Lexical Summary attah: now, at this time, at present Original Word: עַתָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas From eth; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive -- henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas. see HEBREW eth NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originprobably from anah Definition now NASB Translation already (2), last* (1), now (411), so (1), then (5), this time (6), time (2), whereas (2), yet (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs עַתָּ֫ה435 (also Ezekiel 23:43; Psalm 74:6 עת Kt, Qr עַתָּה), עָ֑֫תָּה Genesis 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 1. a. Genesis 12:19 ועתה הנה אשׁתך and now, behold thy wife, Genesis 22:12 כי עתח ידעתי now, I know (so Exodus 18:11; Judges 17:13; 1 Kings 17:24 [עַתָּה זֶה], Psalm 20:7), Genesis 26:22,29; Genesis 27:36; Genesis 31:13,28, etc., Exodus 5:5 הך רבים עתה עם הארץ; whether in opposed to past time, as Genesis 32:11; Joshua 14:11 כְּכֹחִי אָז וּכְכֹחִי עָ֑תָּה, Judges 11:8; 1 Kings 12:4; Isaiah 1:21 ועתה מרצחים, Isaiah 16:14; Hosea 2:9 כִּי טוֺב לִי אָז מַעָ֑תָּה, Hosea 13:2, Job 30:1 +, or to future, as Numbers 24:17 אֶרְאֶנּוּ ולא עתה, Judges 8:6 חֲכַף עַתָּהכְּֿיָדֶ֑ךָ ׳זֶבַח וצ, 1 Samuel 2:16 כִּי עַתָּה תִּתֵּן; = after all Numbers 22:38; Judges 8:2; = now at last 2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Kings 19:4; 2 Kings 19:25; Hosea 7:2; Jeremiah 4:12; and in the phrase מעתה ועד עולם Isaiah 9:6; Isaiah 59:21; Micah 4:7 (see below), Psalm 113:2; Psalm 115:18; Psalm 121:8; Psalm 125:2; Psalm 131:3. b. of the imminent or impending future: Genesis 19:9 עַתָּה נָרַע לְךָ מַהֶם. Genesis 29:32 כי עתה יאהבני אישׁי, Genesis 29:34; Exodus 6:1 עתה תראה, Numbers 11:23; Numbers 22:4; 2 Samuel 20:6; Isaiah 33:10 (Psalm 12:6), Isaiah 43:19; Isaiah 49:19; Amos 6:7 לכן עתה יִגְלוּ, Isaiah 49:19; Micah 7:4,10; Daniel 10:20; and especially ἀσυνδέτως in Hosea, introducing a punishment, Hosea 4:16 ׳וגו ׳עתה יִרְעֵם י Hosea 5:7; Hosea 8:8,13 (Jeremiah 14:10), Jeremiah 10:2. c. of a time ideally present (= then, from our point of view): Isaiah 29:22 לא עתה יבושׁ יעקב, vb Hosea 10:3; Micah 4:9,10,11; Micah 4:14; Micah 5:3. d. describing a present state = as things are: 1 Samuel 8:5 thou art old, etc., עתה שִׂימָה לנו מלך, 1 Samuel 9:6; 1 Samuel 13:12; 1 Samuel 14:30; 1 Samuel 25:7b; 1 Samuel 27:1 now I shall be swept away one day, etc., 2 Kings 18:20,25; 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, Genesis 31:13 עתה קים צא, Exodus 18:19 עתה שְׁמַע בקולי, Numbers 22:11; Deuteronomy 2:13; 1 Samuel 30:8. 2 Phrases: a. עַתָּה זֶה (זְה 4h) 1 Kings 17:24; 2 Kings 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: Genesis 3:22 and now (since man has once been disobedient), lest he put forth his hand, etc., Genesis 20:7; Genesis 20:23 וְעַתָּה הִשָּֽׁבְעָה לִי הֵ֫נָּה, Genesis 27:3,8 ועתה בני שְׁמַע בקולי, Genesis 30:30; Genesis 31:16,44; Genesis 37:20 + often, Isaiah 5:3,5; Psalm 2:10; Genesis 11:6 ׳ועתה לאֹיִֿבָּצֵר מֵהֶם וגו, Genesis 31:30; Genesis 45:8; 2 Samuel 19:11; Psalm 39:8 ועתה מַהקִּֿזִּיתִי אֲדֹנָי, Isaiah 52:5, c. וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה stating