¹ sn The name El-Bethel means “God of Bethel.”

¹ tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”

² tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew.

³ tn Heb “came by the word of the Lord to Bethel.”

³ sn See the note on Bethel earlier in this verse.

² sn The altar is perhaps the altar at Bethel.

¹ sn Beth Aven means “house of wickedness” in Hebrew; it is a polemic reference to “Bethel,” which means “house of God.” Cf. CEV “at sinful Bethel.”

¹ sn Ironically, Israel was to seek after the Lord, but not at Bethel (the name Bethel means “the house of God” in Hebrew).

⁵ tn Heb “to/for Bethel.” The translation assumes that the preposition indicates advantage, “on behalf of.” Another option is to take the preposition as vocative, “O Bethel.”

¹ tn The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew (see v. 17).

³ tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”

² tn Heb “They arose and went up to Bethel and asked God, and the Israelites said.”

² tn Heb “and he did to them according to all the deeds he had done in Bethel.”

⁵ tn Heb “disaster,” or “nothing”; NIV “Bethel will be reduced to nothing.”

⁵ sn Again there is irony. The name Bethel means “house of God” in Hebrew. How surprising and tragic that Bethel, the “house of God” where Jacob received the inheritance given to Abraham, would be overrun by disaster.

² tn In the Hebrew text the place name “Luz” has the directive ending, indicating that the border went from Bethel to Luz. Elsewhere Luz and Bethel appear to be names for the same site (cf. Judg 1:23), but here they appear to be distinct. Note that the NIV translates “from Bethel (that is, Luz)” here, following the reading of the LXX, εἰς Βαιθηλ Λουζα (eis Baiqhl Louza, “from Bethel [Luz]”).

² tn Heb “and Jacob came to Luz which is in the land of Canaan – it is Bethel – he and all the people who were with him.”

² map For the location of Bethel see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

³ tn Heb “and he offered up [sacrifices] on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”

¹ sn Called the name of the place. In view of the previous naming of Bethel in Gen 28:19, here Jacob was confirming or affirming the name through an official ritual marking the fulfillment of the vow. This place now did become Bethel, the house of God.