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Bethlehem 
There are two towns named Bethlehem mentioned in the Bible; the famous one in Judah, the other one in Zebulun (Josh 19:15). Bethlehem-Judah is first mentioned as the place formerly known as Ephrath, where Rachel gives birth to Benjamin and dies (Gen 35:19). Bethlehem's rise to stardom is set in motion by Elimelech the Bethlehemite who finds himself and his family driven to Moab by a famine. His wife's name is Naomi, his Moabite daughters in law are Orpah and Ruth. When after ten years all the men are dead, Naomi and Ruth go back to Bethlehem. There Ruth meets and marries Boaz. Their son is Obed, the father of Jesse, the father of king David. It is for this reason that Micah writes his Messianic prophesy referred to in Matt 2:6,
"But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah. From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity (5:2)."
Perhaps he should have left it a surprise because some 700 years later king Herod, fearing rivalry from an infant, has all the children of Bethlehem and environs murdered. Matthew reveals how far those environs stretch by referring to what Jeremiah wrote, 100 years after Micah, "Thus says YHWH, 'a voice is heard in Rama, [...] Rachel is weeping for her children...'" (Matt 2:18, Jer 31:15). Rachel's tomb is somewhere on the border of Benjamin (1 Sam 10:2) and Rama is a Benjamin town north of Jerusalem.
In 1 Chr 2:51 it reads that Salma was the father of Bethlehem, and it seems that this Bethlehem is a person. However, this Bethlehem is mentioned along groups of people and towns, and it is much more likely that Salma was a mayor (the ab) of the town of Bethlehem-Judah. Something similar happens with Tekoa in 1 Chr 2:24. In 2 Chr 11:6 we see both these towns as 'built' by Rehoboam. That means either that these existing towns were fortified, or Rehobam erected new forts with old, nostalgic names. (Compare with 2 Chr 8:2, where Solomon 'builds' cities that were given to him by Huram).
The name Bethlehem consists of two words. The first word is  (bayit 241), the regular word for house but with connotations of one's family, household or direct sphere of economy. It is also used to mean temple, or place, or depository of certain items. Another name that uses this word bayit is Bethel, which means House Of God.
The second word of the name Bethlehem is  (lehem 1105a), bread. This word is frequently used in a much broader sense of food in general (proverbial: Gen 3:19; Manna: Ex 16:4; honey: 1 Sam 14:24), and comes from he verb (laham 1105), eat, use as food. The concept of food is used often in a figurative sense: bread of wickedness (Pr 4:17), idleness (31:27); target of conquest (Num 14:9). It is against this broad background that the words of Jesus should be understood: "I am the bread of life," (Joh 6:35); "Give us this day our daily bread," (Matt 6:11), as well as the bread part of the communion ritual (Matt 26:26).
Perhaps the usage displayed in Num 14:9 illustrates the curious link with the identical root (laham 1104), do battle, fight. (A similar thought is found in Psalm 124:3, although without the verb ). Perhaps both ideas have to do with  (the preposition that usually translates into the Indo-European dative case: to, at, in, into) plus  , heat (see the name Ham).
TWOTOT argues that the wars of Israel are essentially fought by YHWH, or rather that instead of God coming to the aid of Israel, Israel is an agent active in bringing forth the purpose of the Lord, along with such agents as large stones (Josh 10:11), darkness and sea (24:7), and stars (Judg 5:20).
An obvious derivative of this verb is the noun  (milhama 1104a), battle, war. This word is used in the almost paradoxical statement of Ex 15:3:  , which means 'YHWH is a man of war, YHWH is His Name.'
An alternative etymology is offered by TWOTOT in a reference to a god named Lahamu (OCB reads Lahmu), who apparently had a temple somewhere named bit lahamu. Since there is no Biblical reference to this, this possible and possibly original etymology should not be taken into account when assessing the Biblical function of the meaning of the name Bethlehem.
The name Bethlehem means House Of Bread, with the strong connotation of House Of Battle.
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