תַּ֫חַת H8478
Underneath, below (spatial); instead of, in place of (substitution); because, inasmuch as (causal).
Derived from a noun meaning 'the under part,' tachath functions primarily as a preposition with three distinct senses that unfold from a single spatial image. At its most concrete, it places something physically beneath another (Gen 18:4, sitting under a tree). By natural extension it comes to mean 'in the place of,' expressing succession or exchange -- as when Solomon reigns tachath David (1 Kgs 1:30), or the ram is offered tachath Isaac (Gen 22:13). In the rare construction tachath asher, it becomes a causal conjunction meaning 'because.' Spanish and French glosses neatly track these shifts: 'bajo' for spatial, 'en-lugar-de' for substitutive, and 'parce-que' for causal.
Senses
1. under, beneath (spatial) — Physical location below or underneath something, the most literal and frequent use. Includes 'under every green tree' (Deut 12:2), 'under the whole heaven' (Deut 2:25), and combinations with min (mittachat, 'from beneath'). Glosses across languages converge on spatial prepositions: 'sous,' 'unter,' 'bajo,' confirming the concrete positional meaning. Covers all pronominal suffixed forms retaining spatial force. 283×
AR["تَحتَ", "تَحتَ-", "تَحْتَ", "مِنْ-تَحْتِ"]·ben["-এর-নীচে", "-নীচে", "অধীনে", "নিচে", "নিচে-থেকে", "নীচে"]·DE["unter", "unter-"]·EN["under"]·FR["sous"]·heb["מ-תחת", "תחת"]·HI["के-नीचे", "निचे", "नीचे", "नीचे-", "से-नीचे"]·ID["di bawah", "di bawah-", "di-bawah"]·IT["sotto"]·jav["ing-ngandhap", "ing-ngandhaping", "ing-sangandhap", "ing-sangandhaping", "wonten-ing-astanipun", "wonten-sangandhap", "wonten-sangandhaping"]·KO["아래", "아래-에", "아래에", "아래에-", "아래에서"]·PT["ao-pé-de", "de-baixo-de", "debaixo", "debaixo-de", "sob"]·RU["под", "под-"]·ES["al-pie-de", "bajo", "de-debajo-de-", "debajo-de"]·SW["chini-ya", "chini-ya-", "mmoja", "mti"]·TR["altına", "altında", "altında-", "eteğinde"]·urd["تحت", "نیچے", "نیچے-"]
2. instead of, in place of — Substitution, succession, or exchange: one entity taking the role or position of another. Central to dynastic succession formulas ('he reigned in his place,' 1 Kgs 15:8) and to the theology of substitutionary offering (Gen 22:13, the ram 'instead of' Isaac). Spanish 'en-su-lugar' and French 'à-la-place-de-lui' consistently distinguish this from the spatial sense. Also covers 'in exchange for' in commercial or retributive contexts (an eye tachath an eye, Exod 21:24). 215×
AR["بَدَلَهُ", "تَحتَهُ", "عَوَضاً-عَنهُ", "عِوَضاً-عَنْهُ", "عِوَضًا-عَنْهُ", "عِوَضَهُ", "مَكانَهُ", "مَكَانَهُ"]·ben["তাঁর-পরিবর্তে", "তাঁর-স্থানে", "তার-জায়গায়", "তার-পরিবর্তে", "তার-বদলে", "তার-স্থানে", "তার-স্থানে।"]·DE["in-sein-Ort", "instead-von-ihn"]·EN["in-his-place", "instead-of-him"]·FR["dans-son-lieu", "à-la-place-de-lui"]·heb["תחתי-ו", "תחתיו"]·HI["उसकी-जगह", "उसके-बाद", "उसके-स्थान-पर", "जगह-उसकी", "तख्ताव", "स्थान-उस-के"]·ID["menggantikan-dia", "menggantikan-nya", "menggantikannya", "penggantinya"]·IT["in-suo-luogo", "invece-di-lui"]·jav["gantosipun", "ing-panggenanipun", "ingkang-gumantosipun", "minangka-gantosipun", "nggantosaken-piyambakipun", "nggantosi", "nggantosi-piyambakipun", "nggentosi-piyambakipun"]·KO["그-대신", "그-대신에", "그를-대신하여", "그의-대신", "그의-대신에", "대신에-그"]·PT["em-lugar-dele", "em-lugar-seu", "em-seu-lugar"]·RU["вместо-него"]·ES["en-lugar-de-él", "en-lugar-suyo", "en-su-lugar"]·SW["badala-yake", "juu-ya", "mahali-pake"]·TR["yerine", "yerine-onun"]·urd["اس-کی-جگہ", "اُس-کی-جگہ", "جگہ-اس-کی", "جگہ-اُس-کی"]
3. because, inasmuch as (causal) — A causal conjunction, virtually always in the fixed phrase tachath asher ('because, inasmuch as'). This rare but important sense appears in Deuteronomic rhetoric: 'because you did not serve the LORD your God' (Deut 28:47). German 'weil' and French 'parce-que' confirm the causal reading. Only 13 occurrences, but theologically significant in covenant-curse contexts (Num 25:13; Deut 21:14). 13×
AR["بَدَلًا-مِنْ", "بَدَلَ", "بِسَبَبِ", "تَحتَ", "تَحْتَ", "مِنْ-أَجْلِ-", "وَبِسَبَبِ"]·ben["-এর-কারণে", "-কারণ", "-কারণে", "এবং-কারণে", "কারণ", "কারণ-", "কারণে", "কারণে-", "পরিবর্তে"]·DE["und-weil", "unter", "weil"]·EN["Because", "and-because", "because"]·FR["et-parce-que", "parce-que", "sous"]·heb["ו-תחת", "תחת"]·HI["इसलिए", "इसलिए-कि", "और-इसलिए", "कारण", "कारण-", "के-कारण", "के-बदले", "तखत", "बदले", "बदले-में"]·ID["Dan-karena", "Karena", "Oleh-karena", "karena", "oleh-karena", "sebab"]·IT["e-perche", "perche", "perché", "sotto"]·jav["Amargi", "Minangka-gantos", "amarga", "amargi", "amargi-", "lan-amargi", "margi", "minangka-ganti"]·KO["(전)-대신에", "그리고-때문-에", "대신-에", "대신에", "때문에", "왜냐하면", "인하여-"]·PT["Em-lugar-de", "Porque", "em-lugar-de", "em-vez-de", "por-causa-de", "porque", "¶ E-porque"]·RU["Вместо-того", "За-то-что", "И-потому", "Потому-что", "вместо", "за-то-что", "потому-что"]·ES["Por-cuanto", "Porque", "a-cambio-de", "en-lugar-de", "por-cuanto", "porque", "y-por-cuanto"]·SW["Kwa-sababu", "Na-kwa-sababu", "kwa-sababu", "taּchat"]·TR["-karşılığında", "karsiliginda-", "ve-çünkü", "yerine", "yerine-", "Çünkü", "çünkü"]·urd["اور-اس-لیے", "اِس-لیے-کہ", "بجائے", "بدلے-میں", "کیونکہ"]
Num 25:13, Deut 4:37, Deut 21:14, Deut 22:29, Deut 28:47, 1 Sam 26:21, 2 Kgs 22:17, 2 Chr 21:12, 2 Chr 34:25, Prov 1:29, Isa 53:12, Jer 29:19 (+1 more)
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
תַּ֫חַת n.[m.] the under part (Arabic تَحْتٌ id.), hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of (so Arabic تَحْتَ, Sab. תחת, Ethiopic ታሕት: Ph. תחת (Lzb385); Biblical Aramaic 𝔗 תְּחוֹת, Palm. in מן לתחת Tariff 1:4 (Cooke 320), Syriac ܬܚܽܘܬ );— I. as adv. accus. †Gn 49:25 (= Dt 33:13) the deep רֹבֶצֶת תָּ֑חַת that coucheth beneath; more usually with מִן, מִתָּחַת lit. off (מִן 1 c)…