the ground on which some conclusion or action is to be based, Exodus 3:9; Joshua 14:10 (twice in verse); 1 Samuel 12:2; 1 Samuel 24:21; 1 Kings 1:18; Jeremiah 40:4 (with ועתה usually repeated afer the הנה-clause). d. גם עתה Genesis 44:10; 1 Samuel 12:16; 1 Kings 14:14; Joel 2:12; Job 16:19. e. מֵעַתָּה from now, henceforth, Jeremiah 3:4; Isaiah 48:6; Daniel 10:17 (according to some, here = from just now), 2 Chronicles 16:9; מעתה ועד עוּלּסּ, see above 1a end. f. עַדעַֿתָּה until now, Genesis 32:5, ׳וֶאֵחַר עדעֿ, Deuteronomy 12:9 ׳אל הנחלה לא באתם עד ע (opposed to the future), 2 Kings 13:23; especially after clause with מִן, 2Ki 46:34 ׳מִנְּעוּרֵינוּ וְעַדעֿ (2 Sam 19:8; Ezekiel 4:14), Exodus 9:18; 2 Kings 8:6; Ruth 2:7. g. כִּי עַתָּה for in this case, in our idiom, for them (עתה pointing to a condition assumed as a possible contingency: compare Dr§ 141, 142); (a) Exodus 9:15 כי עתה ׳שׁלחתי וגו for then (if the intention expressed in Exodus 9:14 had not existed) I should have put forth my hand, etc., Numbers 22:29 כי עתה הֲרַגְתִּיךְ, 1 Samuel 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 Genesis 31:42 + (see כִּי 1d b, p. 472). — Note. Read כְּמוֺ עַתָּ) (ᵐ5 ᵑ9) as now, for כְּמוֺ עֵת Ezekiel 16:57, עַתָּ נִשְׁבַּרְתְּ (ᵐ5 ᵑ6 ᵑ9) now art thou broken ! for עֵת נִשְׁבֶּרֶת Ezekiel 27:34, and probably עַתָּ בָּא (Hi We Kö Now, compare ᵐ5 ᵑ6) for עֶתבּֿאֹ Haggai 1:2; also עַתָּה for אַתָּה 1 Kings 1:20, and אַתָּה for עַתָּה 1 Kings 1:18b 2 Samuel 18:3. Topical Lexicon Overview of Scriptural Useעַתָּה appears about 431 times, functioning as a divinely chosen temporal signpost. Whether introducing judgment, mercy, command, petition, or praise, it sharpens the reader’s sense that the moment of decision has arrived and that God’s redemptive plan is advancing in real time. Pivotal Moments in Salvation History 1. Fall and Promise Genesis 3:22 launches post-Edenic history: “The LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us…’ ” The “now” underlines the irrevocable shift from innocence to alienation. 2. Babel and Dispersion Genesis 11:6 marks the point at which divine restraint replaces human presumption. 3. Call of the Patriarchs Genesis 27:36; 31:42; 43:10 show the patriarchs wrestling with immediate ethical consequences: “Now what shall I do for my daughters?” (31:42). 4. Exodus Commission Exodus 3:10: “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh…” The urgency of deliverance hinges on the word. 5. Sinai Covenant Deuteronomy repeatedly weds covenant threat and promise to the present moment: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you…” (Deuteronomy 10:12). Legal and Narrative Transition Marker Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and David often employ עַתָּה to move from narration to appeal: Prophetic Declarations: Judgment and Restoration 1. Confrontation Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together…” Jeremiah 18:11 “…so now, reform your ways…” 2. Consolation Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you…” Haggai 2:4 “But now, be strong, Zerubbabel…” The prophets pivot from wrath to hope with a single “now,” underscoring the immediacy of grace offered amid crisis. Prayer, Intercession, and Lament Petitioners place their pleas in the present: Wisdom Appeals Proverbs drives the child to decisive obedience: “Now, O sons, listen to me” (Proverbs 7:24; cf. 5:7; 8:32). Instruction is never abstract; it demands a present response. Corporate Worship and Praise Psalms transform present distress into liturgy: Royal and Diplomatic Speech Kings negotiate and covenant with “now” to stress urgency: The term frames immediate political or military realities within God’s sovereignty. Eschatological Perspective Prophetic “now” often telescopes future fulfillment into present assurance (Isaiah 48:6-7). The New Testament echoes this time-compression: “Now is the favorable time” (2 Corinthians 6:2, citing Isaiah 49:8). Ministry Implications Preaching: The word underlines the preacher’s summons—repent or believe now (cf. Joshua 24:15’s equivalent challenge). Discipleship: Urges believers toward present obedience, rejecting procrastination. Counseling: Provides biblical precedent for calling counselees to immediate steps of faith. Missions: Frames the gospel as God’s urgent invitation, not a distant option. Christological Fulfillment Though עַתָּה belongs to the Old Testament, its insistence on decisive moments anticipates the incarnational climax: “But when the fullness of time had come…” (Galatians 4:4). The cumulative “nows” drive history toward the cross and the empty tomb, where the ultimate “now” of salvation is proclaimed. Summary עַתָּה is more than a temporal adverb; it is a theological alarm clock. From Eden to exile, from covenant law to prophetic comfort, it presses God’s people to recognize the present claims of the LORD. In pastoral ministry, the term reminds hearers that every moment is charged with redemptive significance and that delayed obedience is disobedience. Forms and Transliterations וְ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְ֠עַתָּה וְ֭עַתָּה וְעַתָּ֕ה וְעַתָּ֖ה וְעַתָּ֗ה וְעַתָּ֛ה וְעַתָּ֞ה וְעַתָּ֡ה וְעַתָּ֣ה וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ וְעַתָּ֤ה וְעַתָּ֤ה ׀ וְעַתָּ֥ה וְעַתָּ֨ה וְעַתָּה֙ וְעַתָּה֩ ועתה מֵ֝עַתָּ֗ה מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה מֵֽעַתָּ֥ה מֵעַ֔תָּה מֵעַ֙תָּה֙ מֵעַתָּ֖ה מֵעַתָּה֙ מֵעָֽתָּה׃ מעתה מעתה׃ עַ֔תָּה עַ֠תָּה עַ֭תָּה עַתָּ֔ה עַתָּ֕ה עַתָּ֖ה עַתָּ֗ה עַתָּ֛ה עַתָּ֜ה עַתָּ֞ה עַתָּ֡ה עַתָּ֣ה עַתָּ֤ה עַתָּ֥ה עַתָּ֨ה עַתָּ֨ה ׀ עַתָּה֙ עַתָּה֩ עַתָּה֮ עָ֑תָּה עָֽתָּה׃ עתה עתה׃ ‘at·tāh ‘āt·tāh ‘attāh ‘āttāh atTah mê‘attāh mê‘āttāh mê·‘at·tāh mê·‘āt·tāh meAttah veatTah wə‘attāh wə·‘at·tāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 3:22 HEB: ט֣וֹב וָרָ֑ע וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ פֶּן־ יִשְׁלַ֣ח NAS: and evil; and now, he might INT: good and evil and now might stretch Genesis 4:11 Genesis 11:6 Genesis 12:19 Genesis 19:9 Genesis 20:7 Genesis 21:23 Genesis 22:12 Genesis 24:49 Genesis 26:22 Genesis 26:29 Genesis 27:3 Genesis 27:8 Genesis 27:36 Genesis 27:43 Genesis 29:32 Genesis 29:34 Genesis 30:30 Genesis 31:13 Genesis 31:16 Genesis 31:28 Genesis 31:30 Genesis 31:42 Genesis 31:44 Genesis 32:4 431 Occurrences |
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at the time, i.e. now); — now: