be -thū´el ( בּתוּאל , bethū'ēl ; "dweller in God"): A son of Nahor and Milcah, Abraham's nephew, father of Laban and Rebekah (Genesis 22:23; Genesis 24:15 , Genesis 24:24 , Genesis 24:47 , Genesis 24:50; Genesis 25:20; Genesis 28:2 , Genesis 28:5 ). In the last-named passage, he is surnamed "the Syrian." The only place where he appears as a leading character in the narrative is in connection with Rebekah's betrothal to Isaac; and even here, his son Laban stands out more prominently than he - a fact explainable on the ground of the custom which recognized the right of the brother to take a special interest in the welfare of the sister (compare Genesis 34:5 , Genesis 34:21 , Genesis 34:25; 2 Samuel 13:20 , 2 Samuel 13:22 ). Ant , I, xvi, 2 states that Bethuel was dead at this time.
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source-manifest/isbe— ISBE (PD)