Bethel was a border city described in the Old Testament as being located between Benjamin and Ephraim. Now the word bethel is defined as a hallowed or holy place or a house of worship.
Gilgal was the first encampment of the Israelites near Jericho, west of the Jordan.
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Bethel is about 13.5 miles west of Gilgal, which is not far from Jericho.
Gilgal was the encampment-place of the Israelites, and the place where the Tabernacle was located, during the early years of Joshua's leadership.
In the King James versionthe word - Bethel - appears 66 timesthe word - Bethelite - appears once
A:Strange things happened at Bethel. In Genesis 12:8, Abraham had pitched his tent to the east of Bethel and built an altar of stones.Later, in verse 13:3, he returned to Bethel and to the sacred stone altar. Here, the town is portrayed as already being called Bethel. It was on this occasion that Abraham and Lot decided to part company because their cattle were too numerous for the land. God told Abraham that he would make him a great nation.In chapter 28, Abraham's grandson Jacob slept in a certain place and dreamed of a ladder going up to heaven then he named that place Bethel, but before then it had been called Luz. Here, the town is portrayed as being called Luz, until Jacob chose a new name, Bethel. Jacob used a stone for a pillow and after waking put it on a pillar and poured oil on it.It has long been known that there was a West Semitic deity named Bethel, associated with the veneration of sacred stones, thus these passages point to the city being named after the god Bethel.
Bethel was a city in ancient Israel, which was once called Canaan.