From לבית to הביתה — and finally, הביתה באמת

Both phrases — “הגעתי הַבַּיְתָה” and “הגעתי לַבַּיִת” — are correct. The form הביתה parallels לבית, much like other pairs such as מצרימה–למצרים, ירושלימה–לירושלים, העִירָה–לעיר.The final ה, called ה’ המגמה (“the directional he”), is added to the end of certain nouns, especially place names, to indicate motion or direction — “toward” or “to.”

This ה’ המגמה appears frequently in Biblical Hebrew and survives today mainly in words of direction such as צפונה (northward), ימינה (to the right), החוצה (outward), קדימה (forward), and in set expressions like ארצה (to the land) — and of course, הביתה (homeward).

In modern usage, a subtle distinction has developed between הביתה and לבית:

• הגעתי הביתה means I arrived at my own home.

• הגעתי לַבַּיִת may refer to any house, not necessarily one’s own.

Interestingly, the structure הגעתי הבית, without a preposition (ל/אל) or the directional ה, does appear in the Bible:

“כַּאֲשֶׁר יָנוּס אִישׁ מִפְּנֵי הָאֲרִי וּפְגָעוֹ הַדֹּב וּבָא הַבַּיִת וְסָמַךְ יָדוֹ עַל הַקִּיר וּנְשָׁכוֹ הַנָּחָשׁ” (עמוס ה, יט)“פָּנֹה אֶל הַרְבֵּה וְהִנֵּה לִמְעָט וַהֲבֵאתֶם הַבַּיִת” (חגי א, ט)

However, even in the Bible, this structure was not the most common form.

Welcome הביתה — to all our hostages, finally home!