And he called the name of that place Bethel,.... The house of God, which he took this place to be:
but the name of that city [was called] Luz at the first; which signifies an almond or hazel nut, Genesis 30:37; perhaps from the number of this sort of trees that grew there, under which Jacob might lay himself down, which was probably in the field of Luz; and being at night, he might not know there was a city so near, until the morning. Though Josephus r says he did it purposely, out of hatred to the Canaanites, and chose rather to lie under the open air. This was about twelve miles from Jerusalem, as Jerom s says.
r Antiqu. l. 1. c. 19. sect. 1. s De loc. Heb. fol. 89. C.