob’s renewed worship.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Meaning: “God of Bethel.” | Type: narrative place-name/altar designation | Main context: Jacob’s return to Bethel in Genesis 35 | Significance: remembrance of God’s revelation and covenant faithfulness",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Connected to Jacob’s life, not a standalone doctrine",
    "Points back to God’s earlier appearing at Bethel",
    "Emphasizes worship, remembrance, and covenant faithfulness",
    "Best treated as a biblical proper name/place designation"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "El-Bethel (“God of Bethel”) is a narrative place-name in Genesis associated with Jacob’s altar at Bethel. It recalls the earlier divine appearance there and functions as a marker of worship and memory rather than as an abstract theological concept.",
  "description_academic_full": "El-Bethel is the name Jacob used in connection with the altar he built at Bethel after God directed him to return there (Genesis 35:1, 7). The expression means “God of Bethel,” pointing back to the earlier revelation of God to Jacob at that place when he fled from Esau (Genesis 28:19). In the narrative, the name underscores God’s faithfulness, Jacob’s obedience, and the fitting response of worship. Because it is tied to a specific event and location in the patriarchal account, El-Bethel is best classified as a biblical proper name or place-name rather than as a general theological term.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Genesis first introduces Bethel as a significant site in Jacob’s life, where God revealed Himself and Jacob responded in faith. Later, after God tells Jacob to return, Jacob builds an altar and invokes the name El-Bethel, linking the earlier promise to renewed worship and consecration.",
  "background_historical_context": "In the patriarchal world, naming a place after divine encounter was a way of preserving memory and expressing meaning. El-Bethel fits that pattern: it is a memorial name shaped by covenant history rather than a civic or geographic label alone.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Ancient Hebrew narrative often preserves place-names that recall encounters with God. Here, the name functions as a testimony to divine encounter, covenant remembrance, and the sanctity of worship at a specific location.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Genesis 28:19",
    "Genesis 35:1-7"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Genesis 35:9-15"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Hebrew El-Bêth-’El means “God of Bethel” or “God of the house of God,” combining the divine title El with the place-name Bethel.",
  "theological_significance": "El-Bethel highlights God’s initiative in revelation and the proper human response of worship. It also shows how remembrance of God’s past dealings strengthens obedience in the present.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "As a name, El-Bethel joins place, memory, and meaning. It shows how biblical history treats locations as morally and spiritually significant when they become sites of divine self-disclosure.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not turn El-Bethel into a free-standing doctrine or mystical formula. It is a narrative name tied to a specific event in Jacob’s life and should be read in its Genesis context.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters treat El-Bethel as a memorial/narrative designation connected to Jacob’s altar at Bethel. It is not usually handled as an independent theological category.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "The passage teaches God’s faithfulness, Jacob’s response of worship, and the importance of remembrance. It does not establish a separate sacrament, shrine theology, or ongoing sacred geography in itself.",
  "practical_significance": "Believers can learn to remember where God has met them in Scripture, providence, and answered prayer, and to respond with obedience and worship rather than forgetfulness.",
  "meta_description": "El-Bethel means “God of Bethel,” the name Jacob gave to the place of God’s revelation and his renewed worship in Genesis.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/el-bethel/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/el-bethel.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}