Bible HebrewToward: ־ָה
מִצְרַיְמָה “to Egypt”: the ending that means “to, toward”.
־ָה on a place: “to, toward”
Add ־ָה to a place or direction and it means “to, toward”. English needs a separate word; Hebrew puts it on the end.
| Place | With ־ָה | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| מִצְרַיִם Egypt | מִצְרַיְמָה to Egypt | וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם מִצְרַיְמָה “Abram went down to Egypt” (Genesis 12:10) |
| הָהָר the mountain | הָהָרָה to the mountain | הָהָרָה הִמָּלֵט “Escape to the mountain” (Genesis 19:17) |
| הַבַּיִת the house | הַבַּיְתָה into the house | Genesis 24:32 |
| שָׁם there | שָׁמָּה to there | Genesis 24:6 |
| אֶרֶץ land, ground | אַרְצָה to the ground | וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַרְצָה “and he bowed to the ground” (Genesis 24:52) |
It gives the directions too: צָפֹנָה וָנֶגְבָּה וָקֵדְמָה וָיָמָּה “northward and southward and eastward and westward” (Genesis 13:14), and הַבֶּט־נָא הַשָּׁמַיְמָה “Look toward the heavens” (Genesis 15:5).
Not the feminine ending: check the word without ־ָה. If it's a place word (אֶרֶץ, הָר, מִצְרַיִם) and the sense needs “to”, it's directional. תּוֹרָה “instruction” is just a feminine noun.
Check yourself
What does the ending add in מִצְרַיְמָה (Genesis 12:10)?
✓ “to, toward”: to Egypt · “the” · a feminine ending · “my”
וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם מִצְרַיְמָה “Abram went down to Egypt”
What does הָהָרָה mean (Genesis 19:17)?
✓ to the mountain · the mountains · a mountain · from the mountain
הָהָר “the mountain” with ־ָה “toward”.
How can you tell directional ־ָה from the feminine ending ־ָה?
✓ The word without it is a place word, and the sense needs “to” · It is always longer · It only appears on verbs · It always follows הַ
אֶרֶץ “ground” is a place word, and אָרְצָה means “to the ground”, so its ־ָה means “toward”. תּוֹרָה “instruction” is not a place, and without the ־ָה there is no word, so it is just the feminine ending.
Which word means “to there” (motion)?
✓ שָׁמָּה · שָׁם · שָׁמַיִם · שֵׁם
שָׁם “there” with ־ָה “toward” makes שָׁמָּה “to there” (Genesis 24:6).
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