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.
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"]
Gen 38:25, Exod 4:2, Exod 4:17, Exod 4:20, Exod 7:9, Exod 7:10, Exod 7:12, Exod 7:12, Exod 7:12, Exod 7:15, Exod 7:17, Exod 7:19 (+38 more)
▼ 3 more senses below
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"]
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
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
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.…