ODOLLAM (Heb. 'Adhullām; cf. Arabic 'adula “to place oneself in safety”). - A Canaanite city, often mentioned in the Bible from the time of the Patriarchs to that of the Maccabees (cf. Gen. 38, 1; Ios. 12, 15; 15, 35; II Par. 11, 7; Neh. 11, 30; II Mach. 12, 38), identified in 1875 by Clermont-Ganneau with present-day Hirbet 'Id-el-mā ('Idelmijeh), about 20 km west-southwest of Bethlehem.
It lies on one of the many hills in the intermediate region between the “mountain” and the “plain,” of calcareous nature, riddled with very numerous caves, for the most part natural (water erosion), sometimes of considerable extent (that of Harejtūn is 220 m long). In one of these David took refuge during Saul’s persecution, and there he was joined by his parents and his first followers (I Sam. 22, 1-5). It also served him as a refuge later, when, having been elected king by all Israel after reigning for seven years in Hebron, the Philistines set out in search of him (II Sam. 5, 17; 23, 13).