← H4986 H4988 →

מֹתֶק

𐤌𐤕𐤒

môtheq

H4987 noun

SILEX Entry

Root מתק to be sweet, to become pleasant, to taste good

Definition

Sweetness; a pleasant or agreeable taste or quality, typically associated with food, drink, or speech. The term primarily denotes the natural quality of being sweet, particularly that which is desirable or delightful to the senses of taste or, by extension, to other experiences.

Semantic Range

sweetness (of food, drink), pleasantness (of experience or words), agreeable quality, delightful (figurative usage)

Root / Etymology

From the root מָתַק, which means 'to be or become sweet, pleasant.' מֹתֶק is a noun derived from this root, indicating the state or quality of being sweet or pleasant.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מֹתֶק appears sparingly (e.g., Proverbs 27:7; Ecclesiastes 5:11, 6:7), always conveying the idea of pleasant sweetness or delightfulness, usually tangible (as in food) but sometimes metaphorical (as in the pleasures of life, or pleasant words). In classical usages, it does not imply a cloying or overwhelming quality, but rather a desirable, palatable sweetness. Later Greek and English translations often render it simply as 'sweetness' or 'sweet,' but some contextually translated it as 'delight' or 'pleasurable.' It is not used to denote endearment or affection, for which other Hebrew terms would be used. The noun is closely related to but distinct from terms such as דֻּבְשָׁן (honeycomb) or דְּבַשׁ (honey), which refer more specifically to substances, while מֹתֶק remains focused on the quality or experience of sweetness.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from מָתַק; sweetness; sweetness.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.

+ Add Bantu Hebrew Word

Root Family

מתק (m-t-q) — to be sweet, to become pleasant, to taste good

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4477 מַמְתַּק sweet delicacies
H4966 מָתוֹק to what is sweet
H4985 מָתַק they were sweet
H4986 מֶתֶק and sweetness of
H4988 מָתָק he was sweet to him

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4987-01 מָתְקִ֔/י mateqi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my sweetness my sweetness 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4987-01 Judges 9:11 מָתְקִ֔/י mateqi HNcmsc/Sp1cs my sweetness my sweetness
← H4986 Hebrew Lexicon H4988 →