Etam
“Place of birds of prey (eyrie), or possibly 'cleft'”
Summary
A name designating a rock where Samson took refuge, a town in Judah fortified by Rehoboam, and a village of Simeon.
☩Rock of Etam
After Samson slaughtered the Philistines in revenge for their burning his Timnite wife, he retreated to a cleft in the rock of Etam. This natural stronghold was in Judah near the Philistine border. Three thousand men of Judah came to deliver him to the Philistines, but when bound and brought to Lehi, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he broke his bonds and slew a thousand men with a jawbone.
☩Town of Judah
Etam was a town in Judah, mentioned between Bethlehem and Tekoa, that Rehoboam fortified as part of his defense system. According to Josephus and the Talmud, Solomon's gardens were nearby, fed by springs from Etam. A conduit ran from there to supply water to the temple. The site is likely near modern Ain Atan, south of Bethlehem, near Solomon's pools.
☩Village of Simeon
Another Etam was a village in the territory of Simeon, mentioned in the list of Simeonite settlements. Some identify this with Khurbet Aitun in the hills northwest of Beersheba.
Related Verses5 mentions
References
- 1.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Etam," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Etam," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. II (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Etam," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).