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אֵת

𐤀𐤕

ʼêth

H855 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A metal agricultural implement used for breaking and turning soil, most commonly a plowshare or blade, but in some contexts could refer to a hoe or other digging tool. The term denotes an iron tool essential for tilling fields and, at times, is metaphorically opposed to weapons when instruments of war are described as being turned into instruments of cultivation or vice versa (e.g., plowshare to sword and sword to plowshare).

Semantic Range

plowshare, coulter, hoe, digging implement, iron blade for tilling soil

Root / Etymology

The exact etymology is uncertain. Some scholars speculate a relationship with Semitic cognates for agricultural or iron implements, but no definitive root in Hebrew has been established. It is a noun, likely of foreign or onomatopoetic origin, not clearly connected to other Hebrew roots for tools or agriculture.

Historical & Contextual Notes

The word אֵת occurs infrequently in the Hebrew Bible (notably in passages such as Isaiah 2:4 and Joel 4:10 [Eng. 3:10]), where it is often paired with other agricultural implements or weapons. Its significance is particularly evident in texts describing societal shifts from war to peace or peace to war, as in the imagery of transforming plowshares to swords or swords to plowshares. In the ancient Israelite context, the אֵת represented basic agricultural technology, signifying the capacity for self-sustenance and land cultivation. It is distinct from other implement terms like מַחֲרֵשָׁה (machăreshah, 'plow'), and is not to be confused with the particle אֵת used as a direct object marker. English translations as 'plowshare' or 'coulter' generally capture the intended tool but may not convey its cultural resonance or the full lexical nuance. Later rabbinic Hebrew preserved reference to the tool as a basic component of agricultural life.

Translation Consistency

primary "plowshare" 3 occurrences

"Plowshare" is the most common and natural English word for H855’s primary sense — the iron blade used to break and turn soil — and matches the majority of existing renderings and the common prophetic metaphor (sword/plowshare). It is broad enough to cover related tilling implements (coulter, mattock/hoe in some contexts) while remaining simple and consistent for all forms.

Alternatives (2 occurrences):
"mattock" (1x) "mattocks" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

of uncertain derivation; a hoe or other digging implement; coulter, plowshare.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

uncertain (Baleadan) — uncertain

Root uncertain to dig, to cut earth (implied/semantic)
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1002 בִּירָה the citadel
H105 אֲגַרְטָל bowls of
H1081 בַּלְאֲדָן Baladan
H1085 בִּלְדַּד Bildad
H1095 בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר Belteshatsar

Word Forms

4 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H855-03 לְ/אִתִּ֗ים leitim HR/Ncmpa into-plowshares plow-blades into plowshares 2
H855-01 אֵת/וֹ֙ eto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his mattock his plow-blade his mattock 1
H855-02 אִתֵּי/כֶם֙ iteykhem HNcmpc/Sp2mp your plowshares your plow-blades your plowshares 1
H855-04 וְ/לָ֣/אֵתִ֔ים velaetim HC/Rd/Ncmpa and for the mattocks plowshares and for mattocks 1

Occurrences in Scripture

5 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H855-01 1 Samuel 13:20 אֵת/וֹ֙ eto HNcmsc/Sp3ms his mattock his plow-blade his mattock
H855-04 1 Samuel 13:21 וְ/לָ֣/אֵתִ֔ים velaetim HC/Rd/Ncmpa and for the mattocks plowshares and for mattocks
H855-03 Isaiah 2:4 לְ/אִתִּ֗ים leitim HR/Ncmpa into-plowshares plow-blades into plowshares
H855-02 Joel 4:10 אִתֵּי/כֶם֙ iteykhem HNcmpc/Sp2mp your plowshares your plow-blades your plowshares
H855-03 Micah 4:3 לְ/אִתִּ֗ים leitim HR/Ncmpa into-plowshares plow-blades into plowshares
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