אֵת

with makk. אֶת־, with suff. אֹתִי; אֹֽתְךָ, אֹֽתְכָה †Nu 22:33, אֹתָ֑ךְ, אֹתָ֑כָה †Ex 29:35, fem. אֹתָךְ; אֹתוֹ etc.; 2 pl. אֶתְכֶם, once אֽוֹתְכֶם Jos 23:15; 3 mpl. regularly אֹתָם, rarely אֶתְהֶם †Gn 32:1; Ex 18:20; Nu 21:3; Ez 34:12; 1 Ch 6:50, once אֽוֹתְהֶם Ez 23:45; 3 fpl., on the contrary, regularly אֶתְהֶן (13 times), once אֹתָ֑ן Ez 16:54 (also אֽוֹתְהֶן Ez 23:47, אֹתָ֖נָה Ex 35:26, אוֹתָ֖נָה Ez 34:21); forms with cholem also often written plene:—the mark of the accusative, prefixed as a rule only to nouns that are definite (Moab. id., Ph. אית i.e. אִיַּת (Schröd p. 213 f.); Aramaic יָת freq. in 𝔗; Syriac ܝܳܬ very rare as mark of accus. (for which ܠ is prefered), but used often in the sense of substance οὐσία, also in that of self, e.g. ܒܝܳܬܶܗ per se, reapse, ܠܝܳܬܶܗ sibi ipsi, PS 1640 f., Sam. ࠉࠕ; Arabic إِيَّا, only used with sf., when it is desired to emphasize the pronoun, e.g. Qor 1:4 WAG i. § 189. [Ethiopic uses ኪያ kīyā similarly, Di § 150 a; but it is dub. if this is etymologically akin.] The primitive form will have been ’iwyath, orig. a subst. with foll. gen., Ol p. 432; whether ultim. a parallel development with אוֹת sign from √ אוה is uncertain: Ol WAG i. § 188 LagM i. 226 affirm, NöZMG 1886, 738 doubts. In Heb. the ground-form is אוֹת; the forms with ē, e being abbreviated. In postB Heb., used in combination with another prep.: thus בְּאוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם = Bibl. בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא, בְּאוֹתָהּ הַשָּׁעָה; or as a nomin., e.g. אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ = Bibl. הָאִישׁ הַהוּא). As mark of the accus. prefixed to substs. defined either by the art. (or כֹּל), or by a genitive or pron. affix, or in virtue of being proper names: with transitive verbs, Gn 1:1, 16, 29, 30; 2:11; 4:1, 2; 9:3 (אֶת־כֹּֽל׃) etc. Similarly אֶת־מִי whom (in particular), Jos 24:15; 1 S 12:3; 28:11; Is 6:8 al. (but never אֶת־מָה); also with זֶה Gn 29:33; 44:29; 1 S 21:16; 1 K 22:27 +, זֹאת Gn 29:27; 2 S 13:17 +, אֵלֶּה Gn 46:18; Lv 11:22; Is 49:21 +. So pretty uniformly in prose; but in poetry את is commonly dispensed with. By the use of את with the pron. affix, a pron. can at once, if required, be placed in a position of emphasis; let the order of words from this point of view be carefully noticed in the foll. passages: Gn 7:1; 24:14; 37:4; Lv 10:17; 11:33; Nu 22:23 thee I had slain, and her I had kept alive (cf. Gn 41:13), Dt 4:14; 6:13, 23; 13:5; Ju 14:3 אוֹתָהּ קַח לִי take for me her, 1 S 14:35; 15:1; 18:17; 21:10 אִם־אֹתָהּ תִּקַּח־לְךָ קָ֔ח if thou wilt take that, take it, 1 K 1:35; 14:19; Is 43:22; 57:11 Je 9:2. So הַאוֹתִי †Je 5:22; 7:19. It also sometimes enables the reflexive sense to be expressed (elsewhere נַפְשָׁם) Je 7:19 Ez 34:2. Rarely with a subst. which is undefined (Ew§ 277 d 2 Ges§ 117, 1 R. 2), as Ex 21:28; Nu 21:9; Lv 20:14; 1 S 24:6 (but v. Dr) 2 S 4:11; 18:18; 23:21; or which, though definite, is without the art., Gn 21:30; 2 S 15:16; Lv 26:5; 1 S 9:3 (so Nu 16:15) Is 33:19; 41:7; Ez 43:10 (for further exx. v. Ew l.c.) with a passive verb (Ges§ 121.1 Ew§ 295 b) conceived as expressing neutrally the action in question, and construed accordingly with an accus. of that which is its real object: exx. occur with tolerable frequency from Gn 4:18 (J) וַיִּקָּרֵא אֶת־שְׁמוֹ חֲנֹךְ, and there was called (= one called) his name Enoch,17:5 (P) there shall not be called (= one shall not call) thy name any more Abram, 21:5 (E), 27:42 2 S 21:11; 1 K 18:13; Ho 10:6 etc., to Je 35:14; 38:4; 50:20 Ez 16:4, 5 Est 2:13 (cf. DrJPhl. xi. 227 f.): also with pass. vbs. of filling (Ew§ 281 b), as Ex 1:7 +. with neuter verbs or expressions, especially such as involve the idea of regarding, or treating, appy. by a constr. κατὰ σύνεσιν (rare), Jos 22:17; 2 S 11:25; Ne 9:32 (cf. 1 S 20:13 Dr 1 K 8:31). Once after אֵין, Hg 2:17 אֵין אֶתְכֶם אֵלַי. poet. (si vera l.), after an abstr. noun used with a verbal force, †Hb 3:13 (Am 4:11; Is 13:19; Je 50:40 מַהְפֵּכָה exerts a verbal force, like the Arabic nom. verbi [v. WAG i. § 196, 43]; and Nu 10:2; Ez 17:9 לְמַסַּע, לְמַשְׂאוֹת are Aramaizing infinitives: cf. Ew§ 239 a). את marks an accus. in other relations than that of direct obj. to a verb: with verbs of motion (very rare) Nu 13:17; Dt 1:19; 2:7 (to ‘walk the wilderness’); denoting the goal Ju 19:18; Ez 21:25 (Ew§ 281 d, n., 282 a 1). denoting time (duration), also very rare: Ex 13:7 Lv 25:22 Dt 9:25. expressing the accus. of limitation (rare): Gn 17:11, 14; 1 K 15:23. Chiefly in an inferior or later style, אֵת (or וְאֵת) is used irregularly, partly (α), as it would seem, to give greater definiteness (so especially וְאֵת) at the mention of a new subject (when it may sometimes be renderes as regards), or through the influence of a neighbouring verb (a cstr. κατὰ σύνεσιν), or by an anacoluthon, partly (β) as resuming loosely some other prep. Thus (α) Ex 1:14; Nu 3:26, 46; 5:10 (with הָיָה: so Ez 35:10) Nu 18:21b Dt 11:2 (anacol.), 14:13 Jos 17:11; Ju 20:44, 46 (contr. v 25, 35) 1 S 17:34 (v. Dr) 26:16; 2 S 21:22; 2 K 6:5; Is 53:8 (prob.), 57:12; Je 23:33 (but read rather with 𝔊 𝔙 אַתֶּם הַמַּשָּׂא) 27:8; 36:22; 38:16 Kt, 45:4b Ez 16:22; 17:21; 20:16; 29:4b; 43:7 (𝔊 Co prefix הֲרָאִיתָ) 44:3; Zc 8:17; Ec 4:3; Dn 9:13; Ne 9:19, 34; 1 Ch 2:9; 2 Ch 31:17. In 1 S 30:23; Hg 2:5 prob. some such word as remember is to be understood. (β) Je 38:9; Ez 14:22b; 37:19b Zc 12:10; סָבִיב אֵת 1 K 6:5; Ez 43:17 strangely (in 1 K 𝔊 om. the clause: so StaZAW 1883, 135).—In 1 K 11:1 וְ is merely and also, and especially (v. וְ); v 25 is corrupt (read with 𝔊 זֹאת הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה הֲדָד); Ez 47:17, 18, 19 read similarly for ואת, זֹאת: see v 20.—For some particulars as to the use of את, see A. M. WilsonHbr. vi. 139 ff. 212 ff. (who, however, confuses it sometimes with II. אֵת). For denoting the pron. obj. of a vb., את with suff. preponderates relatively much above the verbal affix in P, as compared with JE Dt Ju S K (v. GiesebrechtZAW 1881, 285 f.),—partly, probably, on account of the greater distinctness and precision which P loves.