מִתָּ֑חַת

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 מִתָּ֑חַת

   mit-TA-khat

   beneath
2. clause🔊 לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתָּ֑חַת

   LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel ve-khol-te-mu-NA a-SHER ba-sha-MA-yim mim-ma-AL va-a-SHER ba-A-rets mit-TA-khat

   not make for yourself carved image or any likeness that in the heavens above or that in the earth beneath
3. sentence🔊 לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתָּ֑חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ׃

   LO ta-a-SE-le-kha FE-sel ve-khol-te-mu-NA a-SHER ba-sha-MA-yim mim-ma-AL va-a-SHER ba-A-rets mit-TA-khat va-a-SHER bam-MA-yim mit-TA-khat la-A-rets

   not make for yourself carved image or any likeness that in the heavens above or that in the earth beneath or that in the waters under the earth

Exegesis

Three meristic relative clauses introduced by asher {אֲשֶׁר | ʾă-šer} delineate the three cosmic realms: bashamayim {בַּשָּׁמַיִם | baš-šā-ma-yim} ‘in the heavens’ modified by mimaʿal {מִמַּעַל | mim-ma-ʿal} ‘from above,’ baarets {בָּאָרֶץ | bā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘in the earth’ with mitachat {מִתַּחַת | mit-ta-ḥat} ‘from beneath,’ and bamayim {בַּמַּיִם | bam-ma-yim} ‘in the waters’ with mitachat laarets {מִתַּחַת לָאָרֶץ | mit-ta-ḥat lā-ʾā-reṣ} ‘from beneath the earth.’ This merism expresses totality by spanning upper, middle, and lower domains, forbidding any crafted object from becoming an object of worship.