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
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
אתה (ʾ-t-h) — to come, to arrive, to approach
Word Forms
14 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H857-13 |
יֶאֱתָ֣יוּ | yeetayu | HVqi3mp |
let envoys come | they will come | 3 |
H857-03 |
אֵתָֽיוּ | etayu | HVqv2mp |
come | Come, you all | 3 |
H857-04 |
הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת | haotiot | HTd/Vqrfpa |
the signs | the coming ones | 2 |
H857-05 |
הֵתָ֣יוּ | hetayu | HVhv2mp |
bring | cause to come | 2 |
H857-14 |
יֶאֱתֶ֑ה | yeeteh | HVqi3ms |
comes | he will come | 2 |
H857-06 |
תֵּאתֶ֑ה | teteh | HVqi3fs |
it shall come | she will come | 1 |
H857-10 |
וַ/יֵּתֵא֙ | vayete | HC/Vqw3ms |
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 | 1 |
H857-02 |
אָתָ֣נוּ | atanu | HVqp1cp |
come | we have come | 1 |
H857-07 |
וַ/יַּ֔את | vayat | HC/Vqw3ms |
and he has come | and he caused to come | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
21 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H857-11 |
Deuteronomy 33:2 | וְ/אָתָ֖ה | veatah | HC/Vqq3ms |
and he came | and at this time |
H857-10 |
Deuteronomy 33:21 | וַ/יֵּתֵא֙ | vayete | HC/Vqw3ms |
And he came | and he came |
H857-01 |
Isaiah 21:12 | אָתָ֥ה | atah | HVqp3ms |
comes | you |
H857-03 |
Isaiah 21:12 | אֵתָֽיוּ | etayu | HVqv2mp |
come | Come, you all |
H857-05 |
Isaiah 21:14 | הֵתָ֣יוּ | hetayu | HVhv2mp |
bring | cause to come |
H857-09 |
Isaiah 41:5 | וַ/יֶּאֱתָיֽוּ/ן | vayeetayun | HC/Vqw3mp/Sn |
and came | and they came |
H857-04 |
Isaiah 41:23 | הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת | haotiot | HTd/Vqrfpa |
the signs | the coming ones |
H857-07 |
Isaiah 41:25 | וַ/יַּ֔את | vayat | HC/Vqw3ms |
and he has come | and he caused to come |
H857-12 |
Isaiah 44:7 | וְ/אֹתִיּ֛וֹת | veotiot | HC/Vqrfpa |
and the things that are coming | coming ones |
H857-04 |
Isaiah 45:11 | הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת | haotiot | HTd/Vqrfpa |
the things to come | the coming ones |