Charles Ellicott Commentary Genesis 28:19

"And he called the name of that place Beth-el. But the name of the city was Luz at the first." — Genesis 28:19 (ASV)

Beth-el … Luz. —In Joshua 16:1-2, we find that Luz and Beth-el were distinct places, though near one another; and with this agrees the present passage. For plainly, Jacob and his attendants did not go inside the city, but slept on the open ground; and as they would carry their provisions with them, they would need no supplies from its Canaanite inhabitants. Probably, at the time of Joshua’s conquest, Beth-el was rather a holy place than a town, and when Ephraim seized Luz and put the people to the sword (Judges 1:23–25), the victors transferred the name of Beth-el to it. Thus, the spot where Jacob slept would not be the town of Beth-el, but some place a mile or two away from it.