Bible Word Study
מַתָּן
Mattân · Mattan, the name of a priest of Baal, and of an Israelite
מַתָּן
Mattan, the name of a priest of Baal, and of an Israelite
Definition
Mattan is a proper noun used as a personal name for two distinct individuals in the Old Testament. The most prominent is Mattan, a priest of Baal who was killed during the religious reforms of King Jehoiada in Jerusalem (2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chronicles 23:17). The other is Mattan, the father of Shephatiah, who was a prince of Judah during the reign of King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 38:1). The name itself means 'gift,' but its theological significance is derived entirely from the character and context of its bearers.
Biblical Usage
The name Mattan appears only three times in the Old Testament. It is used in two distinct historical contexts: first, for the priest of Baal executed in the temple purge following Athaliah's overthrow (2 Kings 11:18, 2 Chronicles 23:17). Second, it identifies the father of a prince who opposed the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 38:1). The usage is exclusively as a personal name with no other semantic range.
Etymology
Mattan (מַתָּן) is derived from the same root as the common noun mattan (H4976), meaning 'a gift.' It is a masculine proper name formed directly from this noun, essentially meaning 'Gift.' This is part of a common Hebrew naming convention where personal names are derived from nouns describing attributes or blessings.
Semantic Range
The name Mattan is theologically significant primarily through the character of Mattan the priest of Baal. His story highlights the intense conflict between the worship of Yahweh and Canaanite Baal worship in Israel's history. His execution (2 Kings 11:18) symbolizes the purging of idolatry and the restoration of covenant faithfulness under Jehoiada and Joash. Understanding this context underscores the seriousness of religious apostasy in the biblical narrative. As a name meaning 'gift,' Mattan reflects a common cultural practice of giving children names that express hope or acknowledgment of a divine blessing. The stark contrast between a priest bearing this name serving a false god (Baal) and the biblical concept of every good gift coming from Yahweh (James 1:17) would have been striking to the original audience, emphasizing the perversion of true devotion. Nathan (נָתָן, H5416) — A more common Hebrew name also meaning 'he gave' or 'gift,' borne by the prophet Nathan. Mattithiah (מַתִּתְיָה, H4993) — Another name meaning 'gift of Yahweh,' showing the theophoric element linking the gift to God.
Word Details
How this works
Definitions are from the Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (BDB, 1906, public domain). Concordance and morphology data are from the OSHB (Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible).
Full methodology & sources →References
- Abbott-Smith, G. (1921) A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament. Edinburgh: T&T Clark. [Public Domain]
- Brown, F., Driver, S.R. and Briggs, C.A. (1906) A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Clarendon Press. [Public Domain]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Tyndale Brief lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (TBESG). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Formatted full LSJ (TFLSJ). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
- Thayer, J.H. (1889) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament. [Public Domain]
- Gesenius, W. (1846) Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament. [Public Domain]
- Dodson, J. (2010) Greek Lexicon. Biblical Humanities. [CC0]