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מוּת

𐤌𐤅𐤕

Mut

H4192 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מות to die, perish, cease living

Definition

The substantive form מוּת (mûth) denotes 'death,' specifically the cessation of life or the state resulting from dying. In the Psalms, particularly in the rare phrase מוּת לַבֵּן (muth labben), it appears as a liturgical or musical term, possibly the name of a song or tune meaning 'death of the son.' Elsewhere, as a verb (in other forms), it regularly means 'to die.' In the context of superscriptions in Psalms, its exact referent is debated, but it always relates to death as an event or state.

Semantic Range

death (as an event or condition), dying, fatality, terminal state; as part of a musical/liturgical superscription, indicating tune, occasion, or theme associated with death

Root / Etymology

From the root מוּת (מת), meaning 'to die.' The substantive stems directly from the root and is related to the common verbal forms throughout Biblical Hebrew. The phrase מוּת לַבֵּן represents a compound use, where מוּת is the noun 'death' and לַבֵּן specifies 'of the son.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

מוּת לַבֵּן appears only in Psalm 9's superscription, where its precise meaning is unclear. It is traditionally understood as either a tune or liturgical direction referencing 'the death of the son,' possibly commemorating a specific event or individual, or as the incipit of a known melody. In post-biblical and translation contexts, this phrase has been left untranslated or rendered speculatively (e.g., 'to the tune of the death of the son'), reflecting the ambiguity. The use of מוּת as a noun ('death') is standard throughout Classical Hebrew, though the exact phrase מוּת לַבֵּן is unique and its function as a technical or musical term is debated. Standard English translations often leave the phrase untranslated or render it as a musical direction, which may obscure the original nuance.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Psalm אֲבִירָם or מוּת לַבֵּן; from מוּת and בֵּן with the preposition and article interposed; 'To die for the son', probably the title of a popular song; death, Muthlabben.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מות (m-w-t) — to die, perish, cease living

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4131 מוֹט in death of
H4191 מוּת I will cause to die
H4193 מוֹת to death
H4194 מָוֶת in death
H4463 מָמוֹת the death-doomed ones

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4192-02 לַבֵּ֗ן laben HNp of the son to the son 1
H4192-03 מֽוּת mut HVqc death to die 1
H4192-01 עַלְמ֥וּת alemut HNcfsc upon death death-of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4192-01 Psalms 9:1 עַלְמ֥וּת alemut HNcfsc upon death death-of
H4192-02 Psalms 9:1 לַבֵּ֗ן laben HNp of the son to the son
H4192-03 Psalms 48:15 מֽוּת mut HVqc death to die
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