4985. mathoq

Lexicon

mathoq: To be sweet, to be pleasant

Original Word: מָתַק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: mathaq
Pronunciation: maw-thoke'
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-thak')
Definition: To be sweet, to be pleasant
Meaning: to suck, to relish, be sweet

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

be made, take sweet

A primitive root; to suck, by implication, to relish, or (intransitively) be sweet -- be (made, X take) sweet.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to become or be sweet or pleasant
NASB Translation
became sweet (1), feeds sweetly (1), gently cover (1), had sweet (1), sweet (2).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

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

Qal Perfect3masculine singular suffix מְתָקוֺ Job 24:20; 3plural מָֽתְקוּ Job 21:33; Imperfect3masculine plural יִמְתָּ֑קוּ Proverbs 9:17, וַיִמְתְּקוּ Exodus 15:25; —

1 literally become sweet, of water (opposed to מָרִים) Exodus 15:25 (J); are (i.e. taste) sweet, ׳מַיִם גְּנוּבִים יִמ Proverbs 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^{§ 145}. 7 Kö^{Synt. § 345 a} Da^{Synt. § 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 Imperfect3feminine 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 Psalm 55:15 we who used to make sweet (our) intimacy.

Topical Lexicon

Word Origin: A primitive root

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • Strong's Greek Number 1099: γλυκύς (glykys) • sweet
• Strong's Greek Number 1087: γλυκύτης (glykytēs) • sweetness

These Greek terms similarly convey the idea of sweetness and are used in the New Testament to describe both literal and metaphorical sweetness, aligning with the Hebrew concept of מָתַק (māṯaq).

Usage: The verb מָתַק (māṯaq) is used in the Hebrew Bible to describe the action of something being sweet or becoming sweet, often in a metaphorical sense to convey pleasantness or delight.

Context: The Hebrew root מָתַק (māṯaq) appears in various contexts within the Old Testament, primarily conveying the idea of sweetness or pleasantness. This term is often used metaphorically to describe experiences or words that are delightful or pleasing to the senses or spirit.

In the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), one notable usage of מָתַק is found in Judges 14:14, where Samson poses a riddle: "Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet." Here, the term "sweet" (מָתַק) is used to describe the honey that Samson found in the carcass of a lion, symbolizing something unexpectedly pleasant emerging from a source of strength and danger.

Another instance is in Job 20:12, where the sweetness of evil is described: "Though evil is sweet in his mouth and he conceals it under his tongue." This passage uses the concept of sweetness to illustrate the deceptive allure of sin, which may seem pleasant initially but ultimately leads to bitterness and destruction.

The concept of sweetness in the Hebrew Bible often extends beyond physical taste to encompass the broader idea of delight and satisfaction, whether in relationships, experiences, or spiritual truths. The use of מָתַק (māṯaq) thus enriches the biblical narrative by providing a vivid metaphor for the complexities of human experience and divine interaction.

Forms and Transliterations

וַֽיִּמְתְּק֖וּ וימתקו יִמְתָּ֑קוּ ימתקו מָֽתְקוּ־ מתקו־ נַמְתִּ֣יק נמתיק תַּמְתִּ֣יק תמתיק mā·ṯə·qū- mateku māṯəqū- nam·tîq namTik namtîq tam·tîq tamTik tamtîq vaiyimteKu way·yim·tə·qū wayyimtəqū yim·tā·qū yimTaku yimtāqū

Englishman's Concordance

Exodus 15:25
HEB: אֶל־ הַמַּ֔יִם וַֽיִּמְתְּק֖וּ הַמָּ֑יִם שָׁ֣ם
NAS: and the waters became sweet. There
KJV: the waters were made sweet: there he made
INT: to the waters became and the waters There

Job 20:12
HEB: אִם־ תַּמְתִּ֣יק בְּפִ֣יו רָעָ֑ה
NAS: evil is sweet in his mouth
KJV: Though wickedness be sweet in his mouth,
INT: Though is sweet his mouth wickedness

Job 21:33
HEB: מָֽתְקוּ־ ל֗וֹ רִגְבֵ֫י
NAS: of the valley will gently cover him; Moreover, all
KJV: of the valley shall be sweet unto him, and every man
INT: will gently the clods of the valley

Psalm 55:14
HEB: אֲשֶׁ֣ר יַ֭חְדָּו נַמְתִּ֣יק ס֑וֹד בְּבֵ֥ית
NAS: We who had sweet fellowship together
KJV: We took sweet counsel together,
INT: who together had fellowship the house

Proverbs 9:17
HEB: מַֽיִם־ גְּנוּבִ֥ים יִמְתָּ֑קוּ וְלֶ֖חֶם סְתָרִ֣ים
NAS: water is sweet; And bread
KJV: waters are sweet, and bread
INT: water Stolen is sweet and bread secret

5 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4985
5 Occurrences

mā·ṯə·qū- — 1 Occ.
nam·tîq — 1 Occ.
tam·tîq — 1 Occ.
way·yim·tə·qū — 1 Occ.
yim·tā·qū — 1 Occ.