# תַּחְתֶּנָּה



## Holop

Genesis 2:21. As you can see, there are many translation versions of this word (תַּחְתֶּנָּה). Can you please explain why there are so many versions? What makes this word so unclear? 

Also, can you give me your *literal* translation of this part 
וַיִּקַּח, אַחַת מִצַּלְעֹתָיו, וַיִּסְגֹּר בָּשָׂר, תַּחְתֶּנָּה


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## origumi

תַּחְתֶּנָּה in this context means "instead of x". Note that this is a less common employment of the word, usually it would mean "under x".

Some of the translations render it to "instead thereof" or "in its place" or "at that place" or "up the place" or "for it" or "in its stead" - all are reasonable. Other just omit the word. I guess it's because there's no natural translation for תַּחְתֶּנָּה, and maybe also due to the less common meaning which may lead to different interpretations.


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## Holop

origumi, you didn't say anything about the feminine form. The reason I ask is that I saw a translation that reads: "closed up with her flesh". Why did the translator use this form? Did he have grounds for it?



origumi said:


> <...> maybe also due to the less common meaning which may lead to different interpretations.


 Can you elaborate on that? What are the less common meanings you mean?


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## origumi

The preposition תחת basically means under, below, beneath. Yet there are cases where it means "instead of". For example in 2 Samuel 19:1 בְּנִי אַבְשָׁלוֹם בְּנִי בְנִי אַבְשָׁלוֹם, מִי-יִתֵּן מוּתִי אֲנִי תַחְתֶּיךָ. This is most likely the case with the תחתנה you asked about, and yet it can also be taken literally as "and he closed the flesh beneath it" rather than "and he closed the flesh in its place / instead of it".


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## Holop

origumi said:


> The preposition תחת basically means under, below, beneath.


 How come there is *נָּ*ה at the end? What does it suggest? Why it wasn't written just as תַּחְתֶּ?


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## origumi

Holop said:


> How come there is *נָּ*ה at the end? What does it suggest? Why it wasn't written just as תַּחְתֶּ?


The נה- is for "it" (feminine) or "her", so תחתנה means "instead of it" (of the צלע). Like in the other example תחתיך where the יך- is for "you" (singular masculine), so תחתיך means "instead of you".


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## Holop

origumi said:


> The נה- is for "it" (feminine) or "her" <...>


 I thought only ending ה makes it feminine, not נה. Can you give me another example where suffix נה makes up a word with feminine ending?

So in other words:
תחת - under (instead of)
תחת*נה* - under (instead of) *her*

Can you structure your word example in a same way?


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## origumi

Jeremiah 36:14: הַמְּגִלָּה אֲשֶׁר קָרָאתָ בָּהּ בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם, קָחֶ*נָּה* בְיָדְךָ וָלֵךְ

The  נה- in this example is a regular suffix for singular feminine direct object attached to future/imperative verb: קח אותה -> קחנה.

See also ממ*נה*.


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## Holop

origumi said:


> Jeremiah 36:14: הַמְּגִלָּה אֲשֶׁר קָרָאתָ בָּהּ בְּאָזְנֵי הָעָם, קָחֶ*נָּה* בְיָדְךָ וָלֵךְ
> 
> The  נה- in this example is a regular suffix for singular feminine direct object attached to future/imperative verb: קח אותה -> קחנה.
> 
> See also ממ*נה*.



origumi, thank you. You, as always, have been very helpful.


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## Holop

origumi, one more question: how come in today's hebrew language people are using תחתה to say "under it (fem)", not תחת*נ*ה?


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## origumi

The suffix -a was always (since earliest documented language) more common. -na is archaic and rare already in the Bible. In our case the reason may be that תחת in modern Hebrew takes indirect object (תחתנה = תחת לה) while in early times it could take direct object. Thus נה- and not ה-. If קחנה = קח אותה, then תחתנה = תחת אותה.


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