Strong's Lexicon

H4985

H4985 — מָתַק

Hebrew / Aramaic entry for Bible study and original-language reference.

HebrewmathaqverbOccurrences: 5TWOT: 1268

Definition / Gloss

Strong's Number:H4985
Word:מָתַק
Part of Speech:verb
Etymology:a primitive root
Language:Hebrew
Occurrences:5
Transliteration:mathaq
Phonetic Spelling/Pronunciation:maw-thak'
Meaning:1. to suck 2. (by implication) to relish 3. (intransitively) to be sweet
KJV Renderings:be (made, X take) sweet.

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Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced

BDB4901

מָתֹק verb become or be sweet, pleasant (Late Hebrew מתק, especially Pi`el; Assyrian [ matâ‡u ] be sweet, in derivatives; Ethiopic [untranscribed source text 3126] sweet; Aramaic [untranscribed source text 3127] suck (with pleasure), מְתַק id., be sweet; Arabic [untranscribed source text 3128] ( [untranscribed source text 3129] before [untranscribed source text 3130]) see smack the lips (with pleasure), [untranscribed source text 3131] sweetness); —

Qal Perfect 3 masculine singular suffix מְתָקוֺ Job 24:20 3 plural מָֽתְקוּ Job 21:33 Imperfect 3 masculine plural יִמְתָּ֑קוּ Prov 9:17, וַיִמְתְּקוּ Exod 15:25
1. literally become sweet, of water (opposed to מָרִים) Exod 15:25 ( J ); are (i.e. taste) sweet, ׳ מַיִם גְּנוּבִים יִמ Prov 9:17 (figurative of delights of illicit pleasure).
2. = be pleasant, מָֽתְקוּ לוֺ Job 21:33 sweet (pleasant) to him are the clods of the valley (said of one resting in the grave).
3. suck (Aramaic sense, compare Syriac above) מְתָקוֺ רִמָּה Job 24:20 the worm doth suck him, feast on him (on verb masculine compare Ges«GKC:145»§ 145. 7 Synt. § 345 a DaSynt. § 113 (b)), Di De Buhl (compare Kau Da; also SS who render 'angenehm finden'), but this sense in Hebrew dubious; text perhaps corrupt (compare conjectures by Bu Du).
Hiph`il Imperfect 3 feminine singular אִם תַּמְתִּיק בְּפִיו רָעָה Job 20:12 if evil gives a sweet taste in his mouth (declarative Hiph`il); 1 plural אֲשֶׁר יַחְדָּו נַמְתִּיק סוֺד Ps 55:15 we who used to make sweet (our) intimacy.


Other Resources

Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament
R. Laird Harris, Gleason L. Archer, and Bruce K. Waltke

Englishman's Hebrew Concordance

מתק (mâh-thak’)

Job 21:38

EHCC: The clods of the valley shall be פ

Job 24:20

KJV: The womb shall forget him; the worm shall feed sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered; and wickedness shall be broken as a tree.
EHCC: the worm shall feed sweelly on him;

Exodus 15:25

KJV: And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord shewed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet: there he made for them a statute and an ordinance, and there he proved them,
EHCC: the waters were made sweet :

Proverbs 9:17

KJV: Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.eaten…: Heb. of secrecies
EHCC: Stolen waters are sweet,

Job 20:12

KJV: Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth, though he hide it under his tongue;
EHCC: Though wickedness be sweet 1
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