מָתְנַ֣יִם

𐤌𐤕𐤍𐤉𐤌

matenayim

loins

from an unused root meaning to be slender; properly, the waist or small of the back; only in plural the loins; [phrase] greyhound, loins, side.

H4975

Proverbs 30:31 · Word #2

Lexicon H4975

Lemmaמֹתֶן
Lemma (Paleo)𐤌𐤕𐤍
Transliterationmôthen
Strong'sH4975
In-contextloins

Morphology HNcmda All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number d — Dual — Dual (exactly two)
State a — Absolute — The noun stands independently

SIBI-P1 H4975-03

slender waist-pair

Rootמתן (m-t-n)
Core Meaningsslenderness, narrowness, waist, small of the back
Semantic Rangeloins, waist, hips, small of the back; figuratively strength, virility, procreative power, or readiness for action (as in girding the loins)
Conceptual SignificanceIn biblical thought the loins symbolize strength, generative power, and preparedness. To "gird the loins" signifies readiness for action, while descent from one’s loins denotes lineage and covenant continuity.
Morphological NotesMasculine noun in the dual absolute form; though singular in lemma (מֹתֶן), it appears only in the dual to denote the pair of loins/waist region.
Rendering RationaleThe noun derives from a root associated with slenderness or narrowness, referring to the narrow part of the body. The form מָתְנַיִם is masculine dual absolute, indicating a natural pair; "waist-pair" reflects the dual form while "slender" preserves the root sense.

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

Words from Root מתן (slenderness, narrowness, waist, small of the back)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H4975-01 bematenayv in his loins
H4975-02 bemateneyhem in their slender loins
H4975-04 matenayv his slender loins
H4975-05 mateney loins of
H4975-06 mateneykha your slender loins
H4975-07 mimateney from the loins of
H4975-08 vemateneynu in our loins

Word Usage (47 occurrences of H4975)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 37:34 בְּ/מָתְנָ֑י/ו bematenayv on his loins
Exodus 12:11 מָתְנֵי/כֶ֣ם mateneykhem your loins
Exodus 28:42 מִ/מָּתְנַ֥יִם mimatenayim from the loins