Bible Hebrew“And” and the Object Marker
וְ “and” on the front of a word, and אֵת, the little word that points to the object.
וְ “and”, and אֵת, the object marker
“And” is not a separate word: וְ joins the front of the next word. Genesis 1:1 ends וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ “and the earth”, and 1:2 begins וְהָאָרֶץ “Now the earth …”.
Before ב, מ and פ, and before a letter with a sheva, it is said וּ (ū): וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ “and between the darkness” (Genesis 1:4), וּלְמִקְוֵה הַמַּיִם “and the gathering of the waters” (Genesis 1:10).
וְ can mean “and”, “but”, “then” or “now”. Let the sentence decide.
אֵת (often אֶת־) has no English word. It stands in front of a definite object, the thing the action is done to: וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאוֹר “God saw the light” (Genesis 1:4). Definite means it has הַ, it's a name, or it has an ending like “my”: וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ “God blessed Noah” (Genesis 9:1). So when you see אֵת, the object comes next.
| With an ending | Meaning |
|---|---|
| אֹתִי | me |
| אֹתוֹ | him |
| אֹתָם | them: זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָם “male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27) |
Same spelling, different word: אֵת can also mean “with”. With endings they part ways: אֹתוֹ “him”, but אִתּוֹ “with him”.
Check yourself
How is “and” written in Hebrew?
✓ וְ joined to the front of the next word · a separate word after it · an ending on the word before · the letter א
וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ “and the earth” (Genesis 1:1)
Which means “and between”, as in Genesis 1:4?
✓ וּבֵין · וְבֵין · בֵּין · וַבֵּין
Before ב, מ and פ, וְ is said וּ.
Why is it וּלְמִקְוֵה (Genesis 1:10), with וּ?
✓ Before a letter with a sheva, וְ becomes וּ · It is plural · It is a question · It marks the object
Two quick ə sounds can’t stand side by side, so וְ becomes the vowel וּ.
What does אֵת do in בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם (Genesis 1:1)?
✓ points to the object: “the heavens” · means “with” · means “and” · means “the”
God created the heavens: אֵת marks what was created. It has no English word.
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