H4477 H4477
sweet things, sweets, delicacies
Sweet-tasting items, particularly sweet foods and drinks. Nehemiah 8:10 commands the people to 'drink sweet drinks' (alongside eating rich foods) during the joyful celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles after Ezra's reading of the Law. Song of Songs 5:16 uses the term metaphorically: the beloved's mouth is 'sweetness itself'—his kisses are utterly sweet. The plural form suggests various sweet things or an abundance of sweetness. Both occurrences associate sweetness with delight, pleasure, and celebration—whether physical refreshment or romantic affection.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Sweet-tasting things, particularly sweet drinks or foods. Nehemiah 8:10 instructs celebrants to 'drink sweet drinks' during the festival—beverages that delight the palate as part of covenant renewal joy. Song of Songs 5:16 uses it metaphorically: the lover's palate/mouth is 'sweetness,' meaning his kisses are utterly sweet. The plural emphasizes variety or abundance of sweet things. Cross-linguistic evidence (Spanish dulzuras, French douceurs) captures both literal sweetness and the metaphorical delight it represents. 2×
AR["حُلْوًا", "مَمْتَقِّيم"]·ben["মিষ্টতার", "মিষ্টি"]·DE["[ממתקים]"]·EN["sweet-drinks", "sweetness"]·FR["[ממתקים]", "douceurs,"]·heb["ממתקים"]·HI["मिठास"]·ID["manis-manis", "minuman-manis"]·IT["[ממתקים]", "sweetness"]·jav["ingkang-manis", "kang-paling-manis"]·KO["단-것들을", "달콤함들-이라"]·PT["doces", "doçuras"]·RU["сладкое", "сладости"]·ES["dulzuras"]·SW["utamu", "vinywaji-vitamu"]·TR["tatliliklar", "tatlı-içecekler"]·urd["بہت-میٹھا", "میٹھیاں"]
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
† מַמְתַֿקִּים n.[m.]pl. sweetness = sweet things;—of drinks וּשְׁתוּ מ׳ Ne 8:10 (‖ אִכְלוּ מַשְׁמַנִּים); of lover’s kisses חִכּוֹ מ׳ Ct 5:16 (‖ כֻּלּוֹ מַחֲמַדִּים).