Lexical Summary
acharith: end, last, future
Original Word:אַחֲרִית
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:achariyth
Pronunciation:a-kha-REET
Phonetic Spelling:(akh-ar-eeth')
KJV: (last, latter) end (time), hinder (utter) -most, length, posterity, remnant, residue, reward
NASB:end, last, future, latter, outcome, posterity, come
Word Origin:[fromH310 (אַחַר - after)]
1. the last or end
2. (hence) the future
3. (also) posterity
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
last, latter end time, hinder, uttermost, length, posterity, remnant, residue, reward
From'achar; the last or end, hence, the future; also posterity -- (last, latter) end (time), hinder (utter) -most, length, posterity, remnant, residue, reward.
see HEBREW'achar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
acharDefinitionthe after-part, end
NASB Translationcome (2), descendants (1), end (20), final end (1), final period (1), future (7), last (8), latter (7), latter ending (1), latter period (1), least (1), outcome (3), posterity (3), remotest part (1), rest (2), survivors (2).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
61 ; —
Eccl 139:9 (late) .
,latter part or actualclose (according to context), opposed to ; — of yearDeuteronomy 11:12; of a man's lifeNumbers 23:10;Proverbs 5:11;Job 8:7;Job 42:12; of a people's existenceNumbers 24:20; =final lotDeuteronomy 32:20,29;Jeremiah 12:4;Jeremiah 31:17;Psalm 73:17;a future, i.e. a happy close of life, suggesting sometimes the idea of a posterity, promised to the righteousProverbs 23:18 (""hope)Proverbs 24:14;Jeremiah 29:11 ( ), withheld from the wickedProverbs 24:20 ("" see below); theend or ultimateissue of a course of actionJeremiah 5:31;Proverbs 14:12;Proverbs 23:32 (of wine, i.e. of indulgence in it)Proverbs 25:8;Isaiah 46:10 (absolute, but implicitly of a phase of history)Isaiah 47:7 (of the conduct describedIsaiah 47:6 b-7 a)Daniel 12:8;Ecclesiastes 7:8; of a prediction = theeventIsaiah 41:22.in the end of the days, a prophetic phrase denoting the final period of the history so far as the speaker's perspective reaches; the sense thus varies with the context, but it often = the ideal or Messianic future;Genesis 49:1 (of the period of Israel's possession of Canaan)Numbers 24:14;Deuteronomy 4:30 (of the period of Israel's return to God after adversity)Deuteronomy 31:29 (of the period of Israel's rebellion)Hosea 3:5;Isaiah 2:2 ( =Micah 4:1)Jeremiah 23:20 (see Graf) =Jeremiah 30:24;Jeremiah 48:47;Jeremiah 49:39;Ezekiel 38:16 (of the period of Gog's attack upon restored Israel)Daniel 2:28 (Aramaic)Daniel 10:14 (of the age of Antiochus Epiphanes): compareEzekiel 38:8.
Jeremiah 50:12 thelast, hindermost of the nations (of Babylon), opposed toAmos 6:1 (Israel) compareNumbers 24:20 (Amalek) chief of the nations.
posterity (extension of usage noted above inProverbs 24:20)Psalm 37:37;Psalm 37:38 (possibly not more than 'a future' here)Psalm 109:13 ("" )Amos 4:2;Amos 9:1;Ezekiel 23:25 (twice in verse) (according to others, in these four passages,remnant, residue)Daniel 11:4.
Topical Lexicon
Semantic Range and Thematic EmphasesThe word designates the “after-part,” “outcome,” or “latter time.” In context it can point to (1) the chronological end of a account or era, (2) the moral or practical result of a chosen path, (3) the generations yet to come, or (4) the ultimate “last days” of redemptive history. Each nuance underscores God’s sovereignty over both history and individual destiny.
Distribution in the Old Testament
Approximately sixty-one occurrences appear across the Torah, Historical Books, Wisdom Writings, and Prophets. The concentration in Deuteronomy, Proverbs, Psalms, and Jeremiah reveals four primary arenas: covenant theology, moral instruction, personal hope, and eschatological prophecy.
Covenant and National Destiny
In Deuteronomy Moses pleads with Israel to weigh choices in light of their “latter end.” “If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would discern their latter end!” (Deuteronomy 32:29). Here the term frames covenant obedience: blessing or curse will be measured not merely by immediate circumstances but by the final outcome of national life. Similar warnings surface inNumbers 23:10;Deuteronomy 4:30; 8:16; 31:29.
Wisdom Literature: Ethical Motive
Proverbs employs the word to press home ethical consequences. Folly may seem sweet, “but in the end she is bitter as wormwood” (Proverbs 5:4). Righteousness, by contrast, carries an enduring reward: “For surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off” (Proverbs 23:18). Psalms echoes the same contrast: “Consider the blameless and observe the upright; for posterity awaits the man of peace. But the transgressors will all be destroyed together; the future of the wicked will be cut off” (Psalm 37:37-38).Ecclesiastes 7:8 elevates patient faith: “The end of a matter is better than the beginning.”
Prophetic Usage: Judgment and Restoration
Jeremiah repeatedly welds judgment to hope. Against the looming exile God promises, “For I know the plans I have for you…plans to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). After Rachel weeps for her children, the Lord assures, “There is hope for your future” (Jeremiah 31:17). Conversely, Judah’s hardened rebels are warned, “Disaster upon disaster is proclaimed…the whole land is devastated; yet I will not make a full end” (Jeremiah 4:20-27; cf. 30:24). Ezekiel, Amos, and Nahum declare that the “end” of proud nations is irreversible doom (Ezekiel 23:25;Amos 4:2;Nahum 1:8).
Eschatology and Messianic Hope
WhenIsaiah 2:2 andMicah 4:1 speak of “the last days,” they employ the term to announce a climactic age when the mountain of the Lord’s house is exalted and the nations stream to Zion. Daniel links the phrase to visions of final kingdom conflict and triumph (Daniel 8:19; 12:8-9).Hosea 3:5 ties it explicitly to David’s greater Son: “Afterward the children of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.” Thus the word bridges Old Testament expectation with New Testament fulfillment in Jesus Christ, “the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last.”
Representative Passages
Numbers 24:14;Deuteronomy 4:30; 8:16; 31:29; 32:20, 29
Job 42:12
Psalm 37:37-38
Proverbs 5:4; 14:12; 16:25; 19:20; 20:21; 23:18; 24:14
Ecclesiastes 7:8
Isaiah 2:2
Jeremiah 17:11; 29:11; 31:17; 48:47; 49:6, 39
Lamentations 1:9
Ezekiel 23:25; 38:16
Daniel 8:19; 10:14
Hosea 3:5
Amos 4:2
Micah 4:1; 5:1;Habakkuk 2:3
Zephaniah 1:14-18
Historical and Ministry Significance
1. Israel’s historiography views time teleologically. Redemptive history moves toward a divinely appointed goal, not aimless cycles.
2. The prophets ground hope in God’s covenant faithfulness, assuring exiles that the “end” is restoration, not annihilation.
3. Wisdom teachers urge righteous living by exposing the final ruin of sin and the secure future of the godly.
4. The eschatological horizon fuels missionary vision: the nations will ultimately stream to Zion’s King.
Pastoral and Homiletical Applications
• Preaching: Contrast immediate gratification with eternal outcome; urge hearers to count the cost in light of the “latter end.”
• Counseling:Jeremiah 29:11 equips shepherds to anchor suffering saints in God’s future-oriented goodness.
• Discipleship:Proverbs 19:20, “Listen to counsel and accept discipline, that you may be wise in your latter days,” shapes formative instruction.
• Eschatology:Isaiah 2 andMicah 4 provide a framework for teaching the ultimate peace under Messiah’s reign, reinforcing confidence in Scripture’s unified storyline.
Summary
Throughout Scripture the term sets present choices and circumstances against their divinely governed conclusion. Whether announcing judgment, promising hope, or unveiling the final day, it summons God’s people to live by faith in the certainty that the Lord who authors history also secures its victorious end.
Forms and Transliterations
אַ֭חֲרִיתוֹ אַחֲרִ֑ית אַחֲרִ֔ית אַחֲרִ֖ית אַחֲרִ֣ית אַחֲרִ֥ית אַחֲרִית֥וֹ אַחֲרִיתִ֖י אַחֲרִיתֵֽנוּ׃ אַחֲרִיתָ֑ם אַחֲרִיתָ֔הּ אַחֲרִיתָ֔ן אַחֲרִיתָֽהּ׃ אחרית אחריתה אחריתה׃ אחריתו אחריתי אחריתם אחריתן אחריתנו׃ בְּאַֽחֲרִית֙ בְּאַחֲרִ֣ית בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית בְּאַחֲרִ֨ית בְּאַחֲרִית֙ בְּאַחֲרִיתֶֽךָ׃ בְּאַחֲרִיתָ֑הּ בְאַחֲרִיתֶ֑ךָ באחרית באחריתה באחריתך באחריתך׃ וְ֝אַחֲרִית֗וֹ וְ֝אַחֲרִיתְךָ֗ וְ֝אַחֲרִיתָ֗הּ וְֽ֭אַחֲרִיתָהּ וְאַחֲרִ֣ית וְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ וְאַחֲרִיתְכֶ֖ן וְאַחֲרִיתֵ֖ךְ וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖הּ וְאַחֲרִיתָ֖ם וּֽבְאַחֲרִית֙ וּבְאַחֲרִית֖וֹ ואחרית ואחריתה ואחריתו ואחריתך ואחריתכן ואחריתם ובאחרית ובאחריתו לְאַחֲרִית֗וֹ לְאַחֲרִיתֵ֖ךְ לְאַחֲרִיתָֽהּ׃ לְאַחֲרִיתָֽם׃ לאחריתה׃ לאחריתו לאחריתך לאחריתם׃ ’a·ḥă·rî·ṯāh ’a·ḥă·rî·ṯām ’a·ḥă·rî·ṯān ’a·ḥă·rî·ṯê·nū ’a·ḥă·rî·ṯî ’a·ḥă·rî·ṯōw ’a·ḥă·rîṯ ’aḥărîṯ ’aḥărîṯāh ’aḥărîṯām ’aḥărîṯān ’aḥărîṯênū ’aḥărîṯî ’aḥărîṯōw achaRit achariTah achariTam achariTan achariTenu achariTi achariTo bə’aḥărîṯ bə’aḥărîṯāh bə’aḥărîṯeḵā ḇə’aḥărîṯeḵā bə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯāh bə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯe·ḵā ḇə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯe·ḵā bə·’a·ḥă·rîṯ beachaRit beachariTah beachariTecha lə’aḥărîṯāh lə’aḥărîṯām lə’aḥărîṯêḵ lə’aḥărîṯōw lə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯāh lə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯām lə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯêḵ lə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯōw leachariTah leachariTam leachariTech leachariTo ū·ḇə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯōw ū·ḇə·’a·ḥă·rîṯ ūḇə’aḥărîṯ ūḇə’aḥărîṯōw uveachaRit uveachariTo veachaRit Veacharitah veachariTam veachariTech veacharitecha veachariteChen veachariTo wə’aḥărîṯ wə’aḥărîṯāh wə’aḥărîṯām wə’aḥărîṯêḵ wə’aḥărîṯəḵā wə’aḥărîṯəḵen wə’aḥărîṯōw wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯāh wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯām wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯə·ḵā wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯə·ḵen wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯêḵ wə·’a·ḥă·rî·ṯōw wə·’a·ḥă·rîṯ
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