מטה

Hebrew

Etymology 1

Root
נ־ט־ה (n-ṭ-h)

Noun

מַטֶּה • (maté) m (plural indefinite מַטּוֹת, singular construct מַטֵּה־, plural construct מַטּוֹת־)

1. stick, staff, wand
   • Tanach, Exodus 4:2, with translation of the American Standard Version:

     מזה בְיָדֶךָ וַיֹּאמֶר מַטֶּה

     má zé v'yadécha vayómer maté

     What is that in thy hand? And he said, A rod.

2. headquarters
3. (Judaism) tribe
   • Tanach, Numbers 36:3, with translation of the Darby Bible:

     וְנוֹסַף עַל נַחֲלַת הַמַּטֶּה אֲשֶׁר תִּהְיֶינָה לָהֶם

     v'nosáf ál nachalát hamaté ashér tihyéna lahém

     and shall be added to the inheritance of the tribe to which they shall belong

Synonyms

• (wand): שַׁרְבִיט (sharvít)
• (tribe): שֵׁבֶט (shévet)

References

• H4294 in Strong, James (1979) Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance to the Bible

Verb

מַטֶּה • (maté)

1. Masculine singular present participle and present tense of הִטָּה (hitá).
   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 27:19, with Young's Literal Translation:

     מַטֶּה מִשְׁפַּט גֵּר יָתוֹם וְאַלְמָנָה

     maté mishpát gér yatóm v'almaná

     he who is turning aside the judgment of fatherless, sojourner, and widow

Etymology 2

Noun

מִטָּה • (mitá) f (plural indefinite מִטּוֹת, singular construct מִטַּת־, plural construct מִטּוֹת־)

1. defective spelling of מיטה

Etymology 3

Adverb

מַטָּה • (máta)

1. down, downwards, below
   • Tanach, Deuteronomy 28:43, with translation of the Jewish Publication Society:

     הַגֵּר אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבְּךָ יַעֲלֶה עָלֶיךָ מַעְלָה מָּעְלָה וְאַתָּה תֵרֵד מַטָּה מָּטָּה׃

     hagér 'ashér b'kirb'chá ya'alé 'alécha má'la má'la v'atá teréd máta máta.
     haggēr ʾăšer bəqirbəḵā yaʿăle ʿāléḵā máʿlā mmā́ʿlā wəʾattā ṯērēḏ máṭṭā mmā́ṭṭā.

     The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall mount up above thee higher and higher; and thou shalt come down lower and lower.

2. below, earthly

   בֵּית־דִּין שֶׁל מַטָּה ― bét-dín shél máta ― Earthly court of law [as contrasted with that of Heaven]

   עַמְּךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל קְבוּצֵי מַטָּה ― am'chá yisra'él k'vutsé máta ― your people Israel, those gathered below

Antonyms

• מַעְלָה (má'la)