Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/266

Rh The Book of Genesis

248 emerged the sun

V. as

the

in

and one

morning^.

the

in

extreme west,

into

which

entered in the evening.

18.

The verse imphes

a sacred

oliject.

that the stone

Pouring

oil

upon

"

a

was consecrated hy Jacob person or object was the

usual method of consecration; cf. XXXV, 14; Exodus XXIX, 21; XXX, 25-33; XL, 9. In ancient Semitic religion sacred stones were commonly used. It was thought, in the earliest stages of religious bethat a

lief

god actually dwelt within such a sacred

therefore called a heth-cl,

i.

e.

a "house of god".

stone,

which was

In time Judaism out-

grew this ancient belief, and the use of sacred stones was forbidden (Deuteronomy XVI, 22). But this belief is still reflected in v. 22 of this chapter.

V.

was

19.

As has been

said,

beth-cl

means "house of god". Bethel Luz seems to

originally an important Canaanite city and shrine.

have been its Canaanite name. by the Israelites is contained

The account

of the capture of Bethel

Judges I, 22-25. After the division of the kingdom Bethel 1;ecame one of the national shrines of the northern kingdom (I Kings XII. 28-33). At Bethel the prophet Amos XTI, 8 ascribes the founduttered his prophecies (Amos VII, 10). in

ing of the sanctuary at Bethel, not to Jacob, but to Abraham.

Jewish Encyclopedia III, 1191X V. 22. The practice of giving

was well established

in

Cf.

tithes to the deity of the sanctuary

ancient Israel;

cf.

Deuteronomy XIV,

22-29. \n