Bethel
/ˈbɛθəl/noun
A biblical place name meaning a house or sanctuary of God; by extension, a chapel or place of worship.
Did you know?Bethel began as a sacred place-name in Genesis, and its Hebrew roots later made it a symbol for any holy site where heaven and earth were believed to meet.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Hebrew
Hebrew
Bêṯ-’El
“"House of God," a sacred place-name”
Septuagint / Hellenistic period
Greek
Baithel
“Greek transliteration of the Hebrew place-name”
Latin
Latin
Bethel
“Biblical place-name preserved in Latin scripture and commentary”
Middle English
English
Bethel
“A biblical place-name; later a chapel or house of worship”
Modern English
English
Bethel
“A chapel, church, or religious house; also the biblical site name”