מַטֶּה֩

𐤌𐤈𐤄

mateh

a staff

or (feminine) מַטָּה; from נָטָה; a branch (as extending); figuratively, a tribe; also a rod, whether for chastising (figuratively, correction), ruling (a sceptre), throwing (a lance), or walking (a staff; figuratively, a support of life, e.g. bread); rod, staff, tribe.

H4294

Numbers 17:21 · Word #10

Lexicon H4294

Lemmaמַטֶּה
Lemma (Paleo)𐤌𐤈𐤄
Transliterationmaṭṭeh
Strong'sH4294
In-contexta staff

Morphology HNcmsa All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

SIBI-P1 H4294-09

branch-staff

Rootנטה (n-ṭ-h)
Core Meaningsto stretch out, extend, spread, incline, bend
Semantic Rangebranch, rod, staff, sceptre, tribal division (as an extended branch of a people), support (e.g., staff of bread)
Conceptual Significanceמַטֶּה expresses the idea of extension from a source—whether a physical branch, a ruling sceptre, or a tribal lineage branching from a patriarch. In Israel’s tribal structure, each "branch-staff" signifies both authority and organic connection to the covenant family, linking leadership, identity, and inheritance to the root from which it extends.
Morphological NotesMasculine singular noun; appears in both absolute and construct states (HNcmsa, HNcmsc). Derived from the root נטה in a nominal pattern indicating an instrument or result of extension.
Rendering RationaleThe noun מַטֶּה is a masculine singular form derived from the root נטה, "to stretch out" or "extend." The rendering "branch-staff" preserves the image of something extended (a branch) and its concrete function as a staff or rod, while also allowing for the figurative sense of a tribal branch extending from a larger body. The singular form reflects the masculine singular morphology (HNcmsa/c).

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root נטה (to stretch out, extend, spread, incline, bend)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H5186-01 ateh I will stretch out
H4294-01 bamateh in the staff
H4294-02 bematehu with his extending-staff
H4294-03 bematekha with your extending-staff
H5186-02 binetoti in my stretching out
H4294-04 hamateh the extended-branch
H4294-05 hamatot the branch-tribes
H4296-01 hamitah the stretched-out couch
H4296-02 hamitot the stretch-out beds
H5186-03 hanetuyah the stretched-out (feminine singular)
H5186-04 hanoteh the one stretching out
H5186-05 hat Stretch out!
H5186-06 hateh Cause to stretch out!
H5186-07 hati Cause to stretch out!
H5186-08 hatu Stretch out!
H5186-09 hitah he caused to stretch out
H5186-10 hitahu he caused him to stretch out
H5186-11 hitatu she caused him to bend aside
H5186-12 hititem you men caused to turn aside
H5186-13 hititi I have caused to stretch out
H5186-14 hitu they caused to turn aside
H5186-15 kinetot at stretching-out
H5186-16 kinetoto when his stretching-out
H4294-06 lamateh to the extending-tribe
H5186-17 lehatot to cause to turn aside
H5186-18 lehatotah to cause her to turn aside
H4295-01 lematah to-downward
H4294-07 lemateh to the branch-tribe (m.s.)
H4294-08 lematot to the branch-tribes of
H5186-19 linetot to stretch out
H4295-02 matah downward
H4294-10 matehu his staff-branch
H4294-11 matekha your extending-rod
H4294-12 matot tribal branches
H4294-13 matotam their branch-staffs
H4295-03 milematah from the downward-place
H4294-14 mimateh from a branch-tribe
H4294-15 mimatot from the stretched-branches of
H4296-03 mitah a stretched-out couch
H4296-04 mitato his stretched-out bed
H4296-05 mitot stretched-out couches of
H4297-01 muteh a bending-aside
H5186-20 natah he stretched out
H5186-21 natayu they bent away
H5186-22 natetah she stretched out
H5186-23 natita you stretched out
H5186-24 natiti I have stretched out
H5186-25 natu they stretched out
H5186-26 natuy stretched-out
H5186-27 neteh Stretch out!
H5186-28 netot to stretch out / to bend aside
H5186-29 netuyah stretched-out (feminine singular)
H5186-30 netuyot outstretched (feminine plural)
H5186-31 nitayu they were stretched out
H5186-32 niteh we will stretch out
H5186-33 noteh the one stretching out
H5186-34 ntvvt stretched-out (feminine plural)
H5186-35 ntvy stretched-out (of)
H5186-36 tat may you cause to incline
H5186-37 tateh you will cause to stretch out
H5186-38 titeh she will bend aside
H4295-04 ulematah and toward the downward-direction
H4294-16 ulemateh and for the branch-tribe of
H4294-17 umateh and rod-of
H4294-18 umatehu and his outstretched-rod
H4294-19 umatekha and your extending staff
H5186-39 umatey and those causing to turn aside
H4294-20 umimateh and from the branch-tribe of
H5186-40 uneteh and stretch out!
H5186-41 vaat and I will cause-to-stretch-out
H4294-21 vamateh with the outstretched staff
H5186-42 vatatehu and she caused him to stretch out
H5186-43 vatet and she bent aside
H5186-44 vayat and he stretched out
H5186-45 vayatehu and he caused him to bend aside
H5186-46 vayatu and they caused to bend aside
H5186-47 vayet and he stretched out
H5186-48 vayitu and they bent aside
H5186-49 veat and I cause to stretch out
H4294-22 vehamateh and the extending staff
H5186-50 vehamatim and the ones causing to turn aside
H5186-51 vehati and cause to stretch out
H5186-52 vehatu and you all stretch out!
H4294-23 vematayv with his outstretched-rods
H4294-24 vemateh and branch-tribe of
H4294-25 vematehu with his extending-rod
H5186-53 venatah and he stretched out
H5186-54 venatiti and I stretched out
H5186-55 venoteyhem and those stretching them out
H5186-56 veyet and he will stretch out
H5186-57 yateh he will cause to stretch out
H5186-58 yatekha may he cause you to bend aside
H5186-59 yatenu he causes it to stretch out
H5186-60 yatu they cause to turn aside
H5186-61 yinateh he will be bent aside
H5186-62 yinatu they will be stretched out
H5186-63 yiteh he will stretch out
H3194-01 yutah Outstretched (Town)

Word Usage (252 occurrences of H4294)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 38:18 וּ/מַטְּ/ךָ֖ umatekha and your staff
Genesis 38:25 וְ/הַ/מַּטֶּ֖ה vehamateh and the staff
Exodus 4:2 מַטֶּֽה mateh a staff
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