And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
And he named that place Bethel, though the city had originally been called Luz.
This verse tells us that Jacob renamed the place where he had his powerful dream about God, calling it Bethel (meaning 'House of God') instead of its original name, Luz.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Genesis, Jacob was fleeing from his brother Esau's anger after deceiving their father Isaac to receive the birthright blessing. During his journey, he stopped at a place originally called Luz and had a dream of a ladder reaching to heaven with angels ascending and descending, which led him to recognize it as a sacred site. As a result, Jacob renamed it Bethel, meaning "House of God," to mark this divine encounter and its significance in his life.
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