Lexical Definition

‎עֵיטָם‎ ʻÊyṭâm (ay-tawm') Etam ^N:N--L
from ‎עַיִט‎; hawk-ground

Etam.

• § Etam = "lair of wild beasts"
• Etam, a place in Palestine

1) a village of the tribe of Simeon
2) a town in Judah fortified and garrisoned by king Rehoboam of Judah and located between Bethlehem and Tekoa
3) a cliff; site uncertain

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎עֵיטָם‎ proper name, of a location (perhaps animal-name, from ‎עַיִט‎, compare Gray^{Prop. Names 93}); —

1. Ηταμ, ᵐ5^L Ιταμ, a. cliff, ‎׳‎‎סְעִיף סֶלַע ע‎ Judg 15:8; Judg 15:11 perhaps near town ‎עֵיטָם‎, see following, but at ±Ar¹‡ Isma±£n near edge of Shephelah, west-southwest from Jerusalem according to Schick^{ZPV x (1887), 143 ff.}

2. Αιταν[μ], etc., city fortified by Rehoboam 2Chr 11:6, between Bethlehem and Tekoa, = ±Ain ±At¹n approximately 2 miles south-southwest from Bethlehem, Buhl^{Geogr. 92} GFM^{Judg 15:8}, near Urtâs Rob^{BR i. 477}; clan in Judah 1Chr 4:3.

3. Αιταν[μ], in Simeon 1Chr 4:32 (Be [not Oettli Kau Kit] reads ‎עֵתֶר‎ from Josh 15:42).

Brown-Driver-Briggs References

Profile

Etam_2 • In Simeon/Judah • Villages associated with Simeon; home of Judahite clan

Etam, a village associated with the tribe of Simeon and the home of a Judahite clan.

• A location near Ain עַיִן first mentioned at 1Ch.4.3;
• only referred to as Etam עֵיטָם.
  

Etam is mentioned twice in 1 Chronicles in different contexts. In 1 Chronicles 4:3, Etam is listed among the descendants of Judah, specifically as part of the clan of Hur. The text states that the sons of Etam were Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, suggesting that Etam was either an individual or a place associated with this Judahite clan.

In 1 Chronicles 4:32, Etam appears as one of the villages belonging to the tribe of Simeon, along with Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan. These villages were part of Simeon's inheritance within the territory of Judah (Joshua 19:1-9).

The exact location of Etam in both contexts is uncertain, and it is possible that there were two different places named Etam. The Etam associated with Simeon was likely situated in the Negev region, south of Judah, while the Etam connected to the clan of Hur may have been located elsewhere in Judah's territory.

All entries for Etam: עֵיטָם