H4962 H4962
Males, men, or persons collectively; in the construct phrase mete mispar, few in number; poetically, mortal ones.
Mat is an archaic collective noun for males or men, related to Assyrian mutu ('husband') and Ethiopic met ('man'). It appears mostly in the construct form mete, governing a following noun. In Deuteronomy 2:34 and 3:6 the phrase 'ir metim ('city of males') distinguishes the male population from women and children in wartime. The idiomatic phrase mete mispar ('men of number,' i.e., few enough to count) recurs from Genesis 34:30 through Deuteronomy and into Psalm 105:12, always emphasizing dangerous smallness. Job 24:12 stretches the word toward its etymological shadow -- mortality itself -- as the dying groan from the city.
Senses
1. men, persons — Adult males or men collectively, often designating a group belonging to a place, leader, or community. Deuteronomy 2:34 and 3:6 use the phrase 'city of males' to identify the male population distinct from women and children. In 1 Chronicles 16:19 and Job 11:3 the word serves as a general term for people or persons. German 'Maenner' and Spanish 'hombres' reflect the straightforward collective meaning. 16×
AR["أَهْلَ","النّاسَ","رِجالُ","رِجَالًا","رِجَالَ","رِجَالُ","رِجَالُ-","رِجَالُكِ","رِجَالُهُ","رِجَالِ","رِجَالِ-","قَلِيلِي","مِنَ-النَّاسِ","يَا-رِجَالَ"]·ben["কয়েকজন","তার-পুরুষেরা","তোমার-পুরুষেরা","পুরুষদের","মানুষ","মানুষ-","মানুষদের-","মানুষদের-থেকে","মানুষেরা","মৃতেরা","হওয়ায়-তোমাদের"]·DE["Maenner","Männer-von-","Tote","[מתי]","[מתיך]","sein-Maenner","von-Männer"]·EN["O-men","from-men","his-men","men","men-of","men-of-","the-men-of","your-men"]·FR["[מתי]","[מתיך]","de-peu","hommes","peu","son-hommes"]·heb["אנשי-","מ-מתים","מתי","מתיו","מתייך","מתים"]·HI["उसके-पुरुष","और-स्त्रियों","तेरे-पुरुष","थोड़े","पुरुष","पुरुषों","मनुष्य","मनुष्यों-को","लोग","लोगों-","लोगों-ने","से-लोगों"]·ID["Dari-orang-orang","Pria-priamu","dari-orang-orang","laki-laki","orang-orang","orang-orangnya","sedikit"]·IT["[מתי]","[מתיך]","poco","suo-uomini","uomini"]·jav["Priya-panjenengan","Saking-tiyang","cacah","para-tiyang-sekedhik","saking-tiyang","tiyang","tiyang-","tiyang-jaler","tiyang-tiyang-ipun","tiyang-tiyangipun"]·KO["그의-사람들이","남자들","남자들을","네-남자들이","사람들-과-","사람들-에게서","사람들-을","사람들-을-","사람들-의","사람들아","사람들이","사람들이-","사람들이라","적은-수의"]·PT["Dos-homens","Homens-teus","dos-homens","homens","homens-de","homens-de-","mortís-de","seus-homens"]·RU["людей","люди","люди-","люди-его","людьми","людьми-","мертвецы","мужи-твои","мужчин","от-людей"]·ES["Tus-hombres","a-los-hombres","a-los-hombres-de","de-hombres","hombres","hombres-de","hombres-de-","los-hombres-de","los-hombres-de-","pocos-de","sus-hombres","varones"]·SW["Kutoka-kwa-watu","kutoka-kwa-watu","wanaume","wanaume-wako","watu","watu-wa","watu-wake"]·TR["Erkeklerin","adamlari","adamları","adamlarıyla-","insanlar","insanlarini","insanları","insanları-","sayılı","ölümlülerden-"]·urd["-آدمیوں-سے","آدمی","آدمیوں-کو","آدمیوں-کے","اس-کے-مرد","تھوڑے","تیرے-مرد","لوگ","لوگ-","لوگو","لوگوں نے","مردوں","مردوں-کے"]
2. few in number — Few in number, an idiomatic usage appearing in the construct phrase mete mispar ('men of number'), meaning a group small enough to count individually. Genesis 34:30 records Jacob's fear that his family is 'few in number' among the Canaanites. Deuteronomy 4:27, 26:5, and 28:62 warn or recall Israel's smallness. Psalm 105:12 celebrates how God chose them 'when they were few in number.' French 'peu' and German 'wenige' consistently render this idiom. 5×
AR["بِ-عَدَدٍ","عَدَدًا","قليلينَ","مَتِي"]·ben["অল্প","কিছু-সংখ্যক","লোক","সংখ্যায়-মতো","সংখ্যায়-মানুষ"]·DE["bin-Leute","in-wenige","mit-wenige","wenige","wenige-in"]·EN["few","few-in","in-few","men-of","with-few"]·FR["avec-peu","dans-peu","de-peu","hommes-de","peu"]·heb["ב-מתי","מתי"]·HI["थोड़े","पुरुषों-की","पुरुषों-में","बचे-हुए","में-थोड़े"]·ID["dengan-orang","orang","sedikit"]·IT["con-pochi","in-pochi","pochi","poco","uomini-di"]·jav["mawi-cacah","sakedhik","tiyang-cacahipun","tiyang-sèthithik"]·KO["(전)-적은-수-의","사람들-이","사람들이","적은"]·PT["com-poucos-de","em-poucos-de","homens-de","poucos","poucos-de"]·RU["в-людях","людьми","малочисленный","с-людьми"]·ES["con-pocos-de","en-pocos-de","hombres-de","pocos-de"]·SW["na-watu-wachache","wachache","watu","watu-wachache"]·TR["adamları","birkaç","birkaç-","sayısıyla-","sayıyla-"]·urd["تھوڑی","تھوڑے","تھوڑے-سے","لوگ"]
3. mortal, dying ones — Mortal or dying ones, a poetic extension foregrounding human frailty and the transience of life. Job 24:12 describes the groans of the dying (metim) rising from the city. This single attestation draws on the word's deep Semitic connection to mortality (cf. Assyrian mutu), giving it a darker coloring than the neutral 'men' of sense 1. 1×
AR["الْمُحْتَضَرُونَ"]·ben["মৃত্যুমুখী"]·DE["Maenner"]·EN["dying-ones"]·FR["peu"]·heb["מתים"]·HI["मरने-वाले"]·ID["orang-orang-yang-sekarat"]·IT["uomini"]·jav["tiyang-pejah"]·KO["좽는-자들이"]·PT["os-moribundos"]·RU["умирающие"]·ES["los-moribundos"]·SW["wanaokufa"]·TR["ölenler"]·urd["مرنے-والے"]
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
† [מַת] n.m. male, man (מְתוּ־ in n.pr.; Zinj. מת coll. males, male offspring; Assyrian mutu, husband; Ethiopic ምት: id.; cf. Egyptian m-t, phallus, male, Steindorff in BaNB § 2 b, δ);—only pl. מְתִים Jb 11:3 + 3 times, מְתִם Dt 2:34; 3:6 + Ju 20:48 (probably), for MT מְתֹם, so GFM; cstr. מְתֵי Gn 34:30 + 13 times; sf. 2 fs. מְתַיִךְ Is 3:25; 3 ms. מְתָיו Dt 33:6;— 1. males, men, Is 3:25 (‖…