Betu'el is the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) form of the name Bethuel. Bethuel itself is of uncertain etymology, possibly meaning "destruction of God" — derived from the Hebrew elements baṯa ("destruction") and ʾel ("God").
Biblical Context
In Genesis, Bethuel is a key figure: he is the son of Nahor and Milcah, the brother of Abraham, and the father of Rebecca. Rebecca later becomes the wife of Isaac and mother of Esau and Jacob. Thus Betu'el (or Bethuel) plays a patriarchal role in the lineage of the biblical narrative. The exact meaning of the name remains debated; some scholars link it to a Hebrew root meaning "to tear down" or "destroy," while others connect it to an alternative Ugaritic source.
Usage and Transliteration
The form "Betu'el" is a transliteration directly from the Hebrew script, where the aleph character is often rendered as an apostrophe. It appears in some translations and scholarly works to distinguish the name from the Aramaic or later forms.
The counterpart Bethuel. In ancient times, it was mainly associated with the patriarchal period. Modern relevance is limited to biblical scholarship and religious contexts, specifically among those studying the Hebrew Old Testament in original languages.
Notable Bearers
- The biblical patriarch Bethuel (Betu'el), father of Rebecca
- Meaning: Possibly "destruction of God"
- Origin: Hebrew (ancestral Semitic tongue)
- Type: Biblical name (patriarch)
- Usage Regions: Historically among Hebrews in Canaan; later as a transliteration in scholarly and theological contexts