מָצְא֥וּ
𐤌𐤑𐤀𐤅
matseu
they found
a primitive root; properly, to come forth to, i.e. appear or exist; transitively, to attain, i.e. find or acquire; figuratively, to occur, meet or be present; [phrase] be able, befall, being, catch, [idiom] certainly, (cause to) come (on, to, to hand), deliver, be enough (cause to) find(-ing, occasion, out), get (hold upon), [idiom] have (here), be here, hit, be left, light (up-) on, meet (with), [idiom] occasion serve, (be) present, ready, speed, suffice, take hold on.
Judges 21:14 · Word #14
Lexicon H4672
| Lemma | מָצָא |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤑𐤀 |
| Transliteration | mâtsâʼ |
| Strong's | H4672 |
| In-context | they found |
Morphology HVqp3cp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | p — Perfect — Completed action |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | c — Common — Common (both genders) |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
SIBI-P1 H4672-30
they came upon
| Root | מצא (m-ṣ-ʾ) |
| Core Meanings | finding, attaining, encountering, coming upon, discovering, being present |
| Semantic Range | to find, discover, encounter, attain, obtain, meet with, experience, befall, be present or available |
| Conceptual Significance | מצא frequently marks moments of providential encounter—whether finding favor, wisdom, trouble, or divine presence. It often signals that what is "found" is not accidental but situated within YHWH’s ordering of events, highlighting themes of discovery, judgment, or grace. |
| Morphological Notes | Qal perfect, 3rd person common plural from מצא. The Qal stem conveys the basic active meaning; the perfect form denotes completed action in past narrative context. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Qal stem expresses the simple active sense of the root מצא, meaning to find or come upon. The perfect 3rd common plural form is reflected by "they," indicating a completed action performed by a plural subject. "Came upon" preserves the core sense of encountering or attaining what is present. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root מצא (finding, attaining, encountering, coming upon, discovering, being present)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H4672-01 |
behimatseo | in his being found |
H4672-02 |
bemotsaakhem | in your finding |
H4672-03 |
emetsa | I find / I come upon |
Word Usage (457 occurrences of H4672)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 2:20 | מָצָ֥א | matsa | was found |
| Genesis 4:14 | מֹצְאִ֖/י | motsei | finds me |
| Genesis 4:15 | מֹצְאֽ/וֹ | motseo | finding him |