1 Kings 12:29

And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Daniel [Two considerations seem to have influenced Jeroboam in his choice of these sites. First, both these places were in some sort sanctuaries already. Bethel was already a makom, or holy place, in the days of Abraham; was consecrated by the visions and altar of Jacob ( Genesis 28:11-19 ; Genesis 31:13 ; Genesis 35:1 , Genesis 35:7 , Genesis 35:15 ), and by the ark having been there ( 20:26-28 , Hebrews; cf. Jos; Ant; 5.2. 10). And though Dan ( Joshua 19:47 ; 18:29 ; 20:1 ) can hardly have had as sacred a character as the "house of God and the gate of heaven" ( Genesis 28:17 ) had, still it had its shrine and its schismatic priesthood. A grandson of Moses ( 18:13 , true reading) had ministered there, and his sons were the priests of Dan still. Secondly, these localities would suit the convenience of his subjects, being respectively at the southern and northern extremities of the kingdom. And this, no doubt, was one reason why Dan was chosen in preference to other places, such as Shiloh, which, though more sacred, were less conveniently situated. A sanctuary at Dan would save the northern tribes many tedious journeys. It should be remarked that Bethel properly belonged to Benjamin ( Joshua 18:13 , Joshua 18:22 ), though it was also on the border of Ephraim; and it has been suggested that it was Jeroboam's selection of this place as a seat of the calf worship decided the tribe of Benjamin to follow the lead of Judah. But the narrative seems to imply that their choice had been made at an earlier period (verse 21), and the city would seem to have been long in the possession of the house of Joseph ( 1:22 ). It is now known as Beitin, and is one of the most naked and dreary spots in Palestine. "The place seems, as it were, turned to stone; and we can well imagine that the patriarch found nothing softer than a stone for his pillow." Conder, p. 252, who suggests that from the time of Abraham Bethel was a מָקוֹם , a sacred place merely ( Genesis 28:11 ), and distinct from the adjoining city of Luz (verse 19).]