855. eth
Lexical Summary
eth: Not typically translated; used as a direct object marker

Original Word: אֵת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: eth
Pronunciation: [ayth]
Phonetic Spelling: (ayth)
KJV: coulter, plowshare
Word Origin: [of uncertain derivation]

1. a hoe or other digging implement

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
coulter, plowshare

Of uncertain derivation; a hoe or other digging implement -- coulter, plowshare.

Brown-Driver-Briggs
III. אֵת see אתת.

אַתָּה, אַתְּ, אַתְּי see below אנת.

III. [אֵת] noun [masculine] a cutting instrument of iron usually transl. ploughshare — singular suffix אֵתוֺ 1 Samuel 13:20; plural אֵתִים 1 Samuel 13:21, אִתִּים Isaiah 2:4 = Micah 4:3; suffix אִתֵּיכֶם Joel 4:10; according to Klo and others also 2 Kings 6:5 אֶתהַֿבַּרְזֶל, i.e. the axe of iron.

Topical Lexicon
Meaning and General Usage

אֵת (ʾēt, Strong’s Hebrew 855) denotes the iron “plowshare,” the metal blade fixed to a wooden plow for turning soil. By extension it can describe similar digging or cutting implements such as mattocks or axes (1 Samuel 13:20). Because plowshares were forged from valuable iron, they could be re-shaped into weapons and back again, making the word an ideal vehicle for biblical imagery of both conflict and peace.

Occurrences in Scripture

1 Samuel 13:20–21 – Israelite farmers, deprived of their own smiths, must “go down to the Philistines to sharpen their plowshares”, paying an oppressive fee.
Isaiah 2:4 – In the prophetic vision of worldwide peace, “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks.”
Joel 3:10 – In a reversal of Isaiah’s hope, the nations bent on war are told, “Beat your plowshares into swords.”
Micah 4:3 – Echoing Isaiah, the Messianic age sees swords again turned “into plowshares.”

Historical and Cultural Background

During the early Iron Age, the Philistines guarded metallurgical expertise. 1 Samuel 13 portrays a strategic stranglehold: Israel may farm only at the mercy of its enemy. The plowshare thus becomes a symbol of economic dependence and national vulnerability. Conversely, later prophets envision abundant peace when agricultural technology is no longer subservient to military might.

Symbolic Contrast of War and Peace

1. Instrument of Oppression (1 Samuel 13) – The need to visit Philistine smiths underlines Israel’s impotence without divine aid.
2. Instrument of Peace (Isaiah 2; Micah 4) – Under Messiah’s reign the very metal once wielded in battle nourishes the ground, portraying shalom that touches economics, land, and international relations.
3. Instrument of Judgment (Joel 3) – When nations spurn God’s rule, the same tool reverts to weaponry, illustrating moral responsibility: human hands determine whether iron serves life or death.

Theological Themes

• Divine Sovereignty over History – God alone directs the grand reversal from warfare to agrarian prosperity (Isaiah 2:4; Micah 4:3) and can equally summon nations to judgment (Joel 3:10).
• Redemption of Creation – Transforming swords into plowshares foreshadows the broader restoration of all things, where even technology is harmonized with God’s purposes (Romans 8:21 anticipated).
• Human Agency and Moral Choice – The prophetic commands to “beat” weapons or tools stress personal and national responsibility in cooperating with or resisting God’s agenda.

Christological and Prophetic Dimensions

Messiah is the Judge who “will decide for many peoples” (Isaiah 2:4). His righteous verdict brings genuine peace, not merely disarmament. The repeated imagery of plowshares frames the promise of the New Covenant: hostility ended, fruitfulness restored (Ephesians 2:14; John 15:5). Until His return, the church embodies a foretaste of that peace through gospel proclamation and practical reconciliation.

Practical Implications for Believers

• Stewardship – Whether in agriculture, industry, or technology, believers are called to harness material resources for life-giving purposes.
• Peacemaking – Isaiah and Micah supply a mandate to pursue peace that is active (hammering swords down) rather than passive.
• Readiness – Joel’s opposite instruction warns against complacency; there are seasons when resisting evil is necessary. Discernment grounded in Scripture is vital.
• Gospel Witness – Just as a plowshare breaks hard soil, the Word of God tills hearts (Hosea 10:12). Faithful preaching prepares lives to receive the seed of truth.

Summary

אֵת paints a vivid picture of metal that can wound or cultivate, oppress or liberate. In Scripture its five appearances trace a movement from subjugation (1 Samuel 13) through eschatological hope (Isaiah 2; Micah 4) to sober warning (Joel 3). The plowshare therefore stands as a quiet but powerful testimony that every tool, every talent, every moment belongs to the Lord of the harvest.

Forms and Transliterations
אִתֵּיכֶם֙ אֵתוֹ֙ אתו אתיכם וְלָ֣אֵתִ֔ים ולאתים לְאִתִּ֗ים לאתים ’ê·ṯōw ’êṯōw ’it·tê·ḵem ’ittêḵem eTo itteiChem lə’ittîm lə·’it·tîm leitTim veLaeTim wə·lā·’ê·ṯîm wəlā’êṯîm
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
1 Samuel 13:20
HEB: מַחֲרַשְׁתּ֤וֹ וְאֶת־ אֵתוֹ֙ וְאֶת־ קַרְדֻּמּ֔וֹ
NAS: his plowshare, his mattock, his axe,
KJV: his share, and his coulter, and his axe,
INT: each his share his mattock his axe his plowshare

1 Samuel 13:21
HEB: פִ֗ים לַמַּֽחֲרֵשֹׁת֙ וְלָ֣אֵתִ֔ים וְלִשְׁלֹ֥שׁ קִלְּשׁ֖וֹן
NAS: of a shekel for the plowshares, the mattocks, the forks,
KJV: for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks,
INT: according the plowshares the mattocks three fork

Isaiah 2:4
HEB: וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבוֹתָ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֽוֹתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת
NAS: their swords into plowshares and their spears
KJV: their swords into plowshares, and their spears
INT: will hammer their swords plowshares and their spears pruning

Joel 3:10
HEB: כֹּ֤תּוּ אִתֵּיכֶם֙ לַֽחֲרָב֔וֹת וּמַזְמְרֹֽתֵיכֶ֖ם
NAS: Beat your plowshares into swords
KJV: Beat your plowshares into swords,
INT: Beat your plowshares swords and your pruning

Micah 4:3
HEB: וְכִתְּת֨וּ חַרְבֹתֵיהֶ֜ם לְאִתִּ֗ים וַחֲנִיתֹֽתֵיהֶם֙ לְמַזְמֵר֔וֹת
NAS: their swords into plowshares And their spears
KJV: their swords into plowshares, and their spears
INT: will hammer their swords plowshares and their spears pruning

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 855
5 Occurrences


’ê·ṯōw — 1 Occ.
’it·tê·ḵem — 1 Occ.
lə·’it·tîm — 2 Occ.
wə·lā·’ê·ṯîm — 1 Occ.

854
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