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אֵת

𐤀𐤕

ʼêth

H854 preposition

SILEX Entry

Root את to be with, to be near, to accompany

Definition

A preposition indicating proximity or association, functioning primarily to express "with" or "in company with." The core sense is that of accompanying, being together with, or at someone's side, whether in physical location or figurative presence. Rarely, it can convey the sense of opposition when context demands. Most common as a marker introducing the accompanying party, group, or object in actions and relationships.

Semantic Range

with, in company with, beside, at the side of, among, in the presence of, against (rare)

Root / Etymology

From the root את (aleph-tav), which in related forms connotes nearness or proximity. This prepositional usage is distinct from the more frequent accusative marker אֵת (H853), though the roots are homographs. The prepositional אֵת is ultimately connected to the concept of "being with" or "beside," perhaps originally denoting physical closeness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The preposition אֵת occurs less frequently than the direct object marker אֵת (H853) and is contextually distinguished by its syntactic role: it governs a noun to express accompaniment, association, or sometimes opposition (e.g., 'against'). In biblical narrative, it often highlights collaboration, participation, or physical presence alongside another (e.g., 'Moses with Aaron,' 'the elders with Joshua'). In some rare contexts, it can mean 'against' (e.g., Exod 23:22), though this usage is secondary. Over time, prepositional אֵת diminishes in frequency, with בְּ and עִם increasingly preferred for 'with.' English translations sometimes conflate this preposition with other function words, missing its nuance of collaboration or companionship, especially in older translations. Later Rabbinic Hebrew expands other prepositions for 'with,' further restricting אֵת to more formal or archaic usage.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

probably from אָנָה; properly, nearness (used only as a preposition or an adverb), near; hence, generally, with, by, at, among, etc.; against, among, before, by, for, from, in(-to), (out) of, with. Often with another prepositional prefix.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

את (ʾ-t) — marking, indicating, signifying (grammatical object marking)

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3487 יַת object-marker them
H5842 עֵט object-marker
H6256 עֵת object marker
H6261 עִתִּי with me
H853 אֵת object-marker

Word Forms

26 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H854-01 אֶת et HR with object-marker 270
H854-09 אִתּ֖/וֹ ito HR/Sp3ms with him with him 153
H854-10 מֵ/אֵ֣ת meet HR/R from from beside 119
H854-08 אִתִּ֑/י iti HR/Sp1cs with me with me 51
H854-03 אִתָּ֑/ךְ itakhe HR/Sp2fs with you with you (feminine singular) 48
H854-07 אִתְּ/כֶ֑ם itekhem HR/Sp2mp with you with you (plural masculine) 48
H854-23 וְ/אֶֽת veet HC/R and with and marked-object 40
H854-04 אִתָּ֖/ם itam HR/Sp3mp with them with them 37
H854-06 אִתְּ/ךָ֜ itekha HR/Sp2ms with you with you 30
H854-05 אִתָּ֛/נוּ itanu HR/Sp1cp with us with us 27

Occurrences in Scripture

889 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H854-01 Genesis 4:1 אֶת et-3 HR [direct object marker] object-marker
H854-01 Genesis 5:22 אֶת et HR with object-marker
H854-01 Genesis 5:24 אֶת et HR with object-marker
H854-01 Genesis 6:9 אֶת et HR object-marker
H854-01 Genesis 6:13 אֶת et HR [direct object marker] object-marker
H854-01 Genesis 6:14 אֶת et HR object-marker
H854-03 Genesis 6:18 אִתָּ֑/ךְ itakhe HR/Sp2fs with you with you (feminine singular)
H854-03 Genesis 6:18 אִתָּֽ/ךְ itakhe-2 HR/Sp2fs with you with you (feminine singular)
H854-03 Genesis 6:19 אִתָּ֑/ךְ itakhe HR/Sp2fs with you with you (feminine singular)
H854-09 Genesis 7:7 אִתּ֖/וֹ ito HR/Sp3ms with him with him
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