Beit El

Beit El

The place of Jacob's ladder

Beit El is the biblical site where Jacob dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven and named the place the house of God (Genesis 28). In the period of the divided kingdom it was a major shrine of the northern kingdom of Israel, and the Bible mentions its altars. Archaeologists have uncovered ancient remains on the ridge, though the exact location of the shrine is debated. Today an Israeli community of the same name stands on the hill, north of Jerusalem, in an area Israel has held since 1967. The status of such communities is disputed.

Glossary: Beit El