Bethel - Semitic root, Hebrew, Geographical names, Religion, Freemasonry, Sources and references

41º25N 73º25W, pop (2000e) 18 000. Town in Fairfield Co, Connecticut, USA; lies at the edge of the broad limestone valley of the upper Still R, 96 km/60 mi NE of New York City and 80 km/50 mi SW of Hartford; originally settled as part of Danbury; founded as a separate town, 1885; birthplace of B T Barnum; expanding residential area for Westchester Co, NY and S Connecticut industries; agriculture, farming.

Bethel (בית אל), also written as Beth El or Beth-El, is a Semitic word that has acquired various meanings.

Semitic root

A Semitic, possibly Phonecian word meaning 'sacred stone/pillar" was the etymological root of the Greek Baetylus.

For traditions of other such stones named Bethel and a god named Bethel see also Bethel (god).

Hebrew

In this Semitic language of the Jewish people, bethel means "house of El"

See: Temple Beth-El

Bible

Bethel (Israel) is a city in ancient Israel, about 10 miles north of Jerusalem.

According to Biblical scripture, running from the wrath of his brother Esau, the patriarch Jacob rests and falls asleep on a stone for a pillow in this exact spot.

A Bethel is the name given to the meeting place as well as the local group that meets in each city.

The name Beth-El, though assumed to have originated from Jacob, actually is deemed by Biblical critics and scholars to have originated from an older source. The name Bethel is actually an ancient Canaanite deity which can be found in Jeremiah 48:13.

Geographical names

United States

Several places in the United States of America are named Bethel:

Bethel, Alaska Bethel, Connecticut Bethel, Delaware Bethel, Maine Bethel, Missouri Bethel, New York Bethel, North Carolina Bethel, Ohio Bethel, Pennsylvania Bethel, Vermont Bethel, Clarke County, Virginia

Bethel also appears in the name of the following locations:

Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, Bethel Springs, Tennessee, Bethel Township, Pennsylvania.

Canada

Several exist in Ontario, Canada:

Bethel, Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario Bethel, Niagara Regional Municipality, Ontario Bethel, Prince Edward County, Ontario Bethel, Kawartha Lakes, Ontario

South Africa

There is a Bethel, South Africa

Religion

In English, the word Bethel can refer to a meeting place. The name is also used in the name of some denominations.

Freemasonry

A Bethel is a local chapter of the Masonic girls' organization Job's Daughters International.

Sources and references

Encyclopaedia Britannica, 196, vol.