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אָתָה

𐤀𐤕𐤄

ʼâthâh

H857 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

A verb conveying the idea of arrival, movement toward, or coming upon a place, person, or event. It denotes physical arrival, coming into the presence of someone or something, or the occurrence of an event. Occasionally, it can be used in causative or figurative constructions to mean bring, lead, or cause to come.

Semantic Range

to arrive, to come upon, to approach, to appear, to bring (causative sense), to lead (cause to come), to occur (event coming-to-pass)

Root / Etymology

Root: אתה. This root is associated generally with movement toward or arrival at a goal or destination. Cognate with or possibly a variant of the root אות (to come, appear), though its precise etymological relationship within Northwest Semitic languages is debated. The form אָתָה appears as an alternative or regional spelling (sometimes אָתָא). The word is a primitive verb and not clearly derived from a more basic root.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Primarily attested in poetic or elevated registers, particularly in early biblical poetry (e.g., Deuteronomy 33:2, Job 3:25). In most biblical Hebrew, the more common verb for 'to come' is בּוֹא (bo’). אָתָה is thus relatively rare and marked, evoking a sense of solemn arrival, divine manifestation, or climactic occurrence. Its usage fades in later biblical Hebrew, and by the post-exilic period, it is supplanted almost entirely by בּוֹא. English translations usually render it as 'to come' or 'to arrive,' but the nuance of appearance or sudden coming is sometimes lost. There is occasional overlap with terms like בּוֹא but אָתָה tends to appear in settings where formality or dramatic focus on arrival is intended. In Jewish Aramaic (post-biblical), similar sounding roots come to mean 'to come,' reflecting possible continuities.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or אָתָא; a primitive root (collateral to אוּת contraction); to arrive; (be-, things to) come (upon), bring.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

אתה (ʾ-t-h) — to come, to arrive, to approach

Root אתה to come, to arrive, to approach
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2978 יְאִתוֹן entryway
H6258 עַתָּה you
H8160 שָׁעָה you
H859 אַתָּה you

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H857-13 יֶאֱתָ֣יוּ yeetayu HVqi3mp let envoys come they will come let them come 3
H857-03 אֵתָֽיוּ etayu HVqv2mp come Come, you all Come 3
H857-04 הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת haotiot HTd/Vqrfpa the signs the coming ones the coming ones 2
H857-05 הֵתָ֣יוּ hetayu HVhv2mp bring cause to come bring 2
H857-14 יֶאֱתֶ֑ה yeeteh HVqi3ms comes he will come comes 2
H857-06 תֵּאתֶ֑ה teteh HVqi3fs it shall come she will come it will come 1
H857-10 וַ/יֵּתֵא֙ vayete HC/Vqw3ms And he came and he came and he came 1
H857-08 וַ/יֶּאֱתָיֵ֑/נִי vayeetayeni HC/Vqw3ms/Sp1cs has come upon me and he came to me and it came upon me 1
H857-02 אָתָ֣נוּ atanu HVqp1cp come we have come we have come 1
H857-07 וַ/יַּ֔את vayat HC/Vqw3ms and he has come and he caused to come and it has come 1

Occurrences in Scripture

21 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H857-11 Deuteronomy 33:2 וְ/אָתָ֖ה veatah HC/Vqq3ms and he came and at this time and he came
H857-10 Deuteronomy 33:21 וַ/יֵּתֵא֙ vayete HC/Vqw3ms And he came and he came and he came
H857-01 Isaiah 21:12 אָתָ֥ה atah HVqp3ms comes you comes
H857-03 Isaiah 21:12 אֵתָֽיוּ etayu HVqv2mp come Come, you all Come
H857-05 Isaiah 21:14 הֵתָ֣יוּ hetayu HVhv2mp bring cause to come bring
H857-09 Isaiah 41:5 וַ/יֶּאֱתָיֽוּ/ן vayeetayun HC/Vqw3mp/Sn and came and they came and they came
H857-04 Isaiah 41:23 הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת haotiot HTd/Vqrfpa the signs the coming ones the signs
H857-07 Isaiah 41:25 וַ/יַּ֔את vayat HC/Vqw3ms and he has come and he caused to come and it has come
H857-12 Isaiah 44:7 וְ/אֹתִיּ֛וֹת veotiot HC/Vqrfpa and the things that are coming coming ones and the things to come
H857-04 Isaiah 45:11 הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת haotiot HTd/Vqrfpa the things to come the coming ones the coming ones
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