Lexical Summary
attah: now, at this time, at present
Original Word:עַתָּה
Part of Speech:Adverb
Transliteration:`attah
Pronunciation:at-taw'
Phonetic Spelling:(at-taw')
KJV: henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas
NASB:now, this time, then, already, time, whereas, so
Word Origin:[fromH6256 (עֵת - time)]
1. at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas
Frometh; at this time, whether adverb, conjunction or expletive -- henceforth, now, straightway, this time, whereas.
see HEBREWeth
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originprobably from
anahDefinitionnow
NASB Translationalready (2), last* (1), now (411), so (1), then (5), this time (6), time (2), whereas (2), yet (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
435 (also
Ezekiel 23:43;
Psalm 74:6 Kt, Qr ),
Genesis 32:5 +,
of time, (properly accusative of [`int], (Köii. 260),at the time, in particular of the present time, i.e.now; compare Germanzur Zeit, Arabic
at the time, i.e.now); — now:
Genesis 12:19 andnow, behold thy wife,Genesis 22:12now, I know (soExodus 18:11;Judges 17:13;1 Kings 17:24 [],Psalm 20:7),Genesis 26:22,29;Genesis 27:36;Genesis 31:13,28, etc.,Exodus 5:5 ; whether in opposed to past time, asGenesis 32:11;Joshua 14:11 ,Judges 11:8;1 Kings 12:4;Isaiah 1:21 ,Isaiah 16:14;Hosea 2:9 ,Hosea 13:2,Job 30:1 +, or to future, asNumbers 24:17 ,Judges 8:6 ,1 Samuel 2:16 ; =after allNumbers 22:38;Judges 8:2; =now at last2 Samuel 24:16;1 Kings 19:4;2 Kings 19:25;Hosea 7:2;Jeremiah 4:12; and in the phraseIsaiah 9:6;Isaiah 59:21;Micah 4:7 (see below),Psalm 113:2;Psalm 115:18;Psalm 121:8;Psalm 125:2;Psalm 131:3.
Genesis 19:9 .Genesis 29:32 ,Genesis 29:34;Exodus 6:1 ,Numbers 11:23;Numbers 22:4;2 Samuel 20:6;Isaiah 33:10 (Psalm 12:6),Isaiah 43:19;Isaiah 49:19;Amos 6:7 ,Isaiah 49:19;Micah 7:4,10;Daniel 10:20; and especially in Hosea, introducing a punishment,Hosea 4:16Hosea 5:7;Hosea 8:8,13 (Jeremiah 14:10),Jeremiah 10:2.
ideally present (=then, from our point of view):Isaiah 29:22 , vbHosea 10:3;Micah 4:9,10,11;Micah 4:14;Micah 5:3.
=as things are:1 Samuel 8:5 thou art old, etc., ,1 Samuel 9:6;1 Samuel 13:12;1 Samuel 14:30;1 Samuel 25:7b;1 Samuel 27:1now I shall be swept away one day, etc.,2 Kings 18:20,25;Job 6:21;Job 14:16;Job 16:7.
, implying that the time has come for the exhortation or advice to be followed,Genesis 31:13 ,Exodus 18:19 ,Numbers 22:11;Deuteronomy 2:13;1 Samuel 30:8.
Phrases:
( )1 Kings 17:24;2 Kings 5:22.
and,now, ornow, therefore (
), (compare
)Genesis 3:22and now (since man has once been disobedient), lest he put forth his hand, etc.,Genesis 20:7;Genesis 20:23 ,Genesis 27:3,8 ,Genesis 30:30;Genesis 31:16,44;Genesis 37:20 + often,Isaiah 5:3,5;Psalm 2:10;Genesis 11:6 ,Genesis 31:30;Genesis 45:8;2 Samuel 19:11;Psalm 39:8 ,Isaiah 52:5,
stating the ground on which some conclusion or action is to be based,Exodus 3:9;Joshua 14:10 (twice in verse);1 Samuel 12:2;1 Samuel 24:21;1 Kings 1:18;Jeremiah 40:4 (with usually repeated afer the -clause).
Genesis 44:10;1 Samuel 12:16;1 Kings 14:14;Joel 2:12;Job 16:19.
from now, henceforth,Jeremiah 3:4;Isaiah 48:6;Daniel 10:17 (according to some, here = fromjust now), 2 Chronicles 16:9; , see above
end.
until now,Genesis 32:5, ,Deuteronomy 12:9 (opposed to the future),2 Kings 13:23; especially after clause with , 2Ki 46:34 (2 Sam 19:8;Ezekiel 4:14),Exodus 9:18;2 Kings 8:6;Ruth 2:7.
for in this case, in our idiom,for them ( pointing to a condition assumed as a possible contingency: compare Dr§ 141, 142); (a)Exodus 9:15 forthen (if the intention expressed inExodus 9:14 had not existed)I should have put forth my hand, etc.,Numbers 22:29 ,1 Samuel 13:13;Job 3:13; followed by imperfectJob 6:3 forthen (if it were weighed,Job 6:2) it would be heavier, etc.,Job 13:19for then would I be silent and die; (b) after a protasis,surely thenGenesis 31:42 + (see
b, p. 472). — Note. Read ) ( )as now, forEzekiel 16:57, ( )now art thou broken ! forEzekiel 27:34, and probably (Hi We Kö Now, compare ) forHaggai 1:2; also for1 Kings 1:20, and for1 Kings 1:18b2 Samuel 18:3.
Topical Lexicon
Overview of Scriptural Useעַתָּה appears about 431 times, functioning as a divinely chosen temporal signpost. Whether introducing judgment, mercy, command, petition, or praise, it sharpens the reader’s sense that the moment of decision has arrived and that God’s redemptive plan is advancing in real time.
Pivotal Moments in Salvation History
1. Fall and Promise
Genesis 3:22 launches post-Edenic history: “The LORD God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us…’ ” The “now” underlines the irrevocable shift from innocence to alienation.
2. Babel and Dispersion
Genesis 11:6 marks the point at which divine restraint replaces human presumption.
3. Call of the Patriarchs
Genesis 27:36; 31:42; 43:10 show the patriarchs wrestling with immediate ethical consequences: “Now what shall I do for my daughters?” (31:42).
4. Exodus Commission
Exodus 3:10: “So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh…” The urgency of deliverance hinges on the word.
5. Sinai Covenant
Deuteronomy repeatedly weds covenant threat and promise to the present moment: “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you…” (Deuteronomy 10:12).
Legal and Narrative Transition Marker
Moses, Joshua, Samuel, and David often employ עַתָּה to move from narration to appeal:
•Joshua 24:14 “Now therefore, fear the LORD…”
•1 Samuel 12:7 “Now then, stand still, that I may plead with you…”
•2 Samuel 7:29 “Now therefore, may it please You to bless the house of Your servant…”
Prophetic Declarations: Judgment and Restoration
1. Confrontation
Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together…”
Jeremiah 18:11 “…so now, reform your ways…”
2. Consolation
Isaiah 43:1 “But now, thus says the LORD, who created you…”
Haggai 2:4 “But now, be strong, Zerubbabel…”
The prophets pivot from wrath to hope with a single “now,” underscoring the immediacy of grace offered amid crisis.
Prayer, Intercession, and Lament
Petitioners place their pleas in the present:
• Moses:Exodus 32:32 “But now, please forgive their sin…”
• David:Psalm 119:94 “I am Yours; save me…” (contextual “now” in adjacent verse 95)
• Nehemiah:Nehemiah 1:6 “Now, may Your ear be attentive…”
Wisdom Appeals
Proverbs drives the child to decisive obedience: “Now, O sons, listen to me” (Proverbs 7:24; cf. 5:7; 8:32). Instruction is never abstract; it demands a present response.
Corporate Worship and Praise
Psalms transform present distress into liturgy:
•Psalm 2:10 “So now, be wise, O kings…”
•Psalm 115:2 “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God now?’ ”
•Psalm 124:1 “If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare…”
Royal and Diplomatic Speech
Kings negotiate and covenant with “now” to stress urgency:
•1 Kings 3:7 “And now, O LORD my God, You have made Your servant king…”
•2 Kings 5:6 “Now be advised, when this letter reaches you…”
The term frames immediate political or military realities within God’s sovereignty.
Eschatological Perspective
Prophetic “now” often telescopes future fulfillment into present assurance (Isaiah 48:6-7). The New Testament echoes this time-compression: “Now is the favorable time” (2 Corinthians 6:2, citingIsaiah 49:8).
Ministry Implications
Preaching: The word underlines the preacher’s summons—repent or believe now (cf.Joshua 24:15’s equivalent challenge).
Discipleship: Urges believers toward present obedience, rejecting procrastination.
Counseling: Provides biblical precedent for calling counselees to immediate steps of faith.
Missions: Frames the gospel as God’s urgent invitation, not a distant option.
Christological Fulfillment
Though עַתָּה belongs to the Old Testament, its insistence on decisive moments anticipates the incarnational climax: “But when the fullness of time had come…” (Galatians 4:4). The cumulative “nows” drive history toward the cross and the empty tomb, where the ultimate “now” of salvation is proclaimed.
Summary
עַתָּה is more than a temporal adverb; it is a theological alarm clock. From Eden to exile, from covenant law to prophetic comfort, it presses God’s people to recognize the present claims of the LORD. In pastoral ministry, the term reminds hearers that every moment is charged with redemptive significance and that delayed obedience is disobedience.
Forms and Transliterations
וְ֝עַתָּ֗ה וְ֠עַתָּה וְ֭עַתָּה וְעַתָּ֕ה וְעַתָּ֖ה וְעַתָּ֗ה וְעַתָּ֛ה וְעַתָּ֞ה וְעַתָּ֡ה וְעַתָּ֣ה וְעַתָּ֣ה ׀ וְעַתָּ֤ה וְעַתָּ֤ה ׀ וְעַתָּ֥ה וְעַתָּ֨ה וְעַתָּה֙ וְעַתָּה֩ ועתה מֵ֝עַתָּ֗ה מֵֽ֝עַתָּ֗ה מֵֽעַתָּ֥ה מֵעַ֔תָּה מֵעַ֙תָּה֙ מֵעַתָּ֖ה מֵעַתָּה֙ מֵעָֽתָּה׃ מעתה מעתה׃ עַ֔תָּה עַ֠תָּה עַ֭תָּה עַתָּ֔ה עַתָּ֕ה עַתָּ֖ה עַתָּ֗ה עַתָּ֛ה עַתָּ֜ה עַתָּ֞ה עַתָּ֡ה עַתָּ֣ה עַתָּ֤ה עַתָּ֥ה עַתָּ֨ה עַתָּ֨ה ׀ עַתָּה֙ עַתָּה֩ עַתָּה֮ עָ֑תָּה עָֽתָּה׃ עתה עתה׃ ‘at·tāh ‘āt·tāh ‘attāh ‘āttāh atTah mê‘attāh mê‘āttāh mê·‘at·tāh mê·‘āt·tāh meAttah veatTah wə‘attāh wə·‘at·tāh
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