4982. Mattenay

Lexical Summary

Mattenay: Mattenai

Original Word: מַתְּנַי
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Mattnay
Pronunciation: mat-teh-nah'-ee
Phonetic Spelling: (mat-ten-ah'ee)
KJV: Mattenai
NASB: Mattenai
Word Origin: [from H4976 (מַתּתָּן - gift)]

1. liberal
2. Mattenai, the name of three Israelites

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

Mattenai

From mattan; liberal; Mattenai, the name of three Israelites -- Mattenai.

see HEBREW mattan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from nathan
Definition
an Isr. priest, also two Isr.
NASB Translation
Mattenai (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

מַתְּנַי proper name, masculine (abbreviated from foregoing); — ᵐ5 Μαθ(θ)ανια, Μαθθαναι; —

1 a priest Nehemiah 12:19.

2 name of two who took strange wives:

a. Ezra 10:33.

b. Ezra 10:37.

Topical Lexicon

Biblical Occurrences

Ezra 10:33 – “From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei.”

Ezra 10:37 – “From the descendants of Zattu: Mattenai, Zechariah, Jehiel, Abdi, Jeremoth, and Elijah.”

Nehemiah 12:19 – “of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah, Uzzi;”

Historical Context

All three references fall within the post-exilic period, roughly the fifth century B.C., when Judah’s remnant returned from Babylonian captivity, rebuilt the temple, and re-established covenant life in Jerusalem. Ezra’s ministry (Ezra 7–10) focused on restoring the authority of the Law, while Nehemiah’s governorship (Nehemiah 1–13) centered on rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls and reforming communal life. Mattenai’s appearances therefore sit at the heart of Israel’s spiritual renewal.

Mattenai and the Call to Repentance (Ezra 10)

Two men named Mattenai are listed among those who had taken foreign wives. Their willingness to be named publicly and to sever unlawful marriages highlights key themes:
• Corporate accountability: Each family’s sin threatened the integrity of the restored community.
• Personal repentance: The enumeration shows individuals accepting responsibility rather than hiding behind collective anonymity.
• Restorative discipline: Ezra’s solution included confession, restitution, and the presentation of guilt offerings (Ezra 10:19). Mattenai, with the others, serves as a reminder that genuine revival requires concrete steps of obedience.

Mattenai and Priestly Leadership (Nehemiah 12)

A later Mattenai is recorded as the head of the priestly family of Joiarib during the days of Joiakim the high priest. His inclusion in the formal priestly register underscores:
• Continuity of legitimate priestly succession from pre-exilic times.
• Stabilization of worship practices in the rebuilt temple.
• The importance of identifiable, faithful leaders who guard doctrinal purity and liturgical order.

Theological Reflections

1. Holiness and Separation: Mattenai in Ezra 10 stands as a case study in how personal relationships can compromise covenant fidelity, yet repentance—though costly—restores fellowship with God.
2. Leadership Accountability: The priestly Mattenai in Nehemiah 12 shows that leaders must embody the standards they preach; their names become memorials (Malachi 3:16) either for faithfulness or failure.
3. Grace in Restoration: Even after grievous sin, the same generation can produce recognized spiritual leaders. The two lists together demonstrate divine mercy that rebuilds lives and ministries.

Ministry Implications

• Public confession, when necessary, protects the witness of the church.
• Ethical purity is indispensable for those who serve in visible leadership.
• Registers and records—genealogies then, membership rolls now—aid in safeguarding doctrinal and moral integrity.
• God’s redemptive purpose can transform compromised individuals into trusted servants, encouraging pastors and congregations to pursue restoration over permanent exclusion.

Summary

Mattenai exemplifies both the hazard of covenant compromise and the hope of restored service. His name surfaces at moments when Israel rediscovered its identity through repentance and renewed worship, reminding every generation that true revival binds together personal holiness, corporate accountability, and steadfast leadership.

Forms and Transliterations

מַתְּנַ֔י מַתְּנַ֖י מַתְּנַ֤י מתני mat·tə·nay matteNai mattənay

Englishman's Concordance

Ezra 10:33
HEB: מִבְּנֵ֖י חָשֻׁ֑ם מַתְּנַ֤י מַתַּתָּה֙ זָבָ֣ד
NAS: of Hashum: Mattenai, Mattattah,
KJV: of Hashum; Mattenai, Mattathah,
INT: of the sons of Hashum Mattenai Mattattah Zabad

Ezra 10:37
HEB: מַתַּנְיָ֥ה מַתְּנַ֖י [וְיַעֲשֹׂו כ]
NAS: Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,
KJV: Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
INT: Mattaniah Mattenai Jaasu

Nehemiah 12:19
HEB: וּלְיוֹיָרִ֣יב מַתְּנַ֔י לִֽידַֽעְיָ֖ה עֻזִּֽי׃
NAS: of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah,
KJV: And of Joiarib, Mattenai; of Jedaiah,
INT: Joiarib Mattenai of Jedaiah Uzzi

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4982
3 Occurrences

mat·tə·nay — 3 Occ.