בְּתוּאֵל
𐤁𐤕𐤅𐤀𐤋
Betuel
H1328 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Bethuel — a personal and place name in the Hebrew Bible. As a personal name, refers to the Aramean father of Rebekah and Laban, a relative of Abraham, appearing in Genesis narratives. As a toponym, denotes a town in the territory assigned to the tribe of Simeon (Joshua 19:4), possibly synonymous with, or a variant of, Bethul(Bethel)/Bethul, though the textual history is uncertain. Name formation may carry the sense of 'man of God,' 'dweller in God,' or, less likely, 'God destroys,' depending on the root analysis, but the intended meaning in context is uncertain. Semantic range is proper noun function as a personal or place name.
Semantic Range
proper name of a man, proper name of a place; patriarchal-era personal name, town in Simeonite territory
Root / Etymology
The name בְּתוּאֵל is traditionally analyzed as a compound of בַּת (bath), possibly a variation of 'house' (from בַּיִת/bayit), or less likely from בָּתָה (batah, to cut off/desolate), combined with אֵל (El, God). The second element, אֵל, is common in theophoric names. However, the root of the first element is debated. Some connect it to בָּתָה but this is linguistically tenuous. Thus, the precise etymology is uncertain.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Bethuel as a personal name designates the Aramean grandson of Nahor, living in Paddan-Aram. He is notable as Rebekah's father, and as such, establishes patrilineal descent for key Israelite matriarchs. The toponym Bethuel is rare, appearing in Joshua and 1 Chronicles; its identification with other sites such as Bethul or Bethel is debated among scholars due to differences in manuscript traditions. English translations regularly vocalize the name as 'Bethuel,' though the meaning is not transparent in English and may obscure the debated etymology. The meaning 'destroyed of God,' as sometimes given in older reference works, is not certain or explicitly used in the narrative. Use of 'Bethuel' as a term is always as a proper noun for a person or place; it does not function as a common noun or descriptive term. Related theophoric names sometimes use El as the second element to signify association with, or belonging to, the deity. The Septuagint transliterates the name as Βαθουηλ, following the Hebrew form.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
apparently from the same as בָּתָה and אֵל; destroyed of God; Bethuel, the name of a nephew of Abraham, and of a place in Palestine; Bethuel. Compare בְּתוּל.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
בתל (b-t-l) — uncertain; possibly desolate, cut off; dwell; associate with deity
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1329 | בְּתוּל | and Bethul |
| H1330 | בְּתוּלָה | set-apart maiden |
| H1331 | בְּתוּלִים | my virginity |
Word Forms
5 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1328-01 |
בְּתוּאֵֽל | betuel | HNp |
Bethuel | Betu-El | 5 |
H1328-03 |
וּ/בְתוּאֵ֖ל | uvetuel | HC/Np |
and Bethuel | and Bethuel | 2 |
H1328-04 |
וּ/בִ/בְתוּאֵ֥ל | uvivetuel | HC/R/Np |
and Bethuel | and in Bethuel | 1 |
H1328-05 |
בְתוּאֵ֖ל | vetuel | HNp |
of Bethuel | Betuel | 1 |
H1328-02 |
לִ/בְתוּאֵ֣ל | livetuel | HR/Np |
to Bethuel | to Bethuel | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
10 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H1328-01 |
Genesis 22:22 | בְּתוּאֵֽל | betuel | HNp |
Bethuel | Betu-El |
H1328-03 |
Genesis 22:23 | וּ/בְתוּאֵ֖ל | uvetuel | HC/Np |
and Bethuel | and Bethuel |
H1328-02 |
Genesis 24:15 | לִ/בְתוּאֵ֣ל | livetuel | HR/Np |
to Bethuel | to Bethuel |
H1328-01 |
Genesis 24:24 | בְּתוּאֵ֖ל | betuel | HNp |
Bethuel | Betu-El |
H1328-01 |
Genesis 24:47 | בְּתוּאֵל֙ | betuel | HNp |
of Bethuel | Betu-El |
H1328-03 |
Genesis 24:50 | וּ/בְתוּאֵל֙ | uvetuel | HC/Np |
and Bethuel | and Bethuel |
H1328-01 |
Genesis 25:20 | בְּתוּאֵל֙ | betuel | HNp |
Bethuel | Betu-El |
H1328-05 |
Genesis 28:2 | בְתוּאֵ֖ל | vetuel | HNp |
of Bethuel | Betuel |
H1328-01 |
Genesis 28:5 | בְּתוּאֵל֙ | betuel | HNp |
Bethuel | Betu-El |
H1328-04 |
1 Chronicles 4:30 | וּ/בִ/בְתוּאֵ֥ל | uvivetuel | HC/R/Np |
and Bethuel | and in Bethuel |