אוֹת

From the study of Jeremiah 10:2

Range of meaning

A sign, mark or token that points beyond itself. It can be a pledge (the rainbow, Gen 9:12–17; circumcision, Gen 17:11), a memorial (Josh 4:6), a proof or wonder (the signs in Egypt, Exod 7:3), a prophetic sign-act (Isa 20:3) or an omen (Isa 44:25). With 'the heavens' it means phenomena in the sky treated as messages.

Against the English

English 'sign' is accurate but bland. Modern readers may hear 'signs of the times' or end-times portents. The supplied gloss 'miraculous' fits the Exodus signs but does not fit here: these are ordinary or unusual sky events read by diviners, not miracles.

How it drifted

Mostly a matter of context. Church use of 'signs in the heavens' (from Luke 21:25 and Joel 2:30–31) leads readers to assume prophetic portents rather than pagan omen-reading.

Used elsewhere in the period

Genesis 1:14 says God made the lights in the sky 'for signs (ʾotot) and for appointed times'. The sky's signs are his creation and serve his calendar. Isaiah 44:25 has God 'frustrating the signs (ʾotot) of the babblers and making fools of diviners', and Isaiah 47:13 mocks Babylon's 'dividers of the heavens, the stargazers who at the new moons make known' the future. The Akkadian cognate ittu (plural ittātu) is the technical word for an omen in Mesopotamian divination texts.

From the study of Isaiah 7:14

Range of meaning

A sign, mark, token or pledge: anything that signals or confirms something else. It covers miracles (the plagues, Exod 7:3), ordinary objects (the rainbow, Gen 9:12; circumcision, Gen 17:11; the Sabbath, Exod 31:13), future confirming events (Exod 3:12, where the sign comes after the deliverance; 1 Sam 2:34; Isa 37:30), and symbolic people and actions (Isa 8:18 "I and the children are signs"; Isa 20:3, Isaiah walking stripped).

Against the English

English "sign" is a reasonable match. The supplied lemma gloss "miraculous" and popular use ("a sign from heaven") narrow it to the supernatural, which the Hebrew word does not require.

How it drifted

In church use "sign" in prophecy is often heard as "a miracle that proves the prophecy". In Hebrew a sign's power lies in what it points to and in God's word standing behind it.

Used elsewhere in the period

In Isa 7:11 Ahaz is offered a sign "as deep as Sheol or as high as heaven", plainly something extraordinary. Elsewhere Isaiah's signs are often ordinary events made meaningful by a prophetic word (37:30: "this year you will eat what grows by itself... and in the third year sow"). Hezekiah's sign, the shadow moving back (38:7–8), is miraculous.

From the study of Genesis 1:14

Range of meaning

A sign, mark, token or indicator. A visible thing that points to or guarantees something else: a pledge (Josh 2:12), a covenant token (the rainbow, Gen 9:12–17; circumcision, Gen 17:11; Sabbath, Exod 31:13), a standard or banner (Num 2:2), a proof (Exod 3:12), a wonder or miraculous sign (Exod 4:8–9; 'signs and wonders', Deut 6:22), and a portent (Isa 20:3).

Against the English

All the main versions say 'signs'. A modern reader may hear 'omens' or 'supernatural signals'. BSB, WEB and NLT steer toward 'signs to mark the seasons', which links the word to time-keeping.

How it drifted

Since the rise of astrology (and, in modern times, end-times charts and talk of 'blood moons'), 'signs in the heavens' tends to suggest coded messages. The Hebrew word is wider and more everyday than that.

Used elsewhere in the period

Jer 10:2: 'Do not learn the way of the nations, and do not be dismayed at the signs of the heavens ('otot hashamayim), for the nations are dismayed at them.' Jubilees 2:9 develops our verse: 'God appointed the sun to be a great sign on the earth for days, sabbaths, months, feasts, years…' The Dead Sea community also used 'ot for calendar units of time.