Direct object marker אֵת ’et
The object marker אֵת (et) is a small, untranslated word that says “this is the object.” It stands before the noun and only before a definite object (with the article, a name, or a suffix). Pronoun objects (“me, him”) are formed by attaching a suffix: אֹתִי אֹתוֹ. This page shows its shapes and uses, centered on its 40 occurrences in Genesis 1–2.
the word itself is the name; it has no meaning of its own
Colour key blue = added at the front · orange = added at the end · purple = a mark inside (dot · doubled letter · changed vowel) · underline = the word this page is about
1What the object marker אֵת is
The object marker אֵת (et) is a small word announcing “this noun is the object of the verb.” It has no meaning of its own and is not translated.
אֵת is used only before a definite object — a noun with the article (הַשָּׁמַיִם), a personal or place name (שֵׁם), a noun with a suffix (אָבִיו his father), and pronouns (אֹתוֹ him). It is not used before an indefinite object such as “a garden.”
Counted in the OSHB morphology, 10,987 words in the Old Testament are the object marker (including forms with וְ and with suffixes) — one of the most frequent words in Biblical Hebrew.
2The name — אֵת et
The word itself serves as the name — אֵת (et). English grammars call it the direct object marker, or nota accusativi (Latin, “mark of the accusative”).
A different word with the same sound, the preposition אֵת “with,” also exists. With suffixes the two have different vowels (see “Easy to confuse”).
3At a glance — three shapes of אֵת
- With its own stressאֵת (et, long vowel) — אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם (1:1).
- Joined by a maqqefאֶת־ (et, short vowel) — אֶת־הָאוֹר (1:4), read as one unit with the next word.
- With a suffixאֹת (ot) + suffix — אֹתוֹ (him) · אֹתָם (them). Before כֶם הֶם הֶן, however, אֶתְ (et) — אֶתְכֶם (you pl).
- With several objectsוְאֵת is repeated before each — אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ.
4אֵת with suffixes — “me, you, him …”
The standard grammar-book forms. The “Bible” column gives places found in Genesis. Some are also spelled with ו, like אוֹתָם (same meaning).
| Whom | Form | Reading | Bible |
|---|---|---|---|
| me | אֹתִי | oti | Gen 12:12 |
| you (m) | אֹתְךָ | otkha | Gen 7:1 |
| you (f) | אֹתָךְ | otakh | Gen 12:12 |
| him | אֹתוֹ | oto | Gen 1:27 |
| her | אֹתָהּ | otah | Gen 6:14 |
| us | אֹתָנוּ | otanu | Gen 43:18 |
| you (m pl) | אֶתְכֶם | etkhem | Gen 47:23 |
| them (m) | אֹתָם · אֶתְהֶם | otam · ethem | Gen 1:17 |
| them (f) | אֶתְהֶן | ethen | Gen 19:8 |
The suffixes are almost the same as the pronominal suffixes on nouns (וֹ him · ָם them · נוּ us). See the Pronominal suffixes page.
5אֵת in Genesis 1–2 — real examples
Genesis 1–2 alone has the object marker 40 times. Check that the noun after it is definite (article, suffix or name).
et — (object marker before “the heavens”)
בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ “God created the heavens and the earth.” Verb בָּרָא (created), subject אֱלֹהִים (God), then אֵת signals “the object starts here.” אֵת has no meaning of its own and is not translated.
YLVIn beginning (bereshit) God created the heavens and the earth.
ve’et — and (object marker before “the earth”)
וְ (and) + אֵת. With two or more objects, אֵת is repeated before each one — אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ: “the heavens, and the earth.”
YLVIn beginning (bereshit) God created the heavens and the earth.
et — (object marker before “the light”)
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר “and God saw the light.” Joined to the next word by a maqqef (־) and losing its own stress, it takes the short vowel אֶ. It is the same word as אֵת in 1:1. The object הָאוֹר has the article.
YLVAnd God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided between the light and between the darkness.
oto — him
אֵת + the 3ms suffix וֹ (him). בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתוֹ “in the image of God he created him.” When the object is a pronoun (“him”), the suffix is attached to אֵת, and the first vowel becomes אֹ (o). The end of the verse has אֹתָם (them).
YLVAnd God created the man (adam) in his image; in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
otam — them
וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים בִּרְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם “and God set them in the firmament of the heavens.” The object אֹתָם stands before the subject אֱלֹהִים, yet אֵת leaves no doubt which is the object. The ending ָם is “them (m pl)” — the lights (הַמְּאֹרֹת) and the stars (הַכּוֹכָבִים) of the previous verse.
YLVAnd God set them in the firmament of the heavens, to give light upon the earth,
oto — it
וַיְקַדֵּשׁ אֹתוֹ “and sanctified it.” וֹ (it) refers to יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי (the seventh day, masculine). Earlier in the verse אֶת־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי has אֶת before the noun; here אֹתוֹ stands for the pronoun.
YLVAnd God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it he shabbatted from all his work which God created to make.
et — (object marker before “his father”)
יַעֲזָב־אִישׁ אֶת־אָבִיו וְאֶת־אִמּוֹ “a man shall leave his father and his mother.” אָבִיו (his father) has no article, but the suffix יו (his) makes it definite, so אֶת is used — and repeated as וְאֶת for the second object.
YLVTherefore a man (ish) shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his woman (ishah), and they shall become one flesh (basar).
6“me, you, us …” — real examples from the Bible
With a suffix, the ending tells you “whom.”
oti — me
וְהָרְגוּ אֹתִי וְאֹתָךְ יְחַיּוּ “they will kill me, but you they will keep alive.” אֹת + ִי (me). The verse also has אֹתָךְ (you, f). The second object וְאֹתָךְ is put before its verb יְחַיּוּ, contrasting “me … you ….”
YLVAnd it shall be, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife (ishah),' and they will kill me, but you they will keep alive.
otakh — you (f)
כִּי־יִרְאוּ אֹתָךְ הַמִּצְרִים “when the Egyptians see you.” אֹת + ָךְ (you, f). The masculine “you” is אֹתְךָ (otkha, 7:1), with a different ending. Here too the object אֹתָךְ precedes the subject הַמִּצְרִים.
YLVAnd it shall be, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, 'This is his wife (ishah),' and they will kill me, but you they will keep alive.
otkha — you (m)
כִּי־אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי “for you I have seen righteous before me.” אֹת + ְךָ (you, m). The object אֹתְךָ stands before the verb רָאִיתִי (I have seen), putting weight on “you.”
YLVAnd YHWH said to Noah, "Come, you and all your house, into the ark, for you I have seen righteous before me in this generation.
otah — it (f)
וְכָפַרְתָּ אֹתָהּ “and you shall cover it.” אֹת + ָהּ (her, it f). The dot (mappiq) in the final ה shows it is a pronounced consonant (the suffix). הַתֵּבָה (the ark) is feminine, so the feminine suffix.
YLVMake for yourself an ark of gopher wood; rooms you shall make the ark, and you shall cover it from inside and from outside with pitch.
otanu — us
וְלָקַחַת אֹתָנוּ לַעֲבָדִים “and to take us as servants.” אֹת + ָנוּ (us). The ending נוּ is the same “we/us” mark as in אֲנַחְנוּ and the perfect קָטַלְנוּ.
YLVAnd the men (ish) were afraid because they were brought into Joseph's house, and they said, "It is because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the beginning that we are being brought in, that he may roll himself upon us and fall upon us, and take us for servants, and our donkeys."
etkhem — you (pl)
הֵן קָנִיתִי אֶתְכֶם הַיּוֹם “behold, I have bought you this day.” אֵת + כֶם (you pl). Before the heavy suffixes כֶם הֶם הֶן the vowel stays אֶ (e), not אֹ (o). The verse also has וְאֶת־אַדְמַתְכֶם “and your land.”
YLVAnd Joseph said to the people, "Behold, I have bought you this day, and your ground (adamah), for Pharaoh. Behold, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the ground (adamah).
ethen — them (f)
אוֹצִיאָה־נָּא אֶתְהֶן אֲלֵיכֶם “let me bring them out to you.” אֵת + הֶן (them f) — Lot’s two daughters. Before a heavy suffix, as in אֶתְכֶם, the vowel is אֶ.
YLVBehold now, I have two daughters who have not known a man (ish); let me bring them out to you, and do to them as is good in your eyes; only to these men (ish) do nothing, for therefore they have come under the shadow of my roof."
7When אֵת is used and when it is not
- Used — a noun with the articleאֶת־הָאוֹר “the light” (1:4) · אֶת־הָאָדָם “the man” (2:7).
- Used — personal and place namesאֶת־שֵׁם אֶת־חָם וְאֶת־יָפֶת “Shem, Ham and Japheth” (6:10).
- Used — a noun with a suffixאֶת־אָבִיו “his father” (2:24). “His” makes the noun definite.
- Used — a construct chain ending in a definite nounאֶת־יוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי “the seventh day” (2:3) — the article on הַשְּׁבִיעִי makes the whole phrase definite.
- Not used — an indefinite objectוַיִּטַּע … גַּן “planted a garden” (2:8) · וַיַּפֵּל … תַּרְדֵּמָה “caused a deep sleep to fall” (2:21) · שְׁלֹשָׁה בָנִים “three sons” (6:10).
8Definite and indefinite objects — a real example
et — (object marker before “Shem”)
שְׁלֹשָׁה בָנִים אֶת־שֵׁם אֶת־חָם וְאֶת־יָפֶת “three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.” Personal names are definite in themselves and take אֶת without the article. The preceding שְׁלֹשָׁה בָנִים (three sons) has no אֶת: it is still indefinite.
YLVAnd Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
9How אֵת helps — the object is clear even when the order changes
A Hebrew narrative clause is usually verb — subject — object (בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם). Sometimes the object is brought forward for emphasis or contrast. Hebrew nouns carry no case endings, so a changed order could leave the subject unclear.
אֵת makes the object plain. וַיִּתֵּן אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים (1:17) runs “them — God,” yet the marker on אֹתָם shows that God is the subject. כִּי־אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי (7:1) puts the object before the verb: “you (in particular) I have seen.”
So when reading, mark אֵת as “object starts here,” and look for the subject among the other nouns.
10Easy to confuse
The object marker אֵת and the preposition אֵת “with.” Without a suffix they look the same — in וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים “and Enoch walked with God” (5:22) אֶת is the preposition; “walk” takes no object. With suffixes they differ: the marker אֹתוֹ (oto, him, 1:27) · the preposition אִתּוֹ (itto, with him, 7:7).
אֵת and אַתְּ (you, f). The pronoun אַתְּ (at) has אַ (a) and a dotted ת with sheva (12:11). The marker has אֵ / אֶ (e).
אֹת and אוֹת (sign). In זֹאת אוֹת־הַבְּרִית “this is the sign of the covenant” (9:12) אוֹת (ot) is the noun “sign.” The marker never appears as a bare אֹת; that shape always carries a suffix.
Not a word to translate. אֵת is not rendered “even, namely” or the like; it is only a grammatical marker.
11Where this appears in Genesis 1–2
All 40 places, found from the OSHB morphology. Tap one to go to that word’s notes.