עֵת297 H6256
Time, season, or appointed moment — a point or period in time, ranging from general temporal reference to divinely appointed occasion.
One of the most common temporal nouns in the Hebrew Bible, appearing nearly 300 times. Far from a bland clock-word, 'et carries rich theological freight: it is the time that God appoints (Lev 26:4, 'I will give your rains in their season'), the crisis moment that arrives (Jer 8:7, 'the stork knows her appointed times'), and the narrative marker that anchors events ('at that time'). German consistently renders it 'Zeit,' Spanish 'tiempo,' and French 'temps,' but the Hebrew usage splits between neutral temporal reference and the pregnant sense of kairos — the right time, the ripe moment — a distinction visible when translations add qualifiers like 'in its season' or 'about this time.'
Senses
1. time, period — The general, unmarked sense: a point or stretch of time, a period, or a moment. This covers the vast majority of occurrences (264x), including the extremely common prepositional phrase ba'et hahi' ('at that time,' Gen 21:22, Deut 1:9). All languages converge on their basic time-word — English 'time,' Spanish 'tiempo,' French 'temps,' German 'Zeit' — with no special nuance of propriety or appointment. Includes both singular moments (Exod 18:22, 'at all times') and extended periods (2 Sam 24:15). 264×
AR["الْوَقْتِ","حينٍ","ذٰلِكَ-الْوَقْتِ","في-وَقْتِ","وَقت","وَقتٍ","وَقْت","وَقْتًا","وَقْتٍ","وَقْتَ","وَقْتِ"]·ben["-সময়","উচ্চ","সময়","সময়ে","সময়ে?"]·DE["Zeit","Zeit-von","Zeiten","bei-ein-Zeit-von","der-Zeit","ist-die-Zeit"]·EN["at-a-time-of","the-time","time","time-of","times"]·FR["temps","temps-de"]·heb["ה-עת","עת"]·HI["जब-तक","समय"]·ID["waktu","waktunya"]·IT["tempo","tempo-di"]·jav["wekdal","wekdalipun"]·KO["그-때","때","때-가","때-에","때가","때를","때에"]·PT["o-tempo","tempo","tempo-de","tempo;","tempo?","é-tempo"]·RU["-времени","-время","в-срок","времена","времени","время"]·ES["a-tiempo;","el-tiempo","tiempo","tiempo-de"]·SW["-","wakati","wakati-wake","wakati-wote"]·TR["vakti","zaman","zamanda","zamanda-","zamandan","zamanı","zamanını"]·urd["وقت","وَقت"]
Gen 29:7, Exod 18:22, Exod 18:26, Lev 16:2, 2 Sam 24:15, 1 Chr 9:25, Neh 6:1, Neh 13:21, Esth 5:13, Job 22:16, Job 27:10, Job 39:1 (+38 more)
2. about this time, now — Temporal demonstrative: 'about this time' or 'now,' typically with the preposition ke- (כְּעֵת). Genesis 18:10,14 ('about this time next year') and Exodus 9:18 ('about this time tomorrow') exemplify this deictic usage pointing to an imminent or proximate moment. Spanish 'como en el tiempo' and French 'comme temps' reflect the comparative/approximative force. The construction often introduces prophetic announcements, lending it an oracular quality. 17×
AR["في-مِثْلِ-هٰذا-الْوَقْتِ","فِي-الْوَقْتِ","فِي-هَذَا-الْوَقْتِ","فِي-هٰذَا-ٱلْوَقْتِ","كَ-الْوَقْتِ","كَ-وَقْتِ","كَالْآنِ","كَـ-الزَّمَنِ","كَـ-هَذَا-الْوَقْتِ","كَـ-وَقْتِ","وَ-كَ-الـ-وَقتِ"]·ben["-সময়ে","এই-সময়ে","এবং-এই-সময়ের-মতো","ক-হ-সময়","সময়ে","সময়ে-যেমন","সময়ের-মতো"]·DE["Zeit","bei-der-Zeit","ueber-Zeit","ueber-Zeit-von","ueber-der-Zeit","ueber-dieser-Zeit","um-die-Zeit","und-bei-Zeit"]·EN["about-the-time","about-this-time","about-time","about-time-of","and-at-time","as-the-time","at-the-time","at-time","at-time-of"]·FR["[כעת]","au-sujet-de-le-temps","comme-temps","environ-ceci-temps","environ-le-temps","environ-temps","environ-temps-de","et-à-temps","à-le-temps","à-temps"]·heb["ו-כ-עת","כ-ה-כעת","כ-ה-עת","כ-עת"]·HI["इस-समय","इसी-समय","उस-समय","और-इस-समय","काएत","के-समय","जैसे-समय-","समय-जब","समय-पर","समय-मे","समय-मेइन"]·ID["Seperti-dahulu","dan-pada-waktu-itu","pada-waktu","pada-waktu-ini","pada-waktunya","tahun-depan"]·IT["a-il-tempo","a-tempo","e-a-tempo","riguardo-a-il-tempo","riguardo-a-questo-tempo","riguardo-a-tempo","riguardo-a-tempo-di","riguardo-il-tempo","tempo"]·jav["Ing-wekdal-punika","Kados-wekdal","Kados-wekdal-punika","ing-wekdal","ing-wekdal-punika","kados-wekdal","kados-wekdal-punika","lan-ing-wekdal","watawis-wekdal","wonten-ing-wekdal","wonten-ing-wekdalipun"]·KO["그-때-에","그리고-같은-때에","때-에","때-에-쯤","때-처럼","때에","때에-","이-때-에","이-때에","전-에는","지금"]·PT["Como-este-tempo","Como-no-tempo","No-tempo","agora","ao-tempo-da","como-este-tempo","como-tempo","como-tempo-de","e-como-tempo","neste-tempo"]·RU["в-срок","в-то-время","в-это-время","во-время","и-во-время","как-в-время","как-время","как-это-время","ко-времени"]·ES["Como-en-el-tiempo","Como-este-tiempo","Como-tiempo","ahora","como-este-tiempo","como-tiempo","como-tiempo-de","en-su-tiempo","y-como-ahora"]·SW["Kama-wakati","kama-wakati","kesho-wakati-huu","na-wakati-huu","wakati","wakati-huu","wakati-kama-huu","wakati-wa"]·TR["-saatinde","bu-zamanda","de-donem","de-zaman","ve-şimdiki-zaman","zamanda-","zamanda-gibi","zamanında","zamanında-","şimdiki-gibi","şu-zamanda"]·urd["اب","اس-وقت-تک","اور-اب","اِس-وقت","اِسی-وقت","جیسے-وقت","وقت-میں","وقت-پر","وقت-کے-قریب"]
Gen 18:10, Gen 18:14, Exod 9:18, Num 23:23, Judg 13:23, Judg 21:22, 1 Sam 9:16, 1 Sam 20:12, 1 Kgs 19:2, 1 Kgs 20:6, 2 Kgs 4:16, 2 Kgs 4:17 (+5 more)
3. appointed time, due season — The appointed, proper, or due time — when something should happen according to divine or natural order. Leviticus 26:4 ('I will give your rains in their season') and Deuteronomy 11:14 ('rain in its season') show the agricultural-calendrical usage, while Job 38:32 ('Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season?') extends it to cosmic regularity. Pronominal suffixes ('in its time,' 'in their season') are the hallmark. French 'saison' and German 'Jahreszeit' (season of the year) emerge here, marking a clear shift from generic time to kairos — the fitting moment. 14×
AR["بِـ-وَقْتِهِ","في-أَوانِها","في-حينِهِ","في-وَقتِها","في-وَقْتِها","فِي-أَوَانِهِ","فِي-أَوْقَاتِهَا","فِي-وَقْتِهَا","فِي-وَقْتِهِ","وَقْتِهِ"]·ben["তার-সময়ে","তার-সময়ে,","সময়ে-তার"]·DE["Zeit","in-ihr-Jahreszeit","in-nun","in-sein-Jahreszeit","in-sein-Zeit"]·EN["in-its-season","in-its-time","in-their-season"]·FR["dans-leur-saison","dans-maintenant","dans-son-saison","dans-son-temps","dans-son-temps-lui","dans-temps","en-son-temps","temps"]·heb["ב-עיתו","ב-עתה","ב-עתו","ב-עתם"]·HI["अपनी-ऋतु-में","अपने-समय-पर","अपने-समय-में","उनके-समय-पर","उनके-समय-में","उसके-समय-में","में-समय","में-समय-अपने","में-समय-उसके","समय-पर","समय-पर-उसके"]·ID["pada-musimnya","pada-waktu-nya","pada-waktunya","pada-waktunya,"]·IT["in-loro-stagione","in-ora","in-suo-stagione","in-suo-tempo","in-tempo-suo","tempo"]·jav["ing-wancinipun","ing-wekdal","ing-wekdal-ipun","ing-wekdalipun","wonten-ing-wekdalipun","wonten-wekdalipun"]·KO["그-때-에","그-때에","그-의-때-에","그것-의-때-에","그것의-때에","때-그의-에","때-에","때-에-그-것의","에-그-때에","에-그것의-때","에-그의-때에","에-때-그것의"]·PT["a-seu-tempo","em-seu-tempo","em-seu-tempo?","em-tempo-dela","em-tempo-dele","em-tempo-seu","na-sua-estação","no-seu-tempo"]·RU["в-время-его","в-время-их","в-время-своё","в-своё-время","в-своё-время;","в-срок-его","в-срок-их","в-срок-свой","во-время-его","во-время-своё"]·ES["a-su-tiempo","a-tiempo-su","en-su-tiempo","en-su-tiempo,"]·SW["kwa-wakati","kwa-wakati-wake","wakati-wake"]·TR["-da-zamanında","mevsiminde","vaktinde","vaktinde-onun","zamaninda-","zamanında","zamanında-onun"]·urd["اس-کے-وقت-میں","اُس-کے-موسم-میں","اُس-کے-وقت-میں","اُس-کے-وقت-پر","اپنے وقت پر","اپنے-موسم-میں","اپنے-وقت-پر","بِ-اُس-کے-وقت-پر","وقت-اُس-کے-میں","وقت-اُن-کے-پر","وقت-پر-اُس-کے","وقت-پر-اپنے"]
Lev 26:4, Deut 11:14, Deut 28:12, Job 5:26, Job 38:32, Ps 1:3, Ps 104:27, Ps 145:15, Prov 15:23, Eccl 3:11, Isa 60:22, Jer 5:24 (+2 more)
4. sense 4 — A rare plural usage meaning 'times' in the sense of repeated occasions. Nehemiah 9:28 ('many times you delivered them') uses the plural to indicate iterative occurrences. Spanish renders 'veces' (occasions/times) rather than 'tiempo,' confirming the shift from duration to frequency. This sense is sparse but linguistically distinct from the singular temporal reference. 1×
AR["كَثِيرَةً"]·ben["বার"]·DE["Zeiten"]·EN["times"]·FR["temps"]·heb["עתים"]·HI["बार"]·ID["kali"]·IT["tempo"]·jav["wekdal"]·KO["번"]·PT["vezes"]·RU["раз"]·ES["veces"]·SW["mara"]·TR["kez"]·urd["دفعہ"]
5. sense 5 — A textually uncertain occurrence in Psalm 74:6 involving a possible ketiv/qere variant. The English and German glosses preserve the ketiv reading 'and now' (ve-'attah), while French retains 'temps.' This isolated case likely reflects a scribal confusion between 'et (time) and 'attah (now), and the single attestation makes it a marginal sense best noted for text-critical interest rather than semantic weight. 1×
AR["[وَ-الآنَ]"]·ben["[ও-এখন]"]·DE["[ketiv:and-now]"]·EN["[ketiv:and-now]"]·FR["temps"]·heb["[ועת]"]·ID["dan-sekarang"]·IT["tempo"]·jav["saha-sapunika"]·KO["이제"]·PT["E-agora"]·RU["и-ныне"]·ES["[y-ahora]"]·SW["[na-sasa]"]·TR["[ve-şimdi]"]·urd["[وَ-اب]"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)G5610 1. hour / time / moment (106×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
עֵת297 n.f. Am 5:13 and (seldom, mostly late) m. Ezr 10:14 time (NH id.; Ph. עת; Assyrian inu, ittu, time; Talm עַנְתָּא; clearly from a √ ענה, but doubtful whether I. ע׳);—abs. ע׳ Ho 10:12 +, cstr. ע׳ Gn 24:12 +, עֶת־ Lv 15:25 + 5 times; sf. עִתּוֹ Ho 2:11 +, etc.; pl., late, עִתִּים 1 Ch 12:32 +, sf. עִתֶּיךָ Is 33:6; עִתּוֹת ψ 9:10; 10:1, sf. עִתֹּתָ֑י 31:16;—ע׳ only twice P, once H;— 1. time…