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מַתָּנָה

𐤌𐤕𐤍𐤄

Matanah

H4980 noun

SILEX Entry

Root נתן to give, bestow

Definition

Mattanah is a proper noun referring to a geographical location encountered by the Israelites during their wilderness journey, specifically a site named on the route from the Arnon valley toward the territory east of Moab. The term can also function as a common noun, bearing the sense of 'gift', though in the context of H4980, the referent is predominantly to the toponym.

Semantic Range

geographical place-name (station in the wilderness), 'gift' (as common noun); in this context, proper noun referring to a desert station

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root נתן (n-t-n), 'to give'; Mattanah is the feminine noun form meaning 'gift', and it develops into a proper place-name, possibly signifying 'Gift' in reference to some local tradition or significant event.

Historical & Contextual Notes

Mattanah appears only in Numbers 21:18–19 as a station in the Israelite journey through the wilderness. The name is constructed on the common noun מַתָּנָה (mattanah, 'gift') but in this context is a geographical name. This place-name has not been securely identified archaeologically or geographically; its connection to the idea of 'gift' may reflect a tradition that the site was given to the Israelites or that it possessed some especial significance in that narrative context. Apart from this proper noun, the common noun form appears elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible with the meaning 'gift' (see e.g., Prov 18:16). English translations usually preserve the Hebrew form, 'Mattanah', or occasionally render it 'Gift' in more interpretive translations. The appearance of this name should not be confused with related personal names (e.g., Mattan or Mattaniah), nor with the later term 'Mattaniah' for other figures. The use of the word as a toponym is restricted to the context of the wilderness wanderings and is absent from later periods.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

the same as מַתָּנָה; Mattanah, a place in the Desert; Mattanah.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

נתן (n-t-n) — to give, bestow, grant

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H3129 יוֹנָתָן in Yahweh-has-given
H4976 מַתָּן Mattan
H4977 מַתָּן Gift
H4978 מַתְּנָא gifts
H4979 מַתָּנָה with their gifts

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4980-02 וּ/מִ/מַּתָּנָ֖ה umimatanah HC/R/Np and from Mattanah and from Mattanah 1
H4980-01 מַתָּנָֽה matanah HNp Mattanah Gift-place 1

Occurrences in Scripture

2 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4980-01 Numbers 21:18 מַתָּנָֽה matanah HNp Mattanah Gift-place
H4980-02 Numbers 21:19 וּ/מִ/מַּתָּנָ֖ה umimatanah HC/R/Np and from Mattanah and from Mattanah
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