Let’s first look at the single Hebrew letter “prefixes” in association with the Aleph Tav. Moving along in the order of the Aleph-bet there are no Aleph/Aleph/Tav (אאת) words anywhere in the Tanakh. The first time we see in the order of the Aleph-bet a single Hebrew letter is the Bet/Aleph/Tav (באת) Word. This word is used only 10 times in the Tanakh, usually translated into English as “you come” or “you came.” There are also other ways to write these words in Hebrew. The KJV has “thou camest” used 16 times and “thou comest”used 16 times in a variety of ways, not spelled Bet/Aleph/Tav (באת) such as (תבא) (קרבת) (בואך) (הלכת) and (תבוא) just to show a few. These are the 10 places the Bet/Aleph/Tav (באת) is used in the Tanakh: Gen 16:18, Jsh 13:1, Jdg 11:12, Ru 2:12, 1Sam 13:11, 1Kin 13:14; 17:18, 2Kin 19:28, Pr 6:3 and Isa 37:29.
When we see the Bet/Aleph/Tav (באת) Word used in Hebrew text, the deeper meaning can only pertain to the covenant relationship of the Yah-head being involved in something. Proof of this is every time the Bet/Aleph/Tav (באת) Word is used it is in regard to the Yah-head bringing us “inside of” or “within” His presence because of the original meaning of the letter in Paleo-Hebrew. The very first time we see the Bet/Aleph/Tav (באת) word used is in Genesis 16:8 to describe Hagar “after” she slept with Abram and consequently became his wife. Another example of the Yah-head “bringing” something, as in a reward is the blessing Boaz speaks to Ruth in Ruth 2:12 May יהוה recompense your work and a full reward be given to you of יהוה, the Elohim of Israel, whom באת (you came) to trust under His wings. Implying that through the working of the Aleph Tav Ruth has come to trust in Elohim. The entire meaning of the letters reflect the working of the Yah-head (Elohim), which is Father working with and through Y’shua as one.
Moving along in the Aleph-bet, there are no Gimel/Aleph/Tav (גאת) or Daleth/Aleph/Tav (דאת) Hebrew words in the Tanakh. The next single Hebrew letter used as a prefix is the Hey/Aleph/Tav (האת) Word and it is used only THREE times in two verses in the entire Tanakh. The Hebrew letter Hey (האת) actually means to “reveal” or “behold” and the word Hey/Aleph/Tav (האת) is translated into English as “the sign.” There are other ways to write the word “sign” in Hebrew, so this word was obviously very special to Moses. The two verses are in Exodus 4:8 And it will come to pass, if they will not believe you and do not listen to the voice of the first האת (sign), that they may believe the voice of the last האת (sign). In Exodus 8:23 And I will put a division between my people and your people: tomorrow will this האת (sign) come…implying that this special event or sign would be something performed by the Yah-head, which is Father working with and through Y’shua as one. The three verses where the Hey/Aleph/Tav (האת) Word is used is twice in Exodus 4:8 and once in Exodus 8:23. The Hebrew word Lamed/Aleph/Vav/Tav (לאות) is translated 8 times “to sign” and 5 times “for sign” and 3 times “for sign of”. The Hey/Aleph/Vav/Tav (האות) is translated 9 times as “the sign”.
Continuing through the Aleph-bet the next prefix is the Hebrew letter Vav (ו) before the Aleph Tav (ואת) and this is discussed above, before the BONUS section in detail. Which brings us to the seventh Hebrew letter in the Aleph-bet, the Zayin (ז).There are actually only 251 Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Words used in the Tanakh. This is roughly 10% of the total 2575 times the word “this” is used in the Tanakh and the fact that the word “this” is actually spelled Zayin/Hey (זה) in Hebrew. Consequently, the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word is very special when associated with the Aleph Tav and the proof becomes crystal clear where we find it used throughout the Tanakh relative to the divine hand of the Yah-head.
When you consider the original Hebrew letter Zayin (ז) was a weapon meaning to “cut off”, and when you see where the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word is placed in scripture text with the Aleph/Tav את, you realize immediately how dynamic this symbol is and what the author is trying to imply is far more significant than the English translation “this”. When you consider that the Aleph Tav את Symbol is first a character regarding the “strength of covenant” and we now know from the Apostle John that it is also a marker that incorporates Y’shua, who is the WORD made FLESH, and that the WORD is a DOUBLE-EDGE SWORD (Heb 4:12)…you can now begin to see this symbol is referring to the Yah-head doing some serious cutting, either for a BLESSING or for a CURSE by virtue of where it is placed. The sages believe the letter represents the Messiah because of the crown on top of the symbol which also enhances the meaning of the meaning of the word in the text from a messianic perspective, especially when the letter is associated with the Aleph Tav for all blessings and curses come through Y’shua!
An example of the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word creating a BLESSING would be the first time the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word is used, which implies that our את Creator CUT a rib from Adam’sside to form Woman in Genesis 2:23 And said Adam זאת (this) is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh, לזאת (this) will be called Woman, because out of Man was taken זאת (this). To make matters even more interesting please notice the Hebrew letter “Lamed ל” which means “staff” or “authority”, in front of the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (לזאת) Word in this scripture, implying when the Women was created she was also given “authority” which was “cut” from Adam and given by את Y’shua from the Yah-head.
Please understand, the English translation of the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word as “this” or “she” is the best the translators could come up with. There are many other places in the Tanakh, that Hebrew words have been translated into English as either “this” or “she” more appropriately without the Aleph Tav. When Moses originally used the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word in Hebrew it would have been impossible for him to have been trying to use it as “this”, “these” or “that” because these words or their meaning as we use them in English may not have actually existed in Paleo-Hebrew. In Genesis 2:23 Moses was pointing to a new creation that came out of the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word which was describing Eve CUT from Adam. Consequently, the meaning Moses was trying to portray in Paleo-Hebrew, from where Woman had been created, must have been far more meaningful in the mind of Moses than the English translation indicates as “this”. Woman was created by את Y’shua from Adam according to the Apostle John (John 1:3), and both were given their authority from the Yah-head, their covering, until disobedience caused them to fall.
We do not have to look too far to see the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Word as an example of rendering a CURSE or JUDGMENT from the Yah-head…in Genesis 3:13 And said יהוה Elohim to the woman, what is זאת (this) that you have done? And the woman said, The serpent tricked me and I ate it. 14 And said יהוה Elohim to the serpent, because you have done זאת (this) you are cursed above all cattle and every wild beast of the field…implying that now – because of their Zayin/Aleph/Tav זאת disobedience in breaking Elohim’s command – as a result, all three (Adam, Eve, and Lucifer) had taken on a curse manifested by the Yah-head (את יהוה) as judgment. Consequently, when Eve fell she may have forfeited her covering and authority from the Yah-head to Adam (man) to rule over her.
NOTE: the English translation of the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) Wordas either a pronoun (this) or (she) in each sentence structure greatly diminishes the original meaning the authors were trying to convey by using this word. You will find this to also hold true in other translated English words from Hebrew where the single Hebrew letter is used as a prefix to the Aleph Tav: Mem/Aleph/Tav מאת Word, Bet/Aleph/Tav באת Word, Lamed/Aleph/Tav לאת Word, Pey/Aleph/Tav פאת Word, Tzadi/Aleph/Tav צאת Word and the Shin/Aleph/Tav שאת Word; see below.
Moving along in the Aleph-bet, there are no Heth/Aleph/Tav (חאת), no Teth/Aleph/Tav (טאת), no Yod/Aleph/Tav (יאת), and no Kaph/Aleph/Tav (כאת) in the Tanakh. The next single Hebrew letter used as a prefix to the Aleph Tav is the Lamed/Aleph/Tav (לאת) Word, which is used only ONE time in the Torah. It is in a scripture regarding the blood of the lamb when placed over the doorpost in Egypt to save the Children of Israel from the Death Angel. As stated previously, the Hebrew letter Lamed (ל) generally means “authority” and because it is the tallest letter in the Aleph-bet, it is believed by the Sages to represent יהוהFather as Melekh HaMelakhim the King of Kings. Exodus 12:13 And the blood will be לאת (a sign) upon the houses where you are: and when I see את blood, I will pass over you and the plague will not come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt…implying that the blood was the Yah-head’s authority (לאת) for the Death Angel to pass over not harming anyone inside. A beautiful picture of the type and foreshadow of the blood of Y’shua the Messiah which would be shed on Calvary’s stake for the remission of sin and to establish the new covenant with Father through His blood.
The most common way to spell “sign” in Hebrew is Aleph/Vav/Tav (אות) and is used 22 times in the Tanakh. Now, considering that John not only declared Y’shua the Aleph Tav but also the first and the last, the beginning and the end. His declaration comes more into perspective when we further understand that the entire gospel message is contained in those 22 letters of the Aleph-bet, from the first/beginning to the last/end. Seeing the Hebrew word Aleph/Vav/Tav (אות) as translated “sign” also clearly points to the greatest “sign” in history since creation and quite possibly for all eternity, the birth of Y’shua. Whereby the Vav (ו) represents “man” and it was the Aleph Tav (Aleph-bet/word) that was wrapped in flesh and tabernacled among us, and subsequently hung on the steak to become the sin offering to “bridge” (ו) man with the Yah-head/Elohim. Pictographically “the leader/headship, nailed/connected to the steak/sign, to provide covenant”.
Moving along in the Aleph-bet the next Hebrew letter used as a prefix with the Aleph Tav is the letter Mem (מ). The Mem/Aleph/Tav (מאת) Word is used a total of only 135 times in the Tanakh and is generally translated into the English word “from” or “come.” Now, since the letter is actually describing a “flow” of something, the English translation is as close to the descriptive original Paleo-Hebrew meaning of the letter as the Hebrew can be translated into one word. Please understand the Hebrew word “from” is generally spelled Mem/Nun (מן) and “come” or “coming” in Hebrew is generally spelled Bet/Aleph (בא). So when the writer combined the Aleph/Tav את Symbol with the Mem (מ) he was definitely speaking of a flow pertaining to something from the Yah-head. An example is Genesis 19:24 And ויהוה rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire מאת (from) יהוה out of heaven…implying that the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah of brimstone and fire came down from מאת יהוה the Yah-head. Just as when the Mem (מ) is placed in front of the Tetragram, the translation is “from מיהוה.”
Moving along in the Aleph-bet there is no Nun/Aleph/Tav (נאת), no Samekh/Aleph/Tav (סאת), and no Ayin/Aleph/Tav (עאת). The next letter used as a prefix is the Pey/Aleph/Tav (פאת) Word, which is used only 34 times in the Tanakh. Each time it is in relationship to “boundaries”that have been ordained from the mouth of the Yah-head. This is not surprising because the Hebrew letter Pey (פ) means to “speak” from the “mouth” and “communicate” something. When connected to the Aleph/Tav את Symbol it is translated as “edges of.” Now the most common way to spell “boundary” in Hebrew is Nun/Bet/Vav/Lamed (גבול), and it is spelled this way 99 times throughout the Tanakh. So the more insightful meaning of the Pey/Aleph/Tav פאת Word would imply that something of profound significance was being spoken from the Yah-head concerning the covenant land boundaries established in the covenant with Abraham. Consequently, the Pey/Aleph/Tav (פאת) Word can only serve as reinforcement of the importance of the spoken boundaries ordained by the Yah-head by covenant.
The only time the Pey/Aleph/Tav (פאת) Word is not used in regard to the Yah-head setting land boundaries is the commandment by יהוהFather in Leviticus 19:27 You will not round your hair at the temples or mar את the פאת (edges of) your beard…still implying a boundary commandment, which is spoken by יהוהFather. The rest of the time it is only used in relationship to commandments spoken by the Yah-head concerning His covenant land boundaries of Israel as in Lev. 19:9 And when you reap את the harvest of your land, you will not entirely reap the פאת (edges of) your field, nor will you gather the gleanings of your harvest…or Ezekiel 48:28 And by the border of Gad, to פאת (edges of) Negev southward, the border shall be even from Tamar to the waters of Meribath-kadesh, to the brook Egypt, to the great sea. 29 This זאת is the land which you shall divide by lot to the tribes of Israel for inheritance and these are their several portions, says Adonai יהוה. (Notice also in verse 29 the perfect place for the Zayin/Aleph/Tav (זאת) in regard to the covenant land being “cut” or “divided”)
Next is the Tzadi or Sadhe single Hebrew letter used as a prefix with the Aleph Tav. The Tzadi/Aleph/Tav (צאת) Word is used only 9 times in the entire Tanakh in regard to the timing of something “going forth” or “to go” when ordained by the Yah-head. The Hebrew word “to go” is spelled Lamed/Lamed/Kaph/Tav (ללכת) 84 times in the Tanakh and Lamed/Kaph/Tav 6 times (לכת). The meaning of the Paleo-Hebrew letter Tzadi (צ) is “righteousness” and looked originally like a “fish-hook.” Yet it is translated into English as “go forth” or “comes forth” in the Tanakh. An example is 1 Kings 3:7 And now, O יהוה my Elohim, you have made king את your servant instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I know not how to צאת (go forth) or come in…implying that Solomon possibly did not feel he was mature enough in righteousnessto lead so great a people. The 9 places the Tzadi/Aleph/Tav (צאת) Word is used Gn 24:11; 2Sa 11:1; 1Ki 3:7; 1Ch 20:1; 2Ch 21:19; Neh 4:21; Isa 4:4; Jer 29:2 and Ezk 4:12.
Are you ready for a mystery? The next single Hebrew letter Qoph (ק) is used as a prefix with the Aleph Tav. The Qoph/Aleph/Tav (קאת) Word, pronounce qa’at in Hebrew, the word is used 5 times in the Tanakh and is translated into the English word cormorant, which research has shown to be either a desert owl or pelican that is believed to have inhabited desert ruins. The verses are Lev 11:18, Deut 14:17, Ps 102:6, Isa 34:11, and Zeph 2:14. Yet the word pelican in Hebrew is spelled Shin/Qoph/Nun/Aleph/Yod (שקנאי) and the word cormorant in Hebrew is spelled Qoph/Vav/Resh/Mem/Vav/Resh/Nun (קורמורן). Obviously, there is more to this as to why Moses would name a bird using the Aleph Tav. I personally believe if Qoph/Aleph/Tav (קאת) is a bird, it could possibly be a desert owl and that the bird was believed to be not only wise but was so named because of its unique and strange shape and possibly its dwelling. Yet, the Hebrew word for owl is Yod/Nun/Shin/Vav/Pe (ינשוף) and the Hebrew word for screech owl is Lamed/Yod/Lamed/Yod/Tav (לילית). Strong’s has investigated the word origin and simply states “of uncertain derivation”. So, the plot thickens!
Moving right along, there is no Resh (ר) or Tav (ת) used as a prefix with the Aleph Tav but the last single Hebrew letter to be used as a Prefix is the Shin (ש). The Shin/Aleph/Tav (שאת) Word is used only 14 times in the entire Tanakh. The Hebrew letter Shin (ש) actually means “teeth” or “consume” as “consuming fire.”
When associated with the Aleph/Tav את Symbol the Shin/Aleph/Tav (שאת) Word is translated into English as “to lift up”, relative to a purpose of the Yah-head; there are other ways in Hebrew to spell “lift up.” For example to “offer up” in Hebrew is spelled Lamed/Hey/Ayin/Lamed/Vav/Tav (להעלות). An example of the Shin/Aleph/Tav (שאת) Word is Genesis 4:7 If you (Cain) do good, you will be שאת (lifted up) and if you do not do good, sin is crouching at the door, it wants you, but you can rule over it…implying that if Cain is obedient to do good, the Yah-head will bless him and receive him with His consuming spirit, giving him strength to rule over and resist sin and temptation. This should be the desire of every believer.
All 14 places the Shin/Aleph/Tav (שאת)Word appears is Gn 4:7; 44:1; 49:3, Lv 13:2; 13:10, 13:28, 13:43; Dt 1:9; Jb 27:1, 29:1; Pr 18:5, 30:21 and Jer 17:27.
Conclusion: It is important to become familiar with the original Paleo-Hebrew meaning of each of these letters used as prefixes before the Aleph/Tav את Character Symbol in order to grasp a possible more profound understanding of what the author was trying to express relative to the Yah-head.
1. Bet/Aleph/Tav באתWord 10 times: translated you came…Bet means comeinside of את.
2. Hey/Aleph/Tav האתWord 3 times: translated sign…Hey means to reveal from את.
3. Vav/Aleph/Tav ואתWord 2251 times: translated and…Vav means to connect or bridge to את.
4. Zayin/Aleph/Tav זאתWord 251 times: translated this…Zayin means to cut from את.
5. Lamed/Aleph/Tav לאתWord 1 time: translated a sign…Lamed means authority from את.
6. Mem/Aleph/Tav מאתWord 135 times: translated come or from…Mem means to flow from את.
7. Pey/Aleph/Tav פאתWord 34 times: translated boundaries…Pey means to communicate from את.
8. Tzadi/Aleph/Tav צאת Word 9 times: translated go forth…Tzadi/Sadhe means righteousness fromאת.
9. Shin/Aleph/Tav שאתWord 14 times: translated lift up…Shin means consuming fire from את.