Bible Word Study
מַתָּנָה
Mattânâh · Mattanah, a place in the Desert
מַתָּנָה
Mattanah, a place in the Desert
Definition
Mattanah is a proper noun referring to a specific location in the wilderness during the Israelites' journey from Egypt to the Promised Land. It is one of the named stops in the itinerary recorded in Numbers 21:18-19, situated between Beer (the well) and Nahaliel. The name itself means 'gift,' suggesting the site may have been perceived as a providential provision of water or rest in the arid desert. Its mention is solely geographical, marking a stage in the nation's travel through the Transjordan region.
Biblical Usage
The word Mattanah is used exclusively as a place name in the Old Testament, appearing only in the Book of Numbers. It is found within a poetic fragment (Numbers 21:17-18) and the subsequent prose itinerary (Numbers 21:19) that lists the wilderness stations. Its usage is strictly locative, with no narrative events attached to it, serving only to chart the progression of Israel's journey.
Etymology
Mattanah (מַתָּנָה) is identical to the common Hebrew noun mattanah (H4979), which means 'gift' or 'present.' It derives from the root נ-ת-ן (n-t-n), meaning 'to give.' As a place name, it is therefore a 'gift' location, likely named for a natural feature like a spring or oasis that was a welcomed provision in the desert.
Semantic Range
While the place itself has no attached narrative, its name 'gift' and its position in the wilderness itinerary subtly reinforce the theme of God's provision and guidance for His people. Each stop, even those without recorded miracles, was part of His ordained path. Understanding the meaning 'gift' enriches the reading of Numbers 21, reminding the reader that the journey's sustenance came from God. In the ancient Near East, travel through desert regions depended entirely on known water sources and stopping points. Naming a site 'Gift' would immediately communicate its value as a life-sustaining haven. For the Israelites, recording these names in a formal itinerary (Numbers 33) served as a historical record of God's faithfulness in leading them, turning anonymous geography into a testimony. Beer (Be'er, H0875) — A 'well,' another type of provided water source in the wilderness itinerary. Nahaliel (Nachaliel, H5160) — A subsequent stop meaning 'valley of God' or 'wadi of God,' also a geographically descriptive name.
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]