Mothers and Matriarchs

אֵם221 n.f. mother (Ph. אם, Arabic أُمٌّ, إِمٌّ, Ethiopic እም, Sab. אם (only in n.pr. cf. e.g. BaeRel. 118) Assyrian ummu COTGloss; Aramaic אֵם, אִימָּא, ܐܶܡܳܐ )—א׳ abs. Gn 32:12 +; cstr. Gn 3:20 +; sf. אִמִּי Gn 20:12 + etc.; †pl. only sf. אִמֹּתֵנוּ La 5:3; אִמֹּתָם Je 16:3 La 2:12(×2)— 1. lit. (human) mother, as parent Gn 20:12; 32:12; 44:20 Ex 2:8 ψ 51:7; 113:9 (opp. עֲקֶרֶת) Je 15:8, 10; 20:14; 22:26; 50:12 1 Ch 4:9 Ct 6:9; 8:5 +; hence of Eve אֵם כָּל־הָ֑י Gn 3:20; poet. of birth, יָצָא מִבֶּטֶן אֵם Jb 1:21 Ec 5:14; יָצָא מֵרֶחֶם אֵם Nu 12:12 cf. ψ 139:13 (Je 20:18 +) מִמְּעֵי אִמִּי גּוֹזִי ψ 71:6 (subj. י׳, cf. גחה 22:10; > גּוֹזִי = my benefactor from birth Thes Ew Hup Pe); also וַתְּהִי אִמִּי קִבְרִי Je 20:17; מִבֶּטֶן אֵם = from earliest existence Ju 16:17 Jb 31:18 ψ 22:11; so מִמְּעֵי אֵם Is 49:1; as giving suck Ct 8:1 (שְׁדֵי אֵם) ψ 22:10 cf. 131:2; (v. Ex 2:9 cf. v 8); as exercising authority Gn 21:21; 24:28; 27:11, 13, 14 Ju 17:2 f Ru 1:8 Ct 3:4; 8:2 etc.; especially of queen-mother as possessing dignity & influence 1 K 1:11; 2:13, 19, 20 2 Ch 22:2, 3 Ct 3:11 Pr 31:1; cf. names of mothers of kings of Judah 1 K 14:21, 31; 15:2, 10, 13 +; as shewing love & care 1 S 2:19 1 K 3:27; 17:23 2 K 4:30 Is 66:13 (sim. of י׳’s comforting his people; cf. also Gn 27:45); as beloved & lamented 1 K 19:20 (‖ אָב) Gn 24:67 ψ 35:14; בֶּן־אִמּוֹ = own (uterine) brother Gn 43:29; & ‖ אָח Gn 27:29 Dt 13:7 Ju 8:19 ψ 50:20; 69:9 Ct 1:6 cf. 8:1; so בַּת־אִמּוֹ Lv 18:9; 20:17 Dt 27:22 (‖ בַּת־אָבִיו) Gn 20:12; often with אָב, as parentes Je 16:3 Zc 13:3(×2) Is 8:4; as rightfully claiming honour, authority, etc., cf. supr., Gn 28:7 (P) cf. 37:10 (E) Ju 14:2f, so in precept Pr 1:8; 6:20; 10:1; 15:20 etc. cf. Ez 22:7; laws enjoining these Ex 20:12 = Dt 5:16 Lv 19:3 cf. Dt 22:15; laws prohib. contrary Ex 21:15, 17 (E) Lv 20:9(×2) (H) Dt 21:18, 19; 27:16; laws as to mourning for Lv 21:2, 11 (H) Nu 6:7 (P) cf. Je 16:7 Ez 44:25; left for wife Gn 2:24; for mother-in-law Ru 2:11; for husband Dt 21:13 (law for captive women); cf. Dt 33:9 (of devoted service of Levites); loving, caring for children Pr 4:3 (on the opposite cf. ψ 27:10); loved, cared for Jos 2:13 cf. v 18; 6:23 1 S 22:3 1 K 19:20 cf. 2 S 19:38. †2. fig. of Deborah as caring for her people אֵם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל Ju 5:7 (cf. אָב Is 22:21 Jb 29:16); so of a city 2 S 20:19 (‘stock, race, community’ RSK 28 cf. Proph. iv. n 8); of Israel Ho 2:4, 7; 4:5 cf. 10:14; of Judah Is 50:1(×2); of Hittite as mother of Jerusalem אָבִיךְ הָאֱמֹרִי וְאִמֵּךְ חִתִּיתֹ Ez 16:3, 45 cf. v 44, 45; also 19:2, 10 & vid. 23:2. †3. of animals, dam Ex 22:29 (of ox & sheep) Lv 22:27 (of bullock, sheep, or goat); Ex 23:19 = 34:26 = Dt 14:21 (of kid); mother-bird Dt 22:6(×2), 7; fig. Jb 17:14 לַשַּׁחַת קָרָאתי אָבִי אָ֑תָּה אִמִּי וַאֲחֹתִי לָרִמָּֽה׃. †4. = point of departure or division אֵם הַדֶּרֶךְ Ez 21:26 (‖ רֹאשׁ שְׁנֵי הַדְּרָכִים).

μήτηρ, Doric dialect μάτηρ, ἡ: though paroxytone in nominative, it follows πατήρ in the accent of the indirect cases, genitive μητερος contraction μητρός, dative μητέρι, μητρί, both forms being found in Refs 8th c.BC+, but the longer forms rarely in Trag. exc. Lyric poetry, as ματέρος Refs 5th c.BC+; μητέρος in iambics, Refs 5th c.BC+:—mother, Refs 8th c.BC+; of animals, dam,Refs 8th c.BC+; of a mother-bird, Refs 8th c.BC+; of queen bees, Refs 4th c.BC+; ἀπὸ ματρὸς φίλας, ἐκ ματρός, from one's mother's womb, Refs 5th c.BC+: in plural, mother and grandmother, Refs 1st c.AD+; as an address to elderly women, ὦ μῆτερ Refs 3rd c.BC+, = Mater Patriae, Refs 2nd c.AD+; μ. τῶν ἀηττήτων στρατοπέδων, = Mater invictorum castrorum, of Julia Domna, Refs 3rd c.AD+ __2 of lands, μ. μήλων, θηρῶν, mother of flocks, of game, Refs 8th c.BC+; frequently of Earth, γῆ πάντων μ. Refs 8th c.BC+; ἡ Μήτηρ, ={Δημήτηρ}, τῇ Μητρὶ καὶ τῇ Κούρῃ ὁρτὴν ἄγουσι Refs 5th c.BC+; also of Rhea, Refs 5th c.BC+; as title of Isis, Refs 3rd c.BC+ __3 frequently of one's native land, μᾶτερ ἐμά, Θήβα Refs 5th c.BC+; and so, like{μητρόπολις}, Refs 5th c.BC+ __II poetry, the origin or source of events, μ. ἀέθλων, of Olympia, Refs 5th c.BC+; of night, as the mother of day, Refs 4th c.BC+; the grape of wine, Refs 5th c.BC+; Aphrodite of the Loves, Refs; φάτις ὦ μᾶτερ αἰσχύνας ἐμᾶς, of a rumour, Refs 5th c.BC+: also in Prose, γεωργίαν τῶν ἄλλων τεχνῶν μητέρα Refs 5th c.BC+; πολιτειῶν μητέρες δύο (i.e. μοναρχία and δημοκρατία) Refs 5th c.BC+. (Cf. Latin mater, ORefs 5th c.BC+ módor, etc.)

† גְּבִירָה n.f. 1. lady, queen, 1 K 11:19; 2. queen-mother, 1 K 15:13 = 2 Ch 15:16; וַיְסִרֶהָ מִגּ׳ he removed her from (the position of) queenmother; cf. 2 K 10:13 Je 13:18; 29:2.

ἀμήτωρ, ορος, motherless, Refs 5th c.BC+ R.; of Melchizedek, NT: of the number Refs 1st c.AD+ __II that is no mother, unmotherly, μήτηρ ἀμήτωρRefs 5th c.BC+; of dam mounted by her foal, Refs 3rd c.AD+; childless, Refs

μάμμ-η, ἡ, child's word for mother, ὦ μάμμη Refs 5th c.BC+ __II mother's breast, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __III later, grandmother, LXX+1st c.BC+