וּ/לְ/מַטֵּ֥ה

𐤅/𐤋/𐤌𐤈𐤄

ulemateh

and-of tribe

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 34:28 · Word #1

Lexicon H4294

Lemmaמַטֶּה
Lemma (Paleo)𐤌𐤈𐤄
Transliterationmaṭṭeh
Strong'sH4294
In-contextand-of tribe

Morphology HC/R/Ncmsc 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 c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word

SIBI-P1 H4294-16

and for the branch-tribe of

Rootנטה (n-ṭ-h)
Core Meaningsto stretch out, extend, incline, spread
Semantic Rangebranch, staff, rod, sceptre, walking staff, symbol of authority, tribe (as an extended clan line)
Conceptual Significanceמַטֶּה connects the physical image of a staff or branch with the social reality of a tribe as an extended family line. In Israel’s structure, each tribe is a living branch from the ancestral stock, and the staff imagery also conveys authority, guidance, and identity within the covenant community.
Morphological NotesConjunction וּ + preposition לְ + noun מַטֶּה; masculine singular construct (Ncmsc). The construct form links it to a following genitive ("of …").
Rendering RationaleThe noun מַטֶּה (masculine singular construct) derives from the root נטה, "to stretch out" or "extend," originally referring to a branch or staff extended from a trunk. In construct form with the prefixed conjunction וּ and preposition לְ, it means "and for the branch-tribe of," preserving both the imagery of extension (branch) and its established meaning of "tribe" as an offshoot lineage. The construct state is reflected by the final "of."

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

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

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H5186-01 at I have stretched out
H5186-02 ateh I will stretch out
H4294-01 bamateh in the staff

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