Lexical Summary
mattah: downward, below, beneath
Original Word:מַטָּה
Part of Speech:Adverb
Transliteration:mattah
Pronunciation:mat-taw'
Phonetic Spelling:(mat'-taw)
KJV: beneath, down(-ward), less, very low, under(-neath)
NASB:downward, below, beneath, bottom, lower, less, under
Word Origin:[fromH5786 (עָוַר - blinded) with directive enclitic appended]
1. downward, below or beneath
2. often adverbially with or without prefixes
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
beneath, downward, less, very low, underneath
Fromavar with directive enclitic appended; downward, below or beneath; often adverbially with or without prefixes -- beneath, down(-ward), less, very low, under(-neath).
see HEBREWavar
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
natahDefinitiondownwards
NASB Translationbelow (2), beneath (2), bottom (2), downward (5), less (1), lower (2), under (1), underneath (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
, (from [] for []
a place of declension (compare , ), with locative, Ol
222b Kö
ii. 280: compare the opposed to , below ): —
,Deuteronomy 28:43 and thou shalt descenddownwards, downwards, i.e. lower and lower,Proverbs 15:24 .
:
downwardsDeuteronomy 28:13 ,Isaiah 37:31 =2 Kings 19:30 (compare Ph CIS1. i. 2, 11 f. let them not have rootdownwards, or fruit upwards),Jeremiah 31:37;Ecclesiastes 3:21; 2Chronicles 32:30;Ezra 9:13 either (Be) hast kept back,downward, part of our iniquity (prevented it from appearing, and being counted against us), or, held us (Ges), or thy anger (Ke), back,below (compareabove, 2 Chronicles 34:4) our iniq. (punished us less than our iniq. deserved).
, (a) of space,and downwards,Ezekiel 1:27 ,Ezekiel 8:2; (b) of age,and under,1 Chronicles 17:23 .
beneath (see opposed toabove),Exodus 26:24 =Exodus 36:29;Exodus 27:5 =Exodus 38:4,Exodus 28:27 =Exodus 39:20.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Range of UsageThe term denotes what is lower, underneath, or directed downward. It is the antonym of what is “upward,” and the contexts show both literal spatial orientation and figurative description of status, destiny, or spiritual direction.
Tabernacle Architecture: Lower Supports and Fastenings
InExodus 26:24; 27:5; 28:27; 36:29; 38:4; and 39:20 the word highlights the part of the sanctuary furniture that lay “beneath,” ensuring stability. The boards of the Holy Place were joined “at the bottom” (Exodus 26:24), while the bronze altar’s grating was set “beneath the ledge” (Exodus 27:5). By drawing attention to the concealed, load-bearing components, the passages teach that the unseen matters of worship—reverence, holiness, obedience—are as essential as the visible.
Covenant Blessings and Cursings: National Rising or Falling
Deuteronomy 28 contrasts covenant fidelity with apostasy. Verse 13 promises, “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you will only move upward and not downward”. Verse 43 warns that disobedience will invert social order: “The alien living among you will rise higher and higher above you, but you will sink lower and lower.” The same Hebrew adverb marks the nation’s trajectory, underlining that spiritual decline issues in tangible humiliation, whereas faithful obedience is attended by elevation.
Administration and Civic Order
1 Chronicles 27:23 records David’s restraint in numbering those “twenty years old and under,” acknowledging that the Lord had promised to multiply Israel. Age “beneath” the usual conscription line was left uncounted, preserving dependence on divine promise rather than military statistics. In2 Chronicles 32:30 Hezekiah redirected the waters of Gihon “downward to the west side of the City of David,” stewarding resources so that what flowed above the surface would also supply what lay below.
Prophetic Imagery: Rooted Below, Fruit Above
Assurance to the remnant of Judah is cast in agricultural metaphor: “The surviving remnant… will again take root downward and bear fruit upward” (2 Kings 19:30;Isaiah 37:31). Spiritual restoration starts with hidden roots. Depth with God precedes visible productivity, a principle valid for personal discipleship and corporate revival.
Wisdom Literature and Moral Trajectories
Proverbs 15:24 draws a moral map: “The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may avoid going down to Sheol.”Ecclesiastes 3:21 observes that the human spirit “ascends upward” while the beast’s spirit “descends downward to the earth.” The vocabulary of altitude frames eternal destiny. Wisdom lifts toward God; folly sinks toward death.
The Depths Known Only to God
Jeremiah 31:37 anchors divine faithfulness in cosmic extremes: “Only if the heavens above can be measured and the foundations of the earth below be searched out will I reject all the offspring of Israel”. The unreachable “below” magnifies covenant certainty; God’s grace outstrips human exploration.
Visions of Glory: The Radiance Below the Waist
InEzekiel 1:27 and 8:2 the prophet sees a human-like figure whose appearance “from what looked like His waist downward was fire.” The fiery brilliance beneath signifies holiness that consumes impurity and supports the throne of God. Even what is “lower” in the vision blazes with majesty.
Historical Penitence and Lesser Judgment
Ezra 9:13 thanks God that, after the exile, “You our God have punished us less than our iniquities deserved.” The phrase “less than” employs the same root idea of downward diminution, underscoring mercy that restrains wrath.
Theological Summary
1. Spatial: It marks what is physically lower in construction, geography, or anatomy.
2. Social: It describes subordination or humiliation when covenant obligations are ignored.
3. Spiritual: It contrasts life that moves toward God with life that drifts toward Sheol.
4. Eschatological: It guarantees that God’s knowledge and sovereignty extend to the deepest realms; nothing “below” lies outside His rule.
Ministry Implications
• Cultivate hidden roots—private devotion sustains public fruit.
• Guard against moral and doctrinal decline; downward drift begins subtly.
• Remember that mercy restrains deserved judgment, motivating gratitude and holiness.
• Proclaim that Christ’s exaltation calls believers from the depths of sin to the heights of fellowship with God, fulfilling every upward promise hinted at in these texts.
Forms and Transliterations
וּלְמַ֔טָּה וּלְמַ֖טָּה וּלְמָ֑טָּה ולמטה לְמַ֙טָּה֙ לְמַ֥טָּה לְמַֽטָּה־ לְמָ֑טָּה למטה למטה־ מִלְּמַ֖טָּה מִלְּמַ֙טָּה֙ מִלְּמַטָּה֒ מִלְּמָ֑טָּה מִלְמַ֙טָּה֙ מַ֥טָּה מָּֽטָּה׃ מָֽטָּה׃ מטה מטה׃ מלמטה lə·maṭ·ṭāh lə·māṭ·ṭāh lə·maṭ·ṭāh- leMattah ləmaṭṭāh ləmāṭṭāh ləmaṭṭāh- maṭ·ṭāh māṭ·ṭāh Mattah maṭṭāh māṭṭāh mil·lə·maṭ·ṭāh mil·lə·māṭ·ṭāh mil·maṭ·ṭāh millematTah milləmaṭṭāh milləmāṭṭāh milMattah milmaṭṭāh ū·lə·maṭ·ṭāh ū·lə·māṭ·ṭāh uleMattah ūləmaṭṭāh ūləmāṭṭāh
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