Original Word: מַת
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: math
Pronunciation: math
Phonetic Spelling: (math)
KJV: + few, X friends, men, persons, X small
NASB: men, few, number, associates, few men, men being few
Word Origin: [from the same as H4970 (מָתַי - how)]

1. (properly) an adult (as of full length)
2. (by implication) a man (only in the plural)

few, friends, men, persons, small

From the same as mathay; properly, an adult (as of full length); by implication, a man (only in the plural) -- + few, X friends, men, persons, X small.

see HEBREW mathay

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
male, man
NASB Translation
associates (1), few (3), few men (1), men (14), men being few (1), number (2).

[מַת] noun masculine male, man (מְתוּֿ in proper name; Zinjirli מת collective males, male offspring; Assyrian mutu, husband; Ethiopic id.; compare Egyptian m-t, phallus, male, Steind in Ba^{NB § 2b}, δ); — only plural מְתִים Job 11:3 3t., מְתִם Deuteronomy 2:34; Deuteronomy 3:6 + Judges 20:48 (probably), for ᵑ0 מְתֹם, so GFM; construct מְתֵי Genesis 34:30 13t.; suffix 2 feminine singular מְתַיִךְ; Isaiah 3:25; 3masculine singular מְתָיו Deuteronomy 33:6; —

1 males, men, Isaiah 3:25 ("" גְּבוּרָתֵךְ); more distinctly, וְהַטָּף (וְ)הַנָּשִׁים מְתִם עִיר Deuteronomy 2:34; Deuteronomy 3:6 every city of males (male population, compare Dr), and the women, etc.; Judges 20:48 (see above; opposed to בְּהֵמָה).

2 usually less emphasis on sex, in prose only phrase:

a. מְתֵי מִסְמָּר men of number (numerable, i.e. few) Genesis 34:30 (J; apposition of אֲנִי = Jacob, representing his family), Deuteronomy 4:27; Jeremiah 44:28, also Psalm 105:12 = 1 Chronicles 16:19; compare וִיהִי מְתָיו מִסְמָּר Deuteronomy 33:6 and (but) let his men be few.

b. בִּמְתֵי מְעָ֑ט = consisting of a few men Deuteronomy 26:5; Deuteronomy 28:62

3 elsewhere only in poetry, sex usually not emphasized:

a. Job 11:3; Job 24:12; Psalm 17:14 (twice in verse) (but text probably corrupt, of. Bae We; at least omit ממתים ידך Ol Bi Che, compare Hup-Now); מְתֵי ישׂראל Isaiah 41:14.

b. poetic phrase: מְתֵי שָׁוְא men of false-hood Job 11:11; Psalm 26:4; אָוֶן ׳מ Psalm 22:15 men of wickedness; סוֺדִי ׳מ Psalm 19:19 men of my cycle; אָהֳלִי ׳מ Job 31:31 men of my tent (household); רָעָב ׳מ Isaiah 5:13 men of hunger, but read probably ׳מְזֵי ר sucked out, empty from hunger (as Deuteronomy 32:24) Ew De Che Di Du (compare מָזֶה).

Semantic Profile

While broadly rendered “men” or “people,” מַת regularly carries a nuance of scarcity or survivorship, portraying humanity’s vulnerability under God’s sovereign hand.

Canonical Distribution

Genesis 34:30

Deuteronomy 2:34; 3:6; 4:27; 28:62; 33:6

1 Chronicles 16:19

Job 11:3, 11; 19:19; 22:15; 24:12; 31:31

Psalm 17:14 (twice); 26:4; 105:12

Isaiah 3:25; 5:13; 41:14

Jeremiah 44:28

Covenant Motif in Deuteronomy

Six occurrences stress covenant consequences. Blessing preserves (“May Reuben live and not die, nor may his men be few” — Deuteronomy 33:6), whereas disobedience diminishes (“You…will be left few in number” — Deuteronomy 28:62) and scatters (“only a few of you will survive” — Deuteronomy 4:27). Warfare texts (2:34; 3:6) show total judgment when God’s ban is executed.

Remnant Theology

From Jacob’s plea, “We are few in number” (Genesis 34:30), through Israel’s patriarchal memory, “When they were few in number” (Psalm 105:12; 1 Chronicles 16:19), to the promise, “Do not fear…O few men of Israel” (Isaiah 41:14), the word anchors the doctrine that God preserves a remnant even in exile (Jeremiah 44:28).

Wisdom and Ethics

Job applies the term to moral issues: idle rhetoric silencing “men” (11:3), deceit (11:11), betrayal (19:19), historic wickedness (22:15), urban oppression (24:12), and household generosity (31:31). The Psalms echo ethical separation: “I do not sit with deceitful men” (Psalm 26:4) and cry for deliverance “from men of the world whose portion is in this life” (Psalm 17:14).

Prophetic Warnings and Hope

Isaiah pictures societal collapse: “Your men will fall by the sword” (3:25) and “honored men go hungry” (5:13), yet God encourages the diminished nation (41:14). Jeremiah confirms that only “few in number” will return, proving the veracity of the LORD’s word (44:28).

Historical-Theological Observations

1. Population is a barometer of covenant standing.
2. Divine sovereignty governs both multiplication and reduction.
3. A “few” suffices for God’s redemptive agenda, prefiguring New-Testament remnant and mustard-seed imagery.

Ministry Implications

• Faith outranks statistics; God often works through the numerically insignificant.
• Ethical integrity is non-negotiable; deceitful or oppressive “men” invite judgment.
• Compassion for the oppressed (Job 24:12) and steadfastness amid decline (Isaiah 41:14) are pastoral imperatives.
• Scattered believers can trust that exile never nullifies divine purpose (Jeremiah 44:28).

Synthesis

מַת underscores human limitation against the backdrop of covenantal faithfulness. Whether depicting warriors destroyed, friends betraying, or a remnant preserved, the word consistently points to the LORD who governs the rise and diminishment of “men,” assuring that His promises stand regardless of human numbers.

בִּמְתֵ֣י במתי מְתִ֔ם מְתִ֣ים מְתִ֨ים ׀ מְתֵ֖י מְתֵ֣י מְתֵי־ מְתַ֖יִךְ מְתָ֖יו מִֽמְתִ֥ים מִֽמְתִ֬ים ממתים מתי מתי־ מתיו מתיך מתים מתם bim·ṯê bimṯê bimTei mə·ṯa·yiḵ mə·ṯāw mə·ṯê mə·ṯê- mə·ṯim mə·ṯîm meTav məṯāw meTayich məṯayiḵ məṯê məṯê- meTei meTim məṯim məṯîm mim·ṯîm mimṯîm miTimInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts