oth, “sign,” strong’s H226

First occurrence

And God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;” Gen 1:14

Original Hebrew

Strong’s H226 אות oth, a concrete noun meaning, “sign,” from Strong’s H225 אות uwth, a primitive root meaning, “to consent.” The ancient pictographs are aleph + vav + tav.

aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
vav ו = the tent peg, thus add, secure, hook
tav ת = crossed sticks, thus mark, sign, signal, monument

According to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon, the plowman drove the ox (aleph) harnessed (vav) to the plow to a distant landmark (tav) on the horizon, in order to keep the furrow straight. The meaning of “consent” comes from the making of a covenant, where two parties arrive at an agreed-upon destination, as an ox arrives at the landmark when plowing. The meaning of “sign” comes from marking the covenant status with a sign of the covenant as a reminder to both parties.

THE ANCIENT HEBREW LEXICON | INDEX OF HEBREW ROOTS