Aramaic word · H870

אֲתַר

'atar

place

Literally 'and any place was not found for them'. ʾătar is 'place, site'. The passive 'was found' describes something that cannot be located.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

track, place

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 2:35

Range of meaning

Literally 'and any place was not found for them'. ʾătar is 'place, site'. The passive 'was found' describes something that cannot be located.

Against the English

KJV/WEB keep the idiom 'no place was found for them'. BSB and most modern versions turn it into 'not a trace', which gives the sense but hides the verbal link to Revelation.

Used elsewhere in the period

Theodotion's Greek renders it 'kai topos ouch heurethē autois', wording that Revelation picks up: of the dragon's forces, 'nor was their place found any longer in heaven' (Rev 12:8), and of earth and sky before the throne, 'no place was found for them' (Rev 20:11). Compare Ps 37:10, 36; 103:16.

From the study of Ezra 5:15

Range of meaning

Place, site, location. In Daniel 2:35 it means a 'trace' or a 'place' that can no longer be found. In Ezra 5:15; 6:5, 7 it refers to the specific site where the temple or its vessels belong.

Against the English

KJV says 'in his place', using the old English 'his' for 'its'. WEB has 'in its place', and BSB 'on its original site', which spells out the implied 'original' (accurate, but an added word). Some modern versions say 'on its site'.

How it drifted

In KJV English, 'his' was still the normal possessive for neuter things ('its' was just coming into use). Modern readers can take 'his place' to mean God's place or a person's place.

Used elsewhere in the period

Mesopotamian kings boasted of rebuilding temples exactly on their ancient foundations, searching out the original foundation deposits (Akkadian temennu). Nabonidus, the last Babylonian king just before Cyrus, is especially known for this. Rebuilding on the original spot showed continuity and legitimacy. Ezra 6:7 repeats the order: 'let them rebuild this house of God on its place.'

Where it appears

Ezra · 4

  1. Ezra 5:15 אַתְרֵֽהּ׃ ס place its

    and instructed, ‘Take these articles, put them in the temple in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be rebuilt on its original site.’

    Here: 'Its place': the original site of the house. The order is to rebuild on the same ground and foundations, not to found a new sanctuary somewhere else. Ezra 6:5 uses the same word for each vessel returning 'to its place'.

  2. Ezra 6:3 אֲתַר֙ a place

    In the first year of King Cyrus, he issued a decree concerning the house of God in Jerusalem: Let the house be rebuilt as a place for offering sacrifices, and let its foundations be firmly laid. It is to be sixty cubits high and sixty cubits wide,

    Here: Describes what the house is: a site for sacrifice. It may also hint at the same location, meaning the temple goes back where it stood before.

  3. Ezra 6:5 לְאַתְרֵ֔הּ to place its

    Furthermore, the gold and silver articles of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took from the temple in Jerusalem and carried to Babylon, must also be returned to the temple in Jerusalem and deposited in the house of God.

  4. Ezra 6:7 אַתְרֵֽהּ׃ place its

    Leave this work on the house of God alone. Let the governor and elders of the Jews rebuild this house of God on its original site.

Daniel · 4

  1. Daniel 2:35 אֲתַ֖ר place

    Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

    Here: 'Place, site, trace.' A place is what was left for them, and nothing was left.

  2. Daniel 2:39 וּבָתְרָ֗ךְ and after you

    But after you, there will arise another kingdom, inferior to yours. Next, a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule the whole earth.

  3. Daniel 7:6 בָּאתַ֨ר after

    Next, as I watched, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard, and on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. The beast also had four heads, and it was given authority to rule.

  4. Daniel 7:7 בָּאתַ֣ר after

    After this, as I watched in my vision in the night, suddenly a fourth beast appeared, and it was terrifying—dreadful and extremely strong—with large iron teeth. It devoured and crushed; then it trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the beasts before it, and it had ten horns.

    Here: Literally 'in the place of'. With 'this' it means 'after this'. It marks the next scene in a sequence of visions, the same opening as verse 6.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.