H4979 H4979
A gift, offering, or present; from voluntary donations to God to bribes that corrupt judgment.
Covers the full moral spectrum of giving. At its best, מַתָּנָה describes freewill offerings consecrated to God (Exod 28:38, Lev 23:38, Num 18:29) or generous gifts between people, as when Abraham gave gifts to his concubines' sons (Gen 25:6). Deuteronomy 16:17 ties giving to ability: 'each according to the gift of his hand.' Yet the same word darkens in Proverbs 15:27 and Ecclesiastes 7:7, where a 'gift' becomes a bribe that corrupts the heart. Spanish distinguishes cleanly between 'don/dones' and 'