Original Word: מָצַץ
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: matsats
Pronunciation: maw-tsats'
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-tsats')
KJV: milk
NASB: suck
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to suck

milk

A primitive root; to suck -- milk.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to drain out
NASB Translation
suck (1).

[מָצַץ] verb drain out (compare מָצָה; Late Hebrew id.; Arabic suck, suck up; Aramaic , מְצַץ suck or press out); — only

Qal Imperfect2masculine plural וְהִתְעַנַּגְתֶּם מִוִּיז כְּבוֺדָהּ תָּמֹ֫צּוּ Isaiah 66:11 that ye may drain out and delight yourselves, etc. ("" תִּינְקוּ וּשְׂבַעְתֶּם).

Root Concept and Imagery

The verb מָצַץ expresses the act of suckling, drawing nourishment from the breast. Scripture employs this intimate picture to convey total dependence, eager reception, and the life-sustaining flow that comes from a loving source. Because the term occurs only once, its single usage becomes a concentrated revelation of God’s intent: to portray Zion—and by extension the people of God—as both giver and receiver of divine nurture.

Biblical Context: Isaiah 66:11

“...so that you may nurse and be satisfied at her comforting breast; you may drink deeply and delight yourselves in her glorious abundance.” (Isaiah 66:11)

1. Immediate Setting
• Isaiah 66 forms the climactic vision of the prophet, announcing the birth of a new nation, the gathering of the faithful, and the final judgment on the rebellious.
• Verse 11 follows the picture of Jerusalem giving birth “before she was in labor” (Isaiah 66:7), emphasizing the miraculous ease with which God’s salvation springs forth.

2. Literary Emphasis
• Three verbs—“nurse,” “drink deeply,” and “delight”—collectively underscore fullness of blessing. מָצַץ stands at the head, anchoring the sequence in initial dependence.
• The comforting breast is singular, yet the abundance is plural (“glorious abundance”), suggesting that one divine source satisfies many longing hearts.

Historical and Cultural Background

In the Ancient Near Eastern world, nursing was more than a biological necessity; it was covenantally significant. A mother’s milk symbolized both life and belonging. By utilizing מָצַץ, Isaiah taps into the deepest human memory of safety, reinforcing that the restoration of Zion will be as natural, tender, and sustaining as a mother feeding her infant.

Prophetic and Theological Implications

1. Mother Zion as Agent of Divine Grace
• Zion’s breast is “comforting” because God Himself provides the nourishment (Isaiah 66:13).
• The picture presumes a post-exilic community hungry for reassurance; God meets that hunger through His chosen city.

2. Covenant Continuity
• Earlier maternal images in Isaiah—“Can a woman forget her nursing child?” (Isaiah 49:15)—plant seeds that blossom fully in Isaiah 66:11.
• The motif threads through Scripture: “As newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word” (1 Peter 2:2). The Church inherits Zion’s nursing role, distributing Scripture’s sustaining truth.

Christological Fulfillment

Jesus presents Himself as the giver of spiritual sustenance: “Whoever believes in Me will never thirst” (John 6:35). The nurturing breast of Zion anticipates the incarnate Son, through whom grace and truth flow (John 1:14). In Revelation 21–22 the New Jerusalem finally satisfies the redeemed, echoing Isaiah’s promise with the invitation, “Take the free gift of the water of life” (Revelation 22:17).

Practical Ministry Application

1. Discipleship
• New believers, like infants, require gentle, nourishing teaching. Pastors and teachers imitate maternal Zion when they provide clear doctrine, patient guidance, and loving correction (1 Thessalonians 2:7).

2. Pastoral Care
• Comfort is not abstract. It is delivered through presence, prayer, and the Word—means by which God allows His people to “drink deeply” of His consolation.

3. Mission
• Isaiah 66 moves outward: those comforted become couriers of comfort to the nations (Isaiah 66:19). Likewise, the Church receives nourishment not to hoard it but to proclaim it.

Related Scriptural Themes

• Nourishment from God: Psalms 131:2; Hosea 11:4
• Maternal compassion: Isaiah 49:15; Matthew 23:37
• Fulness in Christ: Colossians 2:9–10
• Gospel proclamation flowing from divine comfort: 2 Corinthians 1:3–4

The lone appearance of מָצַץ in Isaiah 66:11 thus radiates a theology of nurture—rooted in God’s character, manifested in Zion, fulfilled in Christ, and operational in the life and mission of the Church.

תָּמֹ֛צּוּ תמצו tā·mōṣ·ṣū tāmōṣṣū taMotztzuInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts