Lexical Summary
tachath: under, place, instead
Original Word:תַּחַת
Part of Speech:Noun Masculine
Transliteration:tachath
Pronunciation:tah'-khath
Phonetic Spelling:(takh'-ath)
KJV: as, beneath, X flat, in(-stead), (same) place (whereis), room, forsake, stead of, under, X unto, X whenwas mine, whereas, (where-)fore, with
NASB:under, place, instead, beneath, foot, underneath, return
Word Origin:[from the same asH8430 (תּוַֹח - Toah)]
1. the bottom (as depressed)
2. only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Thahash
From the same asTowach; the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc. -- as, beneath, X flat, in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore, with.
see HEBREWTowach
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionunderneath, below, instead of
NASB Translationaccount (2), against* (4), allegiance* (1), Amid (1), among (2), because (1), because* (12), below (1), below* (10), beneath (13), beneath* (7), exchange (3), flat (2), foot (8), inasmuch* (1), instead (34), like (1), place (136), place* (1), places (1), replace* (1), replaces* (1), return (4), right where (1), site (1), sites (1), spot (1), stead (1), under (201), underneath (5), underparts (1), where (1), where they stand (1), whereas (1), whereas* (1), while she was mine (1), why* (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
(Arabic
id.), hence as
and
(so Arabic
, Sabean , Ethiopic
Phoenician (Lzb385); Biblical Aramaic , , Palmyrene in TariffGenesis 1:4 (Cooke320), Syriac
); — as
Genesis 49:25 (=Deuteronomy 33:13) the deep that couchethbeneath; more usually with , literallyoff (
)the under part = beneath,Exodus 20:4 (=Deuteronomy 5:8) (soDeuteronomy 4:39;Joshua 2:1 Kings 8:23 [both D2],Isaiah 51:6),Deuteronomy 33:27;Judges 7:8;Amos 2:9;Isaiah 14:9;Job 18:16;Ezekiel 47:1b
as
; so construct, and with suffix (usually in the plural, and so literallyin the parts underneath)Habakkuk 3:16+, (compare , : Ges§ 103d)2 Samuel 22:37,40,48 (Psalm 18:37; 18:40; 18:48 ); ; (Kt2 Samuel 2:23;2 Samuel 3:12;2 Samuel 16:8;Job 9:13),Leviticus 13:23 16t., (compare , )Genesis 2:21;1 Samuel 14:9;Psalm 47:4;Joshua 2:14;Amos 2:13;Numbers 16:31;1 Kings 20:24;1 Chronicles 4:41;1 Chronicles 5:22; 2Chronicles 12:10 (for1 Kings 14:27),Deuteronomy 2:12 10t.,Jeremiah 28:13; —
under, beneath,Genesis 7:19under the whole heaven (soDeuteronomy 2:25;Deuteronomy 4:19;Job 28:24;Job 37:3;Job 41:3;Daniel 9:12), Dan 18:4 , Dan 21:15; Dan 24:2+ often;Job 30:14under the crash they roll themselves against me;Ecclesiastes 1:3,9,13 #NAME? Ecclesiastes (so in Phoenician, Cooke4. 7; 5. 12). With 2Chronicles 4:3 ,Songs 2:6 =Songs 8:3 . Idiomatic
at the foot of the mountain,Exodus 24:4;Deuteronomy 4:11, soDeuteronomy 3:17Joshua 11:3,17 +; figurativePsalm 18:37 thou broadenest mystepsunder me,Job 36:15 (so read for , Di Bu) breadth unstraitened isbeneath thee.
, of something held there as a dainty morsel, and ready, when needed, to be brought out, figurative of sweetnessSongs 4:11, of evilPsalm 10:7 ,Job 20:12 (soPsalm 140:4), of praisePsalm 66:17 (synonymPsalm 149:6).
: (a) of subjection,Psalm 18:40 ,Psalm 18:48 (comparePsalm 47:4;Psalm 144:2),Psalm 45:6;Job 9:13. (b) of a woman, , i.e. under his authority,Numbers 5:19,20,29, soEzekiel 23:5 beingunder me = beingmine (figurative of Israel as s spouse), compare Romans 7:2, and
Qor 66:10. (c) of being burdened or oppressed under,Isaiah 24:5 the earth ,Proverbs 30:21 ,Proverbs 30:22;Proverbs 30:23;Habakkuk 3:7 i.e. (si vera 1.) sufferingunder calamity.
, of authority or control,Genesis 41:35 ;Judges 3:30 (comparePsalm 106:42),1 Samuel 21:4;1 Samuel 21:5 (strike out ; dittograph ), v.1 Samuel 21:9;Isaiah 3:6.
, of subjection or conquest,Psalm 8:7 ,Psalm 18:39;Psalm 47:4;Lamentations 3:34, compareMalachi 3:31.
what is under one,the place in which one stands: hence as accusative,
with reflexive pronoun, idiomatic,in one's place, where one stands,Exodus 16:29 abide every onein his place,Leviticus 13:23,28;Joshua 5:8;Joshua 6:5,20;Judges 7:21;1 Samuel 14:9 we willremain where we are,2 Samuel 2:23 he diedwhere he was (compareJeremiah 38:9 [read ]),Jeremiah 7:10;Isaiah 25:10;Isaiah 46:7;Amos 2:13;Habakkuk 3:16 I tremblewhere I stand,Zechariah 12:6;Zechariah 14:10;Job 36:20;Job 40:12
,in place of, instead of: (a)Genesis 2:18;Genesis 4:25instead of Abel,Genesis 22:13 ,Genesis 30:2 (compareGenesis 50:19),Genesis 44:33;2 Samuel 19:1 + often;Job 16:4;Isaiah 3:24;Isaiah 55:13;Isaiah 61:3,7; of one succeeding to the place of another,Genesis 36:33-491 Kings 8:20;1 Kings 11:43;1 Kings 14:20 + often,Deuteronomy 2:12,21 ,Leviticus 16:32;1 Kings 2:35 +;Psalm 45:17in place of thy fathers (whom thou mayest therefore forget) will be thy children. compare in Ph CISi.3.9 (Cooke30). Sq. infinitiveIsaiah 60:15instead of thy being . . . PeculiarlyJob 34:26 (si vera lectio)=as if they were, like; but text very dubious; Bi Bu his wrath breaketh in pieces the wicked.(b) in particular, of things mutually interchanged,in place of, in exchange orreturn for:Genesis 30:15in return, for thy son's love-apples,Exodus 21:23) lifefor life,Exodus 21:24;Exodus 21:25;Exodus 21:26;Exodus 21:27;Exodus 21:36;Exodus 22:37,Joshua 2:14 ,1 Samuel 2:20;1 Kings 20:39 ,1 Kings 20:42 (compare2 Kings 10:24),2 Kings 21:2;Isaiah 43:3,4; often with verbs of requiting,Genesis 44:4 why have ye rewarded evilin exchange for good?1 Samuel 25:21;2 Samuel 16:12;2 Samuel 19:22;Psalm 35:12 ,Psalm 38:21a;Psalm 109:4;Psalm 109:5;Proverbs 17:3 +;Jeremiah 5:19in return for what? (compareJeremiah 22:8;Deuteronomy 29:23;1 Kings 9:8). So followed by infinitivePsalm 38:21b. as
: (a)instead of that (German.anstatt dass),Deuteronomy 28:62instead of that ye were...,instead of your being..,Ezekiel 36:34.(b)in return for (the fact)that, because that (Amos 1:3 + often),Numbers 25:13 ,Deuteronomy 21:14;Deuteronomy 22:29;Deuteronomy 28:47;1 Samuel 26:21;2 Kings 22:17 2Chronicles 34:25;Isaiah 53:12;Jeremiah 29:19;Jeremiah 50:7; 2Chronicles 21:12.
Deuteronomy 4:37 (but ? read : as end ofDeuteronomy 4:36),Proverbs 1:29. compare .
—
, after a verb of motion:
(in)under,Judges 6:19 ,1 Kings 8:6 ("" 2 Chronicles 5:7),Jeremiah 3:6;Jeremiah 38:11 (on1 Samuel 21:5 see
);Zechariah 3:10: soEzekiel 10:2.
into the place of,Leviticus 14:42.
(= ):
,from under, from beneath asGenesis 1:7, and especially after such verbs asGenesis 6:17,Exodus 17:14;Deuteronomy 9:14;Deuteronomy 25:19;Deuteronomy 29:19;2 Kings 14:27,Deuteronomy 7:24, compareLamentations 3:66;Ezekiel 47:1 a ,Proverbs 22:27 ;Exodus 6:6,7 ,Hosea 4:12 (compare
a, b); (compare
)from under the hand (power)of ...Exodus 18:10;2 Kings 8:20,22;2 Kings 13:5;2 Kings 17:7 +; (compare
)from his placeExodus 10:23;Zechariah 6:12. Rarely = or ,Genesis 1:9 (P)Ezekiel 1:8;Ezekiel 42:9;Ezekiel 46:23;Job 26:5.
(opposed to )under, beneath:Genesis 1:17 ,Exodus 20:4 (soDeuteronomy 4:18;Deuteronomy 5:8),Judges 3:16 ,Jeremiah 38:12 +; of locality,Genesis 35:8 ,1 Samuel 7:11;1 Kings 4:12.
( compare
),id quod1 Kings 7:32.
Topical Lexicon
Essential Conceptתַּחַת (tachath) centers on the idea of one thing being “under,” “beneath,” or “in place of” another. The preposition therefore spans concrete space, social rank, moral obligation, and redemptive substitution, tying together more than five hundred Old Testament occurrences into a unified theological thread.
Spatial Orientation: What Is Literally Under
From the creation narrative onward, tachath marks physical position. “God made the expanse and separated the waters that were below the expanse from the waters that were above” (Genesis 1:7). Mountains stand tachath the heavens (Deuteronomy 4:19). Earth lies tachath the firmament (Genesis 1:9). Individuals sit tachath a tree for shade (1 Kings 13:14), armies camp tachath city walls (Joshua 8:4), and treasures are hidden tachath the ground (Job 3:21). These usages teach that the Creator orders every level of reality, sustaining all that is over and all that is under His dominion.
Moral and Social Hierarchy
Tachath conveys rank or subordination. Kings rise “in place of” prior kings (1 Kings 15:8). Elders serve “under” Moses (Exodus 18:21). A son stands tachath his father at the familial altar (Genesis 22:13). Thus Scripture affirms both continuity and accountability in human authority structures while reminding leaders that they themselves serve under God.
Substitution: The Heart of Redemption
Genesis 22:13–14 epitomizes tachath as substitution: “Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the thicket… and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son.” The Passover instructions likewise require a lamb tachath each firstborn (Exodus 13:13). Later, David cries, “Let Your hand be against me and my father’s house” tachath the people (2 Samuel 24:17). This substitutionary pattern culminates inIsaiah 53 where the Servant is wounded tachath transgressors, anticipating the atoning work of Jesus Christ (Matthew 20:28;2 Corinthians 5:21).
Covenantal and Legal Exchange
Tachath appears in legal formulas that ensure justice. “Life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth” (Exodus 21:23–24) employs tachath to balance wrong with equivalent restitution. Boaz removes his sandal tachath the nearer kinsman’s right (Ruth 4:7–8), a symbolic transfer of legal standing. These passages demonstrate God’s demand for equitable recompense while preserving the potential for merciful substitution.
Cultic and Ritual Placement
Priests lay parts of sacrifices tachath the altar (Leviticus 1:15). Blood is poured tachath the base (Leviticus 4:7). At Sinai, half the blood is sprinkled on the altar tachath Israel (Exodus 24:6–8). The worshiper thereby acknowledges that the victim stands in the offerer’s place, reinforcing personal accountability before a holy God.
Poetic and Prophetic Resonance
Hebrew poetry leverages tachath for emotional contrast. “Beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning” (Isaiah 61:3). “Instead of Your fathers shall be Your sons” (Psalm 45:16). Prophets warn that nations will fall tachath divine judgment (Ezekiel 26:12) while the humble will be lifted from under oppression (Zechariah 9:11–12). The term shapes both lament and hope, underscoring God’s power to reverse fortunes.
Theological Implications
1. Sovereignty: Everything is arranged under God’s rule; nothing lies outside His hierarchy (Psalm 8:6).
2. Substitutionary Atonement: From Eden’s coverings (implicitly animals slain tachath Adam and Eve) to Calvary, Scripture presents innocent life given tachath the guilty.
3. Justice and Mercy: Tachath balances retributive equity with gracious exchange, revealing the character of God who is both righteous and compassionate.
Ministry Application
• Leadership: Serve under God’s authority, recognizing the privilege of standing tachath predecessors while preparing successors (2 Timothy 2:2).
• Intercession: Like Moses and David, believers may plead to bear consequences tachath others (Galatians 6:2).
• Discipleship: Christ’s call to take up the cross places self-interest under His lordship (Luke 14:27), freeing the church to offer itself tachath a broken world.
Christological Fulfillment
Jesus fulfills every strand of tachath. He came “not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). On the cross He was made sin tachath us, “so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). His resurrection exalts Him far above all, and God has placed everything tachath His feet (Ephesians 1:22), securing the believer’s eternal standing under His gracious reign.
Summary
Tachath weaves through Scripture as the grammar of placement and replacement. Whether describing geography, governance, retribution, or redemption, it consistently affirms that God rules over what lies beneath, provides substitutes for the condemned, and ultimately offers His own Son in our stead.
Forms and Transliterations
הֲתַ֣חַת הֲתַ֤חַת הֲתַ֥חַת התחת וְ֝תַחְתֶּ֗יהָ וְתַ֖חַת וְתַ֗חַת וְתַ֙חַת֙ וְתַ֣חַת וְתַ֤חַת וְתַ֥חַת וְתַ֧חַת וְתַ֨חַת וְתַֽחַת־ וְתַחְתַּ֣י וּמִתַּ֖חַת וּמִתַּ֙חַת֙ וּמִתַּחְתָּ֣יו וּמִתַּ֖חַת ומתחת ומתחתיו ותחת ותחת־ ותחתי ותחתיה לְמִתַּ֙חַת֙ למתחת מִ֭תַּחַת מִתַָּ֑֜חַת מִתַּ֕חַת מִתַּ֖חַת מִתַּ֗חַת מִתַּ֙חַת֙ מִתַּ֛חַת מִתַּ֜חַת מִתַּ֣חַת מִתַּ֤חַת מִתַּ֥֣חַת מִתַּ֥חַת מִתַּ֨חַת מִתַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃ מִתַּחְתָּ֖יו מִתָּ֑֜חַת מִתָּ֑חַת מִתָּֽחַת׃ מתחת מתחת׃ מתחתיו מתחתיך׃ תַ֖חַת תַ֨חַת תַּ֖חַת תַּ֗חַת תַּ֚חַת תַּ֛חַת תַּ֠חַת תַּ֣חַת תַּ֣חַת ׀ תַּ֤חַת תַּ֥חַת תַּ֧חַת תַּ֨חַת תַּ֭חְתָּיו תַּ֭חַת תַּֽחַת־ תַּחְתֵּ֑ינוּ תַּחְתֵּ֑נִי תַּחְתֵּֽנִי׃ תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֑ם תַּחְתֵּיהֶ֔ם תַּחְתֵּיהֶֽם׃ תַּחְתֵּיכֶ֑ם תַּחְתֶּ֑יהָ תַּחְתֶּ֔יהָ תַּחְתֶּ֔יךָ תַּחְתֶּ֖יהָ תַּחְתֶּ֖יךָ תַּחְתֶּ֗יהָ תַּחְתֶּ֙יהָ֙ תַּחְתֶּ֙יךָ֙ תַּחְתֶּ֜יהָ תַּחְתֶּ֣יךָ תַּחְתֶּֽיהָ׃ תַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃ תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה׃ תַּחְתֶּיהָ֩ תַּחְתָּ֑י תַּחְתָּ֑יו תַּחְתָּ֑ם תַּחְתָּ֔יו תַּחְתָּ֔ם תַּחְתָּ֖יו תַּחְתָּ֗יו תַּחְתָּ֛יו תַּחְתָּ֜יו תַּחְתָּ֣יו תַּחְתָּֽי׃ תַּחְתָּֽיו׃ תַּחְתָּֽם׃ תַּחְתָּיו֙ תַּחַת֩ תַּחַת־ תַֽחַת־ תַחְתֵּ֔ינוּ תַחְתֵּיהֶ֖ם תַחְתֵּיהֶ֖ן תַחְתֵּיכֶם֙ תַחְתֶּ֔יךָ תַחְתֶּ֜יהָ תַחְתָּ֑י תַחְתָּ֔יו תַחְתָּ֔ם תַחְתָּ֖יו תַחְתָּ֗יו תַחְתָּ֛ם תַחְתָּֽי׃ תַחְתָּֽם׃ תַחְתָּיו֙ תָּ֑חַת תָּֽחַת׃ תַּחְתָּ֑יו תַּחְתָּ֔יו תַּחְתָּ֥יו תחת תחת־ תחת׃ תחתי תחתי׃ תחתיה תחתיה׃ תחתיהם תחתיהם׃ תחתיהן תחתיו תחתיו׃ תחתיך תחתיך׃ תחתיכם תחתינו תחתם תחתם׃ תחתנה׃ תחתני תחתני׃ hă·ṯa·ḥaṯ haTachat hăṯaḥaṯ lə·mit·ta·ḥaṯ lemitTachat ləmittaḥaṯ mit·ta·ḥaṯ mit·tā·ḥaṯ mit·taḥ·tāw mit·taḥ·te·ḵā mitTachat mittachTav mittachTeicha mittaḥaṯ mittāḥaṯ mittaḥtāw mittaḥteḵā ta·ḥaṯ tā·ḥaṯ ṯa·ḥaṯ ta·ḥaṯ- ṯa·ḥaṯ- Tachat tachTai tachTam tachTav tachTeicha tachteiChem tachTeiha tachteiHem tachteiHen tachTeinu tachTeni tachTennah taḥ·tām ṯaḥ·tām taḥ·tāw ṯaḥ·tāw taḥ·tāy ṯaḥ·tāy taḥ·te·hā ṯaḥ·te·hā taḥ·tê·hem ṯaḥ·tê·hem ṯaḥ·tê·hen taḥ·te·ḵā ṯaḥ·te·ḵā taḥ·tê·ḵem ṯaḥ·tê·ḵem taḥ·tê·nî taḥ·tê·nū ṯaḥ·tê·nū taḥ·ten·nāh taḥaṯ tāḥaṯ ṯaḥaṯ taḥaṯ- ṯaḥaṯ- taḥtām ṯaḥtām taḥtāw ṯaḥtāw taḥtāy ṯaḥtāy taḥtehā ṯaḥtehā taḥtêhem ṯaḥtêhem ṯaḥtêhen taḥteḵā ṯaḥteḵā taḥtêḵem ṯaḥtêḵem taḥtênî taḥtennāh taḥtênū ṯaḥtênū ū·mit·ta·ḥaṯ ū·mit·taḥ·tāw umitTachat umittachTav ūmittaḥaṯ ūmittaḥtāw veTachat vetachTai vetachTeiha wə·ṯa·ḥaṯ wə·ṯa·ḥaṯ- wə·ṯaḥ·tay wə·ṯaḥ·te·hā wəṯaḥaṯ wəṯaḥaṯ- wəṯaḥtay wəṯaḥtehā
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