בתוך

Hebrew

Root
ת־ו־ך (t-w-k)

Etymology

From בְּ־ (be-, “in”) +‎ תּוֹךְ (tokh, “inside”). Compare Ugaritic 𐎁𐎚𐎋 (btk).

Pronunciation

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Preposition

בְּתוֹךְ • (betókh)

1. inside, within, in the middle of
   • Tanach, Genesis 1:6, with translation of Aryeh Kaplan:

     וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי רָקִיעַ בְּתוֹךְ הַמָּיִם וִיהִי מַבְדִּיל בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם

     va-yómer Elohím y'ho raqíaʿ btokh ha-máyim viyhí mavdíl bein máyim la-máyim

     God said, 'There shall be a sky in the middle of the water, and it shall divide between water and water.'

2. into
   • Tanach, Esther 4:1, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     וּמָרְדֳּכַי יָדַע אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה וַיִּקְרַע מָרְדֳּכַי אֶת בְּגָדָיו וַיִּלְבַּשׁ שַׂק וָאֵפֶר וַיֵּצֵא בְּתוֹךְ הָעִיר וַיִּזְעַק זְעָקָה גְדֹלָה וּמָרָה

     u-Mordokhái yadáʿ et kol ashér naʿasáh va-yiqráʿ Mordokhái et bgadáv vayilbásh saq va-éfer va-yetsé btókh ha-ir vayizʿáq zaʿaqáh gdoláh u-maráh

     Now when Mordecai knew all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and cried with a loud and a bitter cry.

3. among
   • Tanach, Exodus 2:5, with translation of the English Standard Version:

     וַתֵּרֶד בַּת פַּרְעֹה לִרְחֹץ עַל הַיְאֹר וְנַעֲרֹתֶיהָ הֹלְכֹת עַל יַד הַיְאֹר וַתֵּרֶא אֶת הַתֵּבָה בְּתוֹךְ הַסּוּף וַתִּשְׁלַח אֶת אֲמָתָהּ וַתִּקָּחֶהָ

     va-téred bat parʿoh lirḥótz ha-yór v-naʿarotéha holkhót ʿal yad ha-yór va-tére et ha-teváh btókh ha-suf va-tishláḥ et amatáh va-tiqaḥeha

     Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it.

Inflection

Inflection table

Non-personal-pronoun-including form				בְּתוֹךְ (b'tókh, “inside”)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Masculine	Feminine
First person	בְּתוֹכִי (b'tokhi, “inside me”)		בְּתוֹכֵנוּ (b'tokhéinu, “inside us”)
Second person	בְּתוֹכְךָ (b'tokh'khá, “inside you”)1	בְּתוֹכֵךְ (b'tokhékh, “inside you”)	בְּתוֹכְכֶם (b'tokh'khém, “inside you”)1	בְּתוֹכְכֶן (b'tokh'khén, “inside you”)1
Third person	בְּתוֹכוֹ (b'tokhó, “inside him”)	בְּתוֹכָהּ (b'tokháh, “inside her”)	בְּתוֹכָם (b'tokhám, “inside them”)	בְּתוֹכָן (b'tokhán, “inside them”)
Notes	In colloquial Modern Hebrew pronunciation, the accent on these forms often falls on the second syllable rather than the final syllable.

Related terms

• לתוך
• מתוך