伯特利(Bethel)，在古亚述、波斯、希腊时期，伯特利在希伯来语、腓利基语、亚兰语中是神殿或神的家（Beth的意思是指「屋」；El的意思是指「神」）的意思。

在西元前677年时，亚述国王以撒哈顿与推罗国王Ba'al I签订的条约中记载着：

伯特利从西元前七世纪后就成为伯特利神的名字。一些怀疑者认为这是神的名字而非圣经耶利米书四十八章一十三节所记载的城市名字。

撒迦利亚书七章二节亦有提及「伯特利」这个名字，但意思有争议。原文如下：

Bethel (Ugaritic: bt il, meaning "House of El" or "House of God", Hebrew: בֵּית אֵל, also transliterated Beth El, Beth-El, or Beit El; Greek:Βαιθηλ; Latin:Bethel) was a border city described in the Hebrew Bible as being located between Benjamin and Ephraim and also a location named by Jacob. Edward Robinson identified the village of Beitin in the West Bank with ancient Bethel in Biblical Researches in Palestine, 1838–52. He based this assessment on its fitting the location described in earlier texts, and on the philological similarities between the modern and ancient name, arguing that the replacement of the Hebrew el with the Arabic in was not unusual. During Israelite rule, Bethel first belonged to the Tribe of Benjamin, but was later conquered by the Tribe of Ephraim. Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome describe it in their time as a small village that lay 12 Roman miles north of Jerusalem, to the right or east of the road leading to Neapolis.