Bethelite

Bethelite is a gentile adjective designating a native or inhabitant of Bethel. The term appears once in the Old Testament as the identifier of Hiel the Bethelite, who rebuilt Jericho during the reign of King Ahab of Israel. When Hiel laid the foundation of Jericho, his firstborn son Abiram died, and when he set up its gates, his youngest son Segub died—a fulfillment of the curse Joshua had pronounced five centuries earlier: Cursed before the Lord be the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho. At the cost of his firstborn shall he lay its foundation, and at the cost of his youngest son shall he set up its gates.

The identification of Hiel as a Bethelite connects him to the city that had become the center of Jeroboam's calf worship, suggesting a link between the religious corruption of Bethel and Hiel's disregard for the ancient Mosaic prohibition. The episode demonstrates the continuing authority of Joshua's covenant curse even generations after it was pronounced, and serves as a warning within the broader Kings narrative that the word of the Lord through his servants does not return void, however long the interval before fulfillment.