Original Word: אִיתַי
Part of Speech: particle; substantive
Transliteration: iythay
Pronunciation: ee-thah'-ee
Phonetic Spelling: (ee-thah'ee)
KJV: art thou, can, do ye, have, it be, there is (are), X we will not
NASB: there, do, has, have, residing
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3426 (יֵשׁ - there)]

1. (properly) entity
2. used only as a particle of affirmation, there is

art thou, can, do ye, have, it be, there is are, we will not

(Aramaic) corresponding to yesh; properly, entity; used only as a particle of affirmation, there is -- art thou, can, do ye, have, it be, there is (are), X we will not.

see HEBREW yesh

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to yesh
Definition
there is, are
NASB Translation
do (1), has (1), have (1), residing (1), there (6).

אִיתַי (Baer אִתַי, except before suffix, see Baer^{Daniel 2:10})

particle there is, are. . . (properly a substantive following by a Genitive, see Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁ: Egyptian Aramaic איתי RÉS³⁶¹, S-C^Pap., Nabataean איתי, Palmyrene אית, ᵑ7 Talmud אִית (Dalm^{§ 44, 4}), Syriac , Samaritan , Mandean אית, עית (Nö^{M §§ 213. 272}): see further Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁ); — אִיתַי Daniel 2:10, suffix אִיתָיךְ Daniel 2:26 Kt (Qr אִיתָךְ K^{§ 53, 2 b}), אִית֫וֺהִי Daniel 2:11, איתינא Kt (i.e. probably אִיתַ֫יְנָא: K^l.c.), Qr אִיתָ֫נָא Daniel 3:18, אִיתֵיכוֺן Daniel 3:14; Daniel 3:15; — there is (are) . . ., absolute Daniel 2:28 אִיתַי אֱלָהּ בִּשְׁמַיָּא there is a God in heaven, Daniel 2:30 not by wisdom דִּיאִֿיתַי בִּי that is in me, Daniel 3:12; Daniel 5:11; followed by participle or adjective Daniel 2:26 הַאִיתָיךְ כָּהֵל art thou able. . .? Daniel 3:15,17; followed by דִּי, Ezra 5:17 הֵן אִיתַי דִּי if it is that, . . With negative לָא אִיתַי (so S-C^{D 10} +; ᵑ7 Syriac, Mandean לַיִת , Zenjirli suffix לישה (Cooke¹⁸⁴); compare below Biblical Hebrew יֵשׁ) Daniel 2:10 ... לָא אִיתַי אֱנָשׁ כִּי, Daniel 3:29; Daniel 4:32; after the subject Daniel 2:11a; Daniel 3:25 בְּהוֺן ׳וַחֲבָל לָא א, Ezra 4:16; followed by participle or adjective Daniel 3:14,18; with pleonastic suffix, Daniel 2:11 מְדָֽרְהוֺן עִסבִּֿשְׂרָא לָא אִיתוֺהִי.

Overview

אִיתַי (Strong’s Hebrew 383) is the Aramaic existential particle that answers to the Hebrew יֵשׁ (“there is / there are”). It appears exclusively in the post-exilic Aramaic sections of Ezra and Daniel, witnessing to a time when the returning exiles and the Babylonian court spoke Imperial Aramaic. Slight in form yet weighty in implication, the word signals the fact or presence of something—whether a rebellious city, a wise man, a furnace, or, supremely, the Most High God whose dominion “is an everlasting dominion” (Daniel 4:34).

Occurrences and Literary Setting

• Ezra 4:16; 5:17 – 2×
• Daniel 2:10, 2:11 (2×), 2:26, 2:28, 2:30 – 6×
• Daniel 3:12, 3:14, 3:15, 3:17, 3:18, 3:25, 3:29 – 7×
• Daniel 4:35 – 1×
• Daniel 5:11 – 1×

Total: 17 occurrences. The term surfaces in two major narrative blocks: (1) the correspondence between Jerusalem’s opponents and the Persian throne in Ezra, and (2) the court tales of Daniel 2–5. In every case it functions either in direct speech or official documents, reflecting diplomatic and courtroom language.

Representative Passages

Ezra 4:16 – “We inform the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls are restored, there will not be any share left for you in the province beyond the River.”

Daniel 2:10 – “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king requests.”

Daniel 2:28 – “But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries.”

Daniel 3:25 – “Look! I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the appearance of the fourth is like that of a son of the gods!”

Daniel 4:35 – “All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing, and He does as He pleases with the host of heaven and the peoples of the earth. There is no one who can restrain His hand or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

(Quotations from the Berean Standard Bible)

Patterns of Usage

1. Assertion of fact – The particle often appears with subjects of power or mystery: “there is a God in heaven” (Daniel 2:28); “there is no other” (Daniel 3:29).
2. Courtly rhetoric – Chaldean sages employ it to highlight impossibility: “There is not a man on earth who can do what the king requests” (Daniel 2:10).
3. Polemical contrast – Human inability (Daniel 2:11) versus divine sufficiency (Daniel 2:28).
4. Diplomatic alarm – Ezra’s adversaries warn the Persian monarch that “there will not be any share” for him if Jerusalem’s fortifications stand (Ezra 4:16).
5. Testimony of deliverance – In the fiery-furnace narrative, the particle frames the courageous confession of the three Hebrews and the miraculous presence of a fourth figure (Daniel 3:17, 3:25).

Historical and Redemptive Significance

The post-exilic community lived under imperial oversight; their status looked fragile, and the Aramaic records preserve the empire’s official voice. Within that setting, אִיתַי serves to contrast earthly authority with heavenly sovereignty. Human officials declare what “is” or “is not,” yet Scripture repeatedly redirects the reader’s gaze to the God who truly “is” (cf. Exodus 3:14). The collision of claims—“there is not a man” versus “there is a God”—drives home the prophetic theme that the kingdoms of men are subordinate to the kingdom of God.

Theological Themes

• Divine self-existence – Daniel 2:28 anchors reality in God’s being.
• Human limitation – Daniel 2:10; 2:11 expose finite wisdom.
• Providence – Daniel 4:35 affirms that none can stay God’s hand; existence itself rests on His will.
• Faith under pressure – Daniel 3:17–18 shows belief in God’s power whether or not deliverance is granted: “Even if He does not… we will not serve your gods.”

Ministry Insights

1. Apologetics – The confession “there is a God in heaven” offers a concise, biblical answer to materialist skepticism.
2. Worship – Every use that magnifies God’s presence feeds a theology of awe; He “is,” therefore He must be adored.
3. Pastoral comfort – When circumstances appear impossible (“there is not a man”), Scripture reminds believers of the One who makes a way.
4. Cultural engagement – Daniel models how to live faithfully within secular systems while testifying to a higher reality.
5. Scriptural confidence – The precise repetition of the particle in official documents underscores the historicity of the narratives; these are not myths but records embedded in the diplomatic language of the day.

Summary

Though only a terse Aramaic particle, אִיתַי anchors pivotal affirmations about what truly exists. In imperial edicts and court debates, it spotlights the contrast between human impotence and divine omnipotence. For the church today, its occurrences strengthen faith in the living God who is always present, always sovereign, and always able.

אִֽיתֵיכ֣וֹן אִֽיתֵיכוֹן֙ אִיתַ֔י אִיתַ֖י אִיתַ֗י אִיתַ֞י אִיתַ֣י אִיתַ֣נָא אִיתַ֤י אִיתַ֥י אִיתַ֨י אִיתַי֙ אִיתֽוֹהִי׃ איתוהי׃ איתי איתיכון איתנא הַֽאִיתָ֣ךְ האיתך ’î·ṯa·nā ’î·ṯay ’î·ṯê·ḵō·wn ’î·ṯō·w·hî ’îṯanā ’îṯay ’îṯêḵōwn ’îṯōwhî ha’îṯāḵ ha·’î·ṯāḵ haiTach iTai iTana iteichOn iTohiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts