KJV ORIGINAL
And Jacob called the name of the place where God spake with him, Bethel.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him 'Bethel.'
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
Jacob gave a sacred name to the place where he had encountered God, marking it as holy ground.
📚 Historical Context
This follows Jacob's dramatic spiritual encounter where God renewed His covenant promises and confirmed Jacob's new name, Israel. The name 'Bethel' means 'house of God,' and this was actually the second time Jacob named this place Bethel - he had first done so years earlier after his famous dream of the ladder to heaven. Ancient people commonly named places to commemorate significant divine encounters.
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