Etam

Etam (meaning their bird or their covering) is the name of several places in the Old Testament. (1.) A rock or cave in Judah where Samson took refuge after slaying the Philistines at Lehi; from there the Judahites bound him and delivered him to the Philistines (Judges 15:8, 11). (2.) A village in the territory of Simeon listed in 1 Chronicles 4:32. (3.) A town in Judah fortified by Rehoboam (2 Chronicles 11:6), possibly to be identified with Ain Atan near Bethlehem, associated in later tradition with King Solomon's gardens and pools. The name also occurs as a man's name in the Judahite genealogy (1 Chronicles 4:3).