מַטֶּה251 H4294
Staff, rod, or branch; by metonymy, a tribe of Israel descended from a patriarch, the dominant biblical usage.
Originally denoting a wooden staff or rod carried by a traveler, shepherd, or leader, this word acquired its most frequent biblical meaning through a vivid metonymy: as a branch grows from a tree trunk, so a tribe branches from a patriarchal ancestor. Fully 73% of its occurrences refer to the tribal divisions of Israel, making it the standard term in Numbers and Joshua for national organization. The concrete sense appears memorably in Moses' wonder-working staff (Exod 4:2-17) and Aaron's budding rod (Num 17). In Ezekiel 19 it describes literal branches of a vine, while Habakkuk 3:9, 14 preserves a rare archaic usage for divination implements.
Senses
1. tribe, clan — The most frequent sense by far (183x), denoting a hereditary tribal division — especially of Israel. Arabic سِبْط and Korean 지파 both select dedicated 'tribe' vocabulary here, confirming full lexicalization distinct from 'rod.' Dominant in Numbers 1-4, Joshua 13-21, and 1 Kings 7-8 tribal census and allotment texts. The metonymic leap from 'branch' to 'tribal branch' parallels English 'branch of a family.' 183×
AR["سِبْطَ", "سِبْطُ", "سِبْطِ"]·ben["গোত্র", "গোত্রটি", "গোত্রের", "গোষ্ঠী"]·DE["Stamm-von"]·EN["tribe-of"]·FR["tribu-de"]·heb["מטה"]·HI["गोत्र", "गोत्र-की", "गोत्रा", "गोत्रे-के", "गोत्रे-ने"]·ID["suku"]·IT["tribu-di"]·jav["taler"]·KO["지파", "지파-의"]·PT["tribo-de"]·RU["колена", "колено"]·ES["Tribu-de", "tribu-de"]·SW["kabila", "kabila-la"]·TR["kabilesi", "kabilesinden", "kabilesini", "oymağı", "oymağının"]·urd["قبیلہ", "قبیلے", "قبیلے-کے"]
2. staff, rod, scepter — A physical wooden staff, rod, or scepter (63x) — the concrete object from which the tribal metaphor derives. Moses' staff at the burning bush (Exod 4:2), Aaron's rod that budded (Num 17:8), and Pharaoh's magicians' rods (Exod 7:12) all use this sense. Spanish vara, French bâton, and German Stab consistently render it as a handheld stick, while Arabic عَصَا ('staff') matches precisely. Can denote authority when functioning as a scepter (Isa 10:24). 63×
AR["الْعَصَا", "عَصًا", "عَصَا", "عَصَاهُ"]·ben["তাঁর-লাঠি", "তার-লাঠি", "দণ্ড", "লাঠি", "লাঠি-এর", "লাঠির"]·DE["Stab", "Stab-von", "der-Stab", "sein-Stab", "sein-staff", "staff", "staff-von"]·EN["his-staff", "of-the-staff", "staff", "staff-of", "the-staff"]·FR["bâton", "bâton-de", "le-bâton", "son-bâton"]·heb["ה-מטה", "מטה", "מטהו"]·HI["अपनी-लाठी", "उसकी-लाठी", "लटधी", "लाठी", "लाठी-", "लाठी-का"]·ID["Tongkat", "tongkat", "tongkatnya"]·IT["bastone", "bastone-di", "il-bastone", "suo-bastone", "verga"]·jav["gada", "teken", "tekenipun", "tekènipun", "tongkatipun"]·KO["그-의-지팡이", "그-의-지팡이-를", "그-지팡을", "그의-지팡을", "그의-지팡이를", "막대기를", "막대기의", "지팡을", "지팡이", "지팡이-의", "지팡이다"]·PT["a-vara-de", "bordão", "bordão-de", "o-bordão", "vara", "vara-de", "vara-dele"]·RU["Посох", "палку", "посох", "посох-его", "посох-свой", "посоха-", "посохе", "посохе-его"]·ES["la-vara", "su-vara", "vara", "vara-de"]·SW["cha-fimbo", "fimbo", "fimbo-yake", "na-tazama"]·TR["asa", "asasını", "asayı", "değnek", "değneği", "değneğini", "değneğinin", "sopanin", "sopasini"]·urd["اُس-کی-چھڑی", "اپنی-چھڑی", "عصا-اپنا", "لاٹھی", "لاٹھی-اپنی", "لاٹھی-کا", "چھڑی"]
3. branch, shoot — A botanical branch or shoot (4x), confined to Ezekiel 19:11-14 where a vine's strong branches (suitable for a ruler's scepter) are torn off and withered. German Stamm ('trunk, stem') and the multilingual wavering between 'rod' and 'branch' glosses reveal the transitional semantics between senses 2 and 3. The figurative overlay — branches representing royal power — makes this a bridge sense. 4×
AR["عِصَا", "عِصَا-", "عِصِيٌّ", "مِنْ-عِصَا"]·ben["দন্ড", "দন্ড-", "দন্ড-থেকে"]·DE["Staemme", "Stamm", "vom-Stamm"]·EN["from-rod-of", "rod-of", "rod-of-", "rods-of"]·FR["bâton", "de-lit", "lit"]·heb["מ-מטה", "מטה", "מטה-", "מטות"]·HI["डंडियाँ", "डंडी", "डंडी-", "से-डंडी"]·ID["dari-ranting", "ranting", "ranting-ranting"]·IT["bastone", "dalla-tribù"]·jav["pang", "pang-", "pang-pang", "saking-pang"]·KO["-가지에서", "가지-", "가지가", "가지들이"]·PT["de-vara-de-", "vara-de-", "varas-de-"]·RU["ветви", "из-ветви"]·ES["de-vara-de", "vara-de", "varas-de"]·SW["kutoka-tawi", "matawi", "tawi"]·TR["-den-dalından", "dal", "dalları", "dalı"]·urd["لاٹھی", "لاٹھی-", "لاٹھی-سے", "لاٹھیاں"]
4. divination rod, lot-arrow — A rare archaic usage (2x) in Habakkuk 3:9, 14 for rods or arrow-shafts associated with divine warfare or lot-casting. Arabic سِهَام ('arrows') and Swahili mishale ('arrows') in these verses suggest implements of sortition or battle rather than ordinary staffs. The difficult text of Hab 3:14 (with its variant readings מַטֶּיךָ / מַטֹּתֶיךָ) has long puzzled commentators, pointing to an archaic sacral-martial context. 2×
AR["بِسِهَامِهِ", "سِهَامُ"]·ben["তার-লাঠিগুলি-দিয়ে", "লাঠিগুলির"]·DE["[במטיו]", "[מטות]"]·EN["the-rods", "with-his-own-rods"]·FR["bâton"]·heb["ב-מטותיו", "מטות"]·HI["अपने-डंडों-से", "डंडों-की"]·ID["dengan-tongkat-tongkatnya", "tongkat-tongkat"]·IT["bastone"]·jav["ngangge-tumbakipun", "tumbak-tumbak"]·KO["그-의-막대기-들로", "막대기-들은"]·PT["com-suas-varas", "varas"]·RU["жезлами-его", "племён"]·ES["con-sus-varas", "varas"]·SW["kwa-fimbo-zake", "mishale"]·TR["sopaların", "sopalarıyla-onun"]·urd["اُس-کی-چھڑیوں-سے", "چھڑیوں-کی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
מַטֶּה251 n.m. Ex 4:17 (f. Mi 6:9 according to MT, but dub., v. infr.) 1. staff, rod, shaft. 2. branch. 3. tribe (Ecclus 48:2 staff, 45:6, 25 tribe);—abs. מ׳ Gn 38:25 +; cstr. מַטֵּה Ex 4:20 +; sf. מַטְּךָ Gn 38:18 + 5 times, מַטֶּ֑ךָ Ex 8:1, מַטֵּ֫הוּ Is 10:24 + 10 times; pl. מַטּוֹת 1 K 8:1 +, etc.; sf. מַטּוֹתָם Ex 7:12 Nu 17:21; also מַטָּיו Hb 3:14 (but read מַטֶּיךָ, or—Gr—מַטֹּתֶיךָ);— 1.…