Original Word: מַתַּתָּה
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Mattattah
Pronunciation: mat-tat-taw'
Phonetic Spelling: (mat-tat-taw')
KJV: Mattathah
NASB: Mattattah
Word Origin: [for H4993 (מַתּתִּתיָה מַתּתִּתיָהוּ - Mattithiah)]

1. gift of Jah
2. Mattattah, an Israelite

Mattathah

For Mattithyah; gift of Jah; Mattattah, an Israelite -- Mattathah.

see HEBREW Mattithyah

Word Origin
from mattath
Definition
an Isr.
NASB Translation
Mattattah (1).

מַתַּתָּה proper name, masculine one of those who took foreign wives Ezra 10:33, ᵐ5 Αθα, A ᵐ5^L Μαθθαθ(α).

Name and Meaning

Matattah carries the idea of “gift,” highlighting how covenant faithfulness and repentance are themselves gracious gifts from God to His people.

Biblical Occurrence

Ezra 10:33 lists Matattah among the “descendants of Hashum” who had taken pagan wives but later pledged to put them away in obedience to the covenant renewal led by Ezra. “From the descendants of Hashum: Mattenai, Matattah, Zabad, Eliphelet, Jeremai, Manasseh, and Shimei” (Ezra 10:33).

Historical Background

Ezra arrived in Jerusalem around 458 BC to restore Torah observance among the post-exilic community. A major breach of covenant holiness had emerged through intermarriage with surrounding nations (Ezra 9:1–2). Chapter 10 records the corporate confession and a documented list of offenders—including Levites, laymen, and clan leaders—who responded to Ezra’s call for repentance. Matattah stands in this register, situating him at a pivotal moment when Israel affirmed once again that identity as God’s people demands separation from syncretism.

Genealogical Significance

Matattah belongs to the house of Hashum, one of the family groups that returned with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:19). His presence in both the returnee census and the list of offenders underscores how even restored families could lapse spiritually within a generation, yet also how God’s grace invites renewal.

Context within Ezra’s Reforms

1. Disclosure of Sin: The sin of mixed marriages threatened the integrity of the remnant’s worship.
2. Covenant Renewal: Ezra led a public reading of the Law, fasting, and a binding oath (Ezra 10:3–5).
3. Legal Proceedings: Offenders assembled by order; each case was investigated (Ezra 10:16–17). Matattah’s inclusion means he submitted to this due process and accepted corrective measures.
4. Restoration of Worship: Purified leadership prepared the community for later reforms under Nehemiah and the eventual dedication of Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah 12:27–43).

Theological Implications

• Holiness of Marriage: The episode anticipates New Testament teaching that believers are not to be “unequally yoked” (2 Corinthians 6:14).
• Corporate Responsibility: Personal failings affected the entire congregation; collective repentance was necessary.
• Grace and Discipline: Matattah’s name recalls divine generosity while his account shows that grace does not annul the call to obedience.

Practical Ministry Lessons

1. Leadership Transparency: Publicly naming offenders fostered accountability, a pattern echoed in Church discipline (Matthew 18:15–17).
2. Repentance with Action: True contrition involves concrete steps to rectify wrongs.
3. Hope for Restoration: Although listed for sin, Matattah also stands as evidence that restoration is possible when sin is confessed and forsaken.

Foreshadowings and Messianic Connections

The purifying work under Ezra points forward to the Messiah who would “purify for Himself a people” (Titus 2:14). Matattah’s repentance contributes to preserving the lineage through which the promised Seed would arrive, demonstrating God’s sovereign preservation of redemptive history.

Summary

Matattah, though mentioned only once, represents the wider narrative of covenant breach and renewal. His account reminds every generation that God’s gifts—life, covenant, repentance—demand a response of holiness and wholehearted submission to His revealed word.

מַתַּתָּה֙ מתתה mat·tat·tāh mattatTah mattattāhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts