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מְטָא

𐤌𐤈𐤀

mᵉṭâʼ

H4291 verb

SILEX Entry

Root מטא to reach, to arrive, to come, to happen

Definition

To arrive at a destination, reach a point, or come to be present; to happen or occur in the course of events. In its verbal usage, it indicates the act of encountering, attaining, or being present at a particular place, time, or circumstance. In some contexts, it can express the extension or stretching toward a place, or the coming into a situation by circumstance.

Semantic Range

to arrive at a place, to reach a destination, to come to be present, to occur, to happen, to extend toward

Root / Etymology

Root: מטא (in Aramaic; corresponding Hebrew root: מצא). The Hebrew root מצא signifies 'to find, attain, reach.' מטא is the Aramaic cognate, functioning in biblical Aramaic texts both intransitively ('to arrive, reach, occur') and occasionally transitively ('to cause to arrive'). The form found in biblical Aramaic is influenced by speech patterns in Aramaic, not Hebrew.

Historical & Contextual Notes

מְטָא occurs exclusively in the Aramaic sections of the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Daniel and Ezra) and does not appear in standard biblical Hebrew. Its semantic scope covers both the literal arrival at a place or time (e.g., 'when he arrives') and broader senses such as reaching a point or an event occurring ('when this happens'). Its usage is generally narrative or descriptive, indicating physical arrival or the unfolding of an event. English translations often render it as 'arrive,' 'reach,' 'come,' or 'befall,' but the range in Aramaic encompasses both spatial arrival and temporal or circumstantial occurrences. It is distinct from Hebrew מָצָא, which more often means 'to find' rather than 'to arrive.' In translation history, nuances may be lost if only the 'come' or 'reach' sense is used; the term encompasses both the physical and eventive domains. It reflects standard Aramaic lexicon usage and aligns with Northwest Semitic parallels.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(Aramaic) or מְטָה; (Aramaic), apparently corresponding to מָצָא in the intransitive sense of being found present; to arrive, extend or happen; come, reach.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

מטא (m-ṭ-ʾ) — to reach, to arrive, to come, to happen

Word Forms

6 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4291-06 יִמְטֵ֣א yimete AVqi3ms reached he will arrive 2
H4291-02 מְטָ֔ה metah AVqp3ms came arriving (feminine singular) 2
H4291-01 מְּטָ֔א meta AVqp3ms comes he arrived 1
H4291-03 מְטָ֖ת metat AVqp3fs has-fallen she arrived 1
H4291-05 וּ/מְטָ֣ת umetat AC/Vqp3fs and reached and she arrived 1
H4291-04 מְט֞וֹ meto AVqp3mp they reached his arriving 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4291-06 Daniel 4:8 יִמְטֵ֣א yimete AVqi3ms reached he will arrive
H4291-06 Daniel 4:17 יִמְטֵ֣א yimete AVqi3ms reached he will arrive
H4291-05 Daniel 4:19 וּ/מְטָ֣ת umetat AC/Vqp3fs and reached and she arrived
H4291-03 Daniel 4:21 מְטָ֖ת metat AVqp3fs has-fallen she arrived
H4291-01 Daniel 4:25 מְּטָ֔א meta AVqp3ms comes he arrived
H4291-04 Daniel 6:25 מְט֞וֹ meto AVqp3mp they reached his arriving
H4291-02 Daniel 7:13 מְטָ֔ה metah AVqp3ms he came arriving (feminine singular)
H4291-02 Daniel 7:22 מְטָ֔ה metah AVqp3ms came arriving (feminine singular)
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