El-Elohe-Israel (LORD)

Name of an altar built by Jacob on land he purchased from the sons of Hamor, near Shechem (Gn 33:20). Jacob used the Canaanite deity’s name, El, as a designation for Israel’s God.

Some scholars, thinking this a strange name for an altar, have suggested that the combination of names reflects later scribal emendations of the scriptural texts. They argue that the Septuagint corrects the difficulty by saying that Jacob had called “upon” the God of Israel. Others speculate that Jacob built a pillar, not an altar (cf. Gn 35:14, 20).