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: [from H5786 (עָוַר - blinded) with directive enclitic appended]

1. downward, below or beneath
2. often adverbially with or without prefixes

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.

Definition and Range of Usage

The 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

In Exodus 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. In 2 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

In Ezekiel 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.

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