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מָתָק

𐤌𐤕𐤒

mâthâq

H4988 verb

SILEX Entry

Root מתק to be sweet, to become pleasant

Definition

A sweet substance, especially as a delicacy or treat, primarily referring to something pleasant to the taste such as honey or sweet food; by extension, anything regarded as sweet or desirable. The term is employed both literally for edible sweet things and metaphorically for something delightful or pleasing.

Semantic Range

sweet substance, sweet food, delicacy, sweetness (literal or figurative), something delightful, object of pleasure

Root / Etymology

The noun מָתָק is derived from the root מָתַק (mtq), which means 'to be sweet, to become sweet, to be pleasant.' The word is formed as a nomen actionis/nomen concretum, indicating a substance or object characterized by sweetness. The root itself is well-attested in Northwest Semitic languages with this core sense of 'to be sweet.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מָתָק typically designates things that are literally sweet, such as honey (e.g., Psalm 55:15) or sweet delicacies (Proverbs 9:17), often in contexts contrasting the sweetness of certain foods or experiences with bitterness or danger. Occasionally, the term is employed metaphorically for something that brings pleasure or delight. The connotation is both sensorial (sweetness of taste) and affective (pleasantness, delight). Later, in post-biblical Hebrew, the word continued to refer primarily to sweet foods but could also be used more broadly for delights. English translations such as 'dainty,' 'sweet,' or 'sweetness' do not always capture the broader semantic range, which includes any object or experience regarded as sweet or delightful. The term is less common than related words such as דְּבַשׁ (devash, 'honey') or צֳפִיחִית (tzophiḥit, 'wafer'), but its root is productive in forming other words for sweetness in Hebrew.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from מָתַק; a dainty, i.e. (generally) food; feed sweetly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

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

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
H4987 מֹתֶק my sweetness

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4988-01 מְתָ֘ק֤/וֹ metaqo HVqp3ms/Sp3ms feeds sweetly on him he was sweet to him 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4988-01 Job 24:20 מְתָ֘ק֤/וֹ metaqo HVqp3ms/Sp3ms feeds sweetly on him he was sweet to him
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