עַתָּה
ʻattâh · H6258 · Hebrew · 433 occurrences
Meanings
-
now
A reference to the actual time when a particular event takes place
ExamplesGenesis 11:6 And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be impossible for them.
Genesis 22:12 He said, “Do not reach out your hand against the boy, and do not do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Genesis 26:22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth, for he said, “At last the LORD has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”
-
therefore, now then, and now, so then, so, so now
A marker indicating that an important statement is following and demanding the attention of the listener
ExamplesGenesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
Genesis 4:11 “Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
Genesis 12:19 “Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her for myself as a wife? Now then, here is your wife, take her and go!”
How it’s used In 2 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
What is done to itIt is the object
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- אָמַרto say 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
7 occurrences in 3 groups
- מִןfrom 3
- עַדto, as far as, until 3
- לto/for 1
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
In the other Testament 3 words
- νῦν nŷn · G3568 · now, just now, presently
- Greek νῦν renders Hebrew עַתָּה as the standard translation equivalent for temporal ‘now’ and related deictic time references across both testaments.
- ἤδη ḗdē · G2235 · already, already now, now at last
- Greek ἤδη emphasizes immediacy and present completion ('already, even now'), while Hebrew עַתָּה covers a broader temporal range including present moment, immediate future ('henceforth'), and contrastive temporal framing ('whereas'); ἤδη functions as the Greek equivalent specifically for עַתָּה's 'now' sense with perfective or imminent aspectual coloring.
- νυνί nyní · G3570 · now, just now, presently
- Greek νυνί serves as a direct temporal equivalent to Hebrew עַתָּה, both denoting immediate present time with emphatic force — ‘now,’ ‘just now.’
Semantic domains 2 entries
- Time002002002010
- עַתָּה is the ordinary adverb for now, marking the present moment, as repeatedly used in Genesis 3:22, 4:11, 11:6, 12:19, and 19:9.
- Identifiers004003
- The word's function as a discourse particle introducing a new point in an argument ties it to this domain, though this facet is not directly illustrated among the sampled citations, which show its ordinary temporal sense of the present moment.
Word family 12 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon H6258. attah עַתָּ֫ה435 (also Eze 23:43; Psa 74:6 עת Kt, Qr עַתָּה), עָ֑֫תָּה Gen 32:5 +,…
עַתָּ֫ה435 (also Eze 23:43; Psa 74:6 עת Kt, Qr עַתָּה), עָ֑֫תָּה Gen 32:5 +,
adverb of time, now (properly accusative of [`int],עֵת (Köii. 260), at the time, in particular of the present time, i.e. now; compare German zur Zeit, Arabic at the time, i.e. now); — now:
1. a. Gen 12:19 אשׁתך הנה ועתה and now, behold thy wife, Gen 22:12 ידעתי עתח כי now, I know (so Exo 18:11; Jdg 17:13; 1Ki 17:24 [זֶה עַתָּה], Psa 20:7), Gen 26:22, Gen 26:29; Gen 27:36; Gen 31:13, Gen 31:28, etc., Exo 5:5 הארץ עם עתה רבים הך; whether in opposed to past time, as Gen 32:11; Jos 14:11 עָ֑תָּה וּכְכֹחִי אָז כְּכֹחִי, Jdg 11:8; 1Ki 12:4; Isa 1:21 מרצחים ועתה, Isa 16:14; Hos 2:9 מַעָ֑תָּה אָז לִי טוֺב כִּי, Hos 13:2, Job 30:1 +, or to future, as Num 24:17 עתה ולא אֶרְאֶנּוּ, Jdg 8:6 וצ ׳זֶבַח עַתָּהכְּֿיָדֶ֑ךָ חֲכַף, 1Sa 2:16 תִּתֵּן עַתָּה כִּי; = after all Num 22:38; Jdg 8:2; = now at last 2Sa 24:16; 1Ki 19:4; 2Ki 19:25; Hos 7:2; Jer 4:12; and in the phrase עולם ועד מעתה Isa 9:6; Isa 59:21; Mic 4:7 (see below), Psa 113:2; Psa 115:18; Psa 121:8; Psa 125:2; Psa 131:3.
b. of the imminent or impending future: Gen 19:9 מַהֶם לְךָ נָרַע עַתָּה. Gen 29:32 אישׁי יאהבני עתה כי, Gen 29:34; Exo 6:1 תראה עתה, Num 11:23; Num 22:4; 2Sa 20:6; Isa 33:10 (Psa 12:6), Isa 43:19; Isa 49:19; Amo 6:7 יִגְלוּ עתה לכן, Isa 49:19; Mic 7:4, Mic 7:10; Dan 10:20; and especially ἀσυνδέτως in Hosea, introducing a punishment, Hos 4:16 י יִרְעֵם ׳עתה ׳וגו Hos 5:7; Hos 8:8, Hos 8:13 (Jer 14:10), Jer 10:2.
c. of a time ideally present (= then, from our point of view): Isa 29:22 יעקב יבושׁ עתה לא, vb Hos 10:3; Mic 4:9-10, Mic 4:11; Micah 4:14; Mic 5:3.
d. describing a present state = as things are: 1Sa 8:5 thou art old, etc., מלך לנו שִׂימָה עתה, 1Sa 9:6; 1Sa 13:12; 1Sa 14:30; 1Sa 25:7b; 1Sa 27:1 now I shall be swept away one day, etc., 2Ki 18:20, 2Ki 18:25; Job 6:21; Job 14:16; Job 16:7.
e. with an Imperative, as an encouragement, implying that the time has come for the exhortation or advice to be followed, Gen 31:13 צא קים עתה, Exo 18:19 בקולי שְׁמַע עתה, Num 22:11; Deu 2:13; 1Sa 30:8.
2 Phrases:
a. זֶה עַתָּה (זְה 4h) 1Ki 17:24; 2Ki 5:22.
b. ועתה and, now, or now, therefore (וְ
4), drawing a conclusion, especially (compare
1e) a practical one, from what has been stated: Gen 3:22 and now (since man has once been disobedient), lest he put forth his hand, etc., Gen 20:7; Genesis 20:23 הֵ֫נָּה לִי הִשָּֽׁבְעָה וְעַתָּה, Gen 27:3, Gen 27:8 בקולי שְׁמַע בני ועתה, Gen 30:30; Gen 31:16, Gen 31:44; Gen 37:20 + often, Isa 5:3, Isa 5:5; Psa 2:10; Gen 11:6 וגו מֵהֶם לאֹיִֿבָּצֵר ׳ועתה, Gen 31:30; Gen 45:8; 2Sa 19:11; Psa 39:8 אֲדֹנָי מַהקִּֿזִּיתִי ועתה, Isa 52:5,
c. הִנֵּה וְעַתָּה stating the ground on which some conclusion or action is to be based, Exo 3:9; Jos 14:10 (twice in verse); 1Sa 12:2; 1Sa 24:21; 1Ki 1:18; Jer 40:4 (with ועתה usually repeated afer the הנה-clause).
d. עתה גם Gen 44:10; 1Sa 12:16; 1Ki 14:14; Joe 2:12; Job 16:19.
e. מֵעַתָּה from now, henceforth, Jer 3:4; Isa 48:6; Dan 10:17 (according to some, here = from just now), 2Ch 16:9; עוּלּסּ ועד מעתה, see above
1a end.
f. עַדעַֿתָּה until now, Gen 32:5, עדעֿ ׳וֶאֵחַר, Deu 12:9 ע עד באתם לא הנחלה ׳אל (opposed to the future), 2Ki 13:23; especially after clause with מִן, 2Ki 46:34 וְעַדעֿ ׳מִנְּעוּרֵינוּ (2Sa 19:8; Eze 4:14), Exo 9:18; 2Ki 8:6; Rth 2:7.
g. עַתָּה כִּי for in this case, in our idiom, for them (עתה pointing to a condition assumed as a possible contingency: compare Dr§ 141, 142); (a) Exo 9:15 וגו ׳שׁלחתי עתה כי for then (if the intention expressed in Exo 9:14 had not existed) I should have put forth my hand, etc., Num 22:29 הֲרַגְתִּיךְ עתה כי, 1Sa 13:13; Job 3:13; followed by imperfect Job 6:3 for then (if it were weighed, Job 6:2) it would be heavier, etc., Job 13:19 for then would I be silent and die; (b) after a protasis, surely then Gen 31:42 + (see כִּי
1d b, p. 472). — Note. Read עַתָּ כְּמוֺ) (ᵑ9 ᵐ5) as now, for עֵת כְּמוֺ Eze 16:57, נִשְׁבַּרְתְּ עַתָּ (ᵑ9 ᵑ6 ᵐ5) now art thou broken ! for נִשְׁבֶּרֶת עֵת Eze 27:34, and probably בָּא עַתָּ (Hi We Kö Now, compare ᵑ6 ᵐ5) for עֶתבּֿאֹ Hag 1:2; also עַתָּה for אַתָּה 1Ki 1:20, and אַתָּה for עַתָּה 1Ki 1:18b 2Sa 18:3.
Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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