Place Old Testament
Bethel
Also known as Bethel =ESV, NIV; Beth=el =KJV, Bethuel, Bethul
Bethel was a town in Judah that received spoils from David's victory over the Amalekites. (1Sa.30.27) Mentioned in 3 verses across 3 books, first at Joshua 19:4.
Why it matters. Town in Judah that received spoils from David's victory.
- Primary passages
- Location
- 31.245, 34.841 (disputed, within about 2 km)
Coordinates from STEPBible TIPNR (palopenmaps.org link). Approximate; not independently verified. OpenBible.info places it about 123 km away (32.050, 35.733); the identification may be uncertain.
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Bethel
This Bethel was a town in the southern region of Judah, distinct from the more famous Bethel in the north where Jacob had his vision. It is listed among the cities allocated to the tribe of Simeon within Judah's territory (Joshua 19:4). The same settlement appears in the genealogical records of 1Ch.4.30 as part of Simeon's territory.
The town gained some prominence during David's early career when he sent some of the spoils from his victory over the Amalekites to its elders (1Sa.30.27). This gesture was part of David's political strategy of building alliances with the towns of Judah.
Probably corresponds to the settlement called Bethuel in some passages, though its exact modern location remains uncertain.
Note: Care must be taken not to confuse this southern Bethel with the more prominent northern city of the same name where significant events in the lives of Abraham, Jacob, and Jeroboam took place. The references provided relate specifically to this southern settlement.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
No reviewed connections yet.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 3 verses across 3 books. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.