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מַטְעַם

𐤌𐤈𐤏𐤌

maṭʻam

H4303 noun

SILEX Entry

Root טעם to taste, to perceive flavor, to judge

Definition

Edible food prepared with care and seasoning; specifically, a dish made for its pleasant flavor, often denoting something tasty, appetizing, or considered a delicacy. The term is used predominantly in the context of 'savory food' prepared to please someone's palate.

Semantic Range

delicacy, dainty dish, tasty or seasoned food, appetizing food, specially prepared food, food prepared to please the palate

Root / Etymology

From the root טָעַם (ṭaʻam), meaning 'to taste, perceive, evaluate flavor.' מַטְעַם (maṭʻam) is a noun formation indicating 'that which has taste,' extending to mean 'something prepared to taste well' or 'delicacy.' The form מַטְעַמָּה (maṭʻammāh) is a feminine variant with the same meaning.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מַטְעַם and its feminine variant מַטְעַמָּה occur primarily in the Genesis narrative of Esau and Jacob (Genesis 27), describing the specially prepared, seasoned food Isaac requested. The term always carries a nuance of intentional preparation to appeal to taste, typically with spices or additional flavoring. This distinguishes it from general terms for food (e.g., לֶחֶם leḥem, 'bread,' or אֹכֶל ʾokhel, 'food'), which lack the nuance of seasoning or delicacy. Later translations, especially in the King James tradition ('savory meat'), can be misleading, as the term does not specify meat but rather any appetizing dish. The focus is on careful seasoning and palatability, not on the substance itself. In post-biblical Hebrew, cognate forms retain the sense of delicacy or prepared dish distinguished by taste. The concept links to social practices of hospitality and honoring someone with prepared foods, particularly within the patriarchal narrative context.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

or (feminine) מַטְעַמָּה; from טָעַם; a delicacy; dainty (meat), savoury meat.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

טעם (ṭ-ʿ-m) — to taste, to perceive flavor, to judge

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2938 טָעַם I will taste
H2939 טְעַם in taste of
H2940 טַעַם according to the taste-of
H2941 טַעַם he tasted
H2942 טְעֵם discernment

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4303-03 מַטְעַמִּ֜ים mateamim HNcmpa savory food tasty delicacies 5
H4303-02 לְ/מַטְעַמּוֹתָ֑י/ו lemateamotayv HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms his delicacies to his savory delicacies 2
H4303-01 הַ/מַּטְעַמִּ֛ים hamateamim HTd/Ncmpa the savory food the seasoned delicacies 1

Occurrences in Scripture

8 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4303-03 Genesis 27:4 מַטְעַמִּ֜ים mateamim HNcmpa savory food tasty delicacies
H4303-03 Genesis 27:7 מַטְעַמִּ֖ים mateamim HNcmpa savory food tasty delicacies
H4303-03 Genesis 27:9 מַטְעַמִּ֛ים mateamim HNcmpa savory food tasty delicacies
H4303-03 Genesis 27:14 מַטְעַמִּ֔ים mateamim HNcmpa savory food tasty delicacies
H4303-01 Genesis 27:17 הַ/מַּטְעַמִּ֛ים hamateamim HTd/Ncmpa the savory food the seasoned delicacies
H4303-03 Genesis 27:31 מַטְעַמִּ֔ים mateamim HNcmpa savory food tasty delicacies
H4303-02 Proverbs 23:3 לְ/מַטְעַמּוֹתָ֑י/ו lemateamotayv HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms his delicacies to his savory delicacies
H4303-02 Proverbs 23:6 לְ/מַטְעַמֹּתָֽי/ו lemateamotayv HR/Ncmpc/Sp3ms his delicacies to his savory delicacies
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