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

Extended Information

• a town in Judah fortified and garrisoned by king Rehoboam of Judah and located between Bethlehem and Tekoa

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_3 • City fortified by Rehoboam in Judah

Etam, a city in Judah fortified by King Rehoboam after the division of the kingdom.

• A location only mentioned at 2Ch.11.6;
• only referred to as Etam עֵיטָם.
  

In 2 Chronicles 11:6, Etam is mentioned as one of the cities that King Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, fortified in Judah after the kingdom was divided. Rehoboam's kingdom consisted of the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, while the northern tribes followed Jeroboam I.

As part of his efforts to strengthen his reign and defend his territory, Rehoboam built up the defenses of several key cities, including Etam. The fortification of Etam suggests that it was a strategically important location, possibly guarding a trade route or protecting the southern border of Judah.

The exact location of this Etam is uncertain, but it was likely situated in the hill country of Judah, possibly near Bethlehem. Some scholars propose that it may be the same as the Etam mentioned in Judges 15, where Samson hid from the Philistines, but this is not conclusively established.

All entries for Etam: עֵיטָם