Q: What is meant by the mystery of the missing aleph-tav in Bible translations?
A: Some people who are into sensationalism try to find hidden clues in the Scriptures, but this is not necessary. The aleph-tav construction is not “missing” but appears frequently in the Hebrew text—and even twice in the first verse of the Bible. In Classical Hebrew, it is the sign of the direct object of the verb. In Genesis 1:1, Elohim (subject) created (verb). Then the verb is followed by two direct objects: heavens and earth. Both nouns are preceded by the aleph-tav, the sign of the direct object, pronounced as “et.” This construction is not translated because it has no meaning; it is simply the sign of the direct object. On very rare occasions, it is used to express the meaning of “with” in certain verses, but the rule is that the aleph-tav construction is simply the sign of the direct object of the verb.