יִמְתָּ֑קוּ

𐤉𐤌𐤕𐤒𐤅

yimetaqu

are sweet

a primitive root; to suck, by implication, to relish, or (intransitively) be sweet; be (made, [idiom] take) sweet.

H4985

Proverbs 9:17 · Word #3

Lexicon H4985

Lemmaמָתַק
Lemma (Paleo)𐤌𐤕𐤒
Transliterationmâthaq
Strong'sH4985
In-contextare sweet

Morphology HVqi3mp All morphology codes

Part of Speech V — Verb — An action or state
Binyan q — Qal — Simple active
Conjugation i — Imperfect — Incomplete or ongoing action
Person 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they")
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number p — Plural — Plural

SIBI-P1 H4985-05

they will be sweet

Rootמתק (m-t-q)
Core Meaningssweetness, pleasant taste, relish, delight
Semantic Rangeto be sweet in taste, to become pleasant, to be delightful, to be agreeable or pleasing (figuratively of words, experiences, or relationships)
Conceptual SignificanceSweetness in the Hebrew Bible often symbolizes desirability, delight, and the goodness of YHWH’s words or works (e.g., sweeter than honey). The verb highlights experiential enjoyment—what is tasted and found pleasing, whether literally or metaphorically.
Morphological NotesQal imperfect (yiqtol) 3rd person masculine plural from מָתַק; intransitive verb expressing a future or incomplete state.
Rendering RationaleThe root מתק conveys the idea of sweetness or pleasant taste. In the Qal stem it functions intransitively, meaning "to be sweet." The imperfect 3rd masculine plural form יִמְתָּקוּ is therefore rendered "they will be sweet," preserving both the verbal aspect and the masculine plural subject indicated by the morphology.

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

Words from Root מתק (sweetness, pleasant taste, relish, delight)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H4989-01 bemiteqah at Sweetness
H4966-01 lematoq for what-is-sweet
H4477-01 mametaqim sweet-delights

Word Usage (5 occurrences of H4985)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Exodus 15:25 וַֽ/יִּמְתְּק֖וּ vayimetequ and became sweet
Psalms 55:15 נַמְתִּ֣יק nametiq we have been sweet
Proverbs 9:17 יִמְתָּ֑קוּ yimetaqu are sweet