Original Word: מַטָּה
Part of Speech: Adverb
Transliteration: mattah
Pronunciation: mat-taw'
Phonetic Spelling: (mat'-taw)
Definition: Staff, rod, tribe
Meaning: downward, below, beneath

beneath, downward, less, very low, underneath

From avar with directive enclitic appended; downward, below or beneath; often adverbially with or without prefixes -- beneath, down(-ward), less, very low, under(-neath).

see HEBREW avar

Word Origin
from natah
Definition
downwards
NASB Translation
below (2), beneath (2), bottom (2), downward (5), less (1), lower (2), under (1), underneath (1).

מַ֫טָּה, מָ֑֫טָּה adverb downwards (from [מַט] for [מַטֶּה] a place of declension (compare נָטָה, 3a), with ָ  ה locative, Ol^222b Kö^{ii. 280:} compare the opposed to מַ֫עְלָהִ, below עָלָה): —

1 alone, Deuteronomy 28:43 and thou shalt descend מַ֫טָּה מָ֑֫טָּה downwards, downwards, i.e. lower and lower, Proverbs 15:24 ׳לְמַעַן סוּר מִשְּׁאוֺל מ.

2 לְמַ֫טָּה:

a. downwards Deuteronomy 28:13 ׳וְלֹא תִהְיֶה למ, Isaiah 37:31 = 2 Kings 19:30 ׳שֹׁרֶשׁ למ (compare Ph CIS^{1. i. 2, 11 f.} אל יכן לם שׁרשׁ למט ופר למעל let them not have root downwards, or fruit upwards), Jeremiah 31:37; Ecclesiastes 3:21; 2Chronicles 32:30; Ezra 9:13 כי אתה חָשַׂכְתָּ לְמַ֫טָּה מֵעֲוֺנֵנוּ 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 (compare לְמַ֫עְלָה מֵעַל above, 2 Chronicles 34:4) our iniq. (punished us less than our iniq. deserved).

b. וּלְמַ֫טָּה, (a) of space, and downwards, Ezekiel 1:27 ׳וּמִמַּרְאֵה מָתְנָיו ול, Ezekiel 8:2; (b) of age, and under, 1 Chronicles 17:23 לְמִבֶּן עשׂרים ׳שׁנה וְ.

3 מִלְּמַ֫טָּה beneath (see מִן 9a: opposed to מִלְמַעְלָה above), Exodus 26:24 = Exodus 36:29; Exodus 27:5 = Exodus 38:4, Exodus 28:27 = Exodus 39:20.

Word Origin: Derived from the root נָטָה (natah), which means "to stretch out" or "to extend."

Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: • G2736 (κατά, kata): This Greek preposition is often used to denote a downward direction or position, similar to the Hebrew מַטָּה. It can imply movement from a higher to a lower place or a position beneath something else.
• G5270 (ὑποκάτω, hypokatō): This Greek term means "underneath" or "below," directly corresponding to the Hebrew concept of being beneath or lower in position. It is used in the New Testament to describe physical locations or metaphorical positions of subordination.

These Greek terms reflect similar spatial and hierarchical concepts found in the Hebrew מַטָּה, illustrating the continuity of these ideas across the biblical languages.

Usage: The word מַטָּה is used in various contexts within the Hebrew Bible to indicate a physical or metaphorical position beneath or below another object or concept. It often appears in descriptions of spatial relationships or hierarchical structures.

Context: מַטָּה (mattah) is a Hebrew adverb that conveys the idea of being in a lower position, either physically or metaphorically. It is used in the Hebrew Scriptures to describe locations or directions that are beneath or below a reference point. This term can be found in contexts where the physical position is emphasized, such as in descriptions of the earth or the heavens, or in metaphorical contexts, such as describing a lower status or condition.

For example, in the Berean Standard Bible, מַטָּה is used in passages that describe the heavens and the earth, emphasizing the earth's position as being "below" the heavens. It can also be used to describe the position of individuals or groups in relation to others, often indicating a lower status or rank.

The term is closely related to the concept of humility or submission, as being "beneath" can imply a position of subservience or deference. In some instances, מַטָּה is used to contrast with מַעְלָה (ma'alah), which means "upward" or "above," highlighting the dichotomy between higher and lower positions.

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 ūləmāṭṭāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts