אָתָה (a.tah)
a.tah
to come
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 19 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb atah carries the simple, direct meaning of coming or arriving. Unlike its more common counterpart yâ’ôḏ, which dominates narrative prose, atah appears almost exclusively in poetic texts. This restricted usage gives it a distinct literary flavor, often marking moments of heightened emotion or dramatic shift within the poetry of Job and the prophetic visions found in Isaiah and Jeremiah.
Its range extends beyond physical movement to include the arrival of abstract concepts. The sources note that it describes not only people and beasts arriving but also the coming of time or calamity. This flexibility allows poets to personify events, treating disaster or dawn as entities that approach with purpose. In these contexts, the word emphasizes the inevitability and presence of what is about to happen.
A notable grammatical feature is its Hiphil stem, which shifts the meaning from "to come" to "to bring." This causative form appears in a small number of verses, highlighting how an agent actively causes something to arrive. The rarity of this verb in Hebrew prose contrasts with its Aramaic equivalent, where it functions as the standard word for coming, suggesting that biblical poets chose atah specifically for its rhythmic and stylistic weight.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word atah describes the act of coming or arriving, but it carries a poetic weight that simple movement does not capture. In Scripture, this verb often marks moments where the divine meets the human or where inevitable events unfold. It is not merely about physical travel; it speaks to the arrival of presence, whether that be God’s majesty from Sinai or the quiet approach of time itself.
For your faith life, this word invites you to look for the specific moments when God draws near. In Job, we see fear arriving like a storm, yet in Isaiah, we are reminded that God comes with purpose and power. This verb reminds us that history is not random. What arrives does so with intention, bringing either comfort or correction depending on our posture toward Him.
When you feel the weight of uncertainty, remember that the One who comes is faithful. Whether it is the dawn breaking in Isaiah or the healing promise in Jeremiah, the arrival of God’s word brings stability. You can trust that His coming is always grounded in His character, offering hope even when the path ahead seems unclear.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 19 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- come3×
- it will come2×
- and/ he came2×
- we have come1×
- they will come1×
- they come1×
- the/ coming [things]1×
- the/ [things] coming1×
- it will arrive1×
- it comes1×
- bring [them]1×
- bring1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ2×
- הָ/אֹתִיּ֣וֹת2×
- תֵּאתֶ֑ה1×
- יֶאֱתֶ֑ה1×
- יֶֽאֱתֶ֑ה1×
- וַ/יַּ֔את1×
- וַ/יֶּאֱתָיֽוּ/ן\׃1×
- וַ/יֶּאֱתָיֵ֑/נִי1×
- וַ/יֵּתֵא֙1×
- וְ/אֹתִיּ֛וֹת1×
- וְ/אָתָ֖ה1×
- הֵתָ֥יוּ1×
Key Verses
-
Deuteronomy 33:2
He said, “Yahweh came from Sinai, and rose from Seir to them. He shone from Mount Paran. He came from the ten thousands of holy ones. At his right hand was a fiery law for them.
This verse establishes the word's solemn tone by describing Yahweh’s majestic arrival from Sinai, linking His coming with the giving of the law.
-
Job 3:25
For the thing which I fear comes on me, that which I am afraid of comes to me.
Here the verb captures the psychological reality that feared outcomes often arrive precisely when we dread them most, highlighting human vulnerability.
-
Isaiah 21:12
The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again.”
The watchman uses this word to mark the inevitable passage of time, showing that both day and night come as fixed realities under God's sovereignty.
-
Jeremiah 3:22
Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backsliding. “Behold, we have come to you; for you are Yahweh our God.
This occurrence shows the word in a context of repentance, where the people acknowledge their return to God as an act of coming back to their true source.