אֵת (et)
et
plowshare
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 4 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun et refers to an iron cutting tool, specifically identified in Scripture as a ploughshare. With only four occurrences in the Old Testament, this word appears in passages that contrast weapons of war with instruments of agriculture. It denotes the heavy blade attached to the front of a plough, designed to cut into the soil and turn it over for planting.
This term carries significant symbolic weight in prophetic literature. In Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3, the imagery of beating swords into ploughshares represents a future era of peace where nations abandon military conflict for productive labor. The transformation from a weapon to a farming tool illustrates a shift from destruction to sustenance, highlighting how resources once used for violence are redirected toward feeding communities.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word et refers to the iron blade that cuts into the earth, turning hard ground into soil ready for planting. In ancient Israel, this tool was essential for survival, yet it appears in Scripture alongside weapons of war. This contrast reminds us that God’s design for creation is rooted in life and provision, not destruction. When we look at how this object is described, we see a shift from conflict to cultivation.
Prophets like Isaiah and Micah used this image to paint a picture of future peace. They spoke of a time when nations would stop fighting and start farming. It is a powerful reminder that resources meant for harm can be reshaped for good. For your daily life, this invites you to consider how you use your own strengths. Are they cutting down obstacles or building up communities?
Even in times of tension, the hope remains that we can transform our energies toward growth. The plowshare does not just break the ground; it prepares it for seed. This process takes patience and care, mirroring how we nurture relationships and faith over time. May you find peace in knowing that your efforts to create rather than destroy are seen and valued.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 4 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- mattock/ his1×
- into/ plowshares1×
- and/ for the/ mattocks1×
- <into>/ plowshares1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לְ/אִתִּ֗ים2×
- וְ/לָ֣/אֵתִ֔ים1×
- אֵת/וֹ֙1×
Key Verses
-
Isaiah 2:4
He will judge between the nations, and will decide concerning many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
This verse establishes the core metaphor where instruments of killing are physically reshaped into tools for agriculture, symbolizing a divine end to war.
-
Micah 4:3
and he will judge between many peoples, and will decide concerning strong nations afar off. They will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war any more.
Mirroring Isaiah, this occurrence reinforces the universal scope of peace, extending the transformation from swords to plowshares to strong nations far away.
-
I Samuel 13:20
but all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, each man to sharpen his own plowshare, mattock, ax, and sickle.
Here the word appears in a historical context showing that even during military threats, the people prioritized maintaining their farming tools for survival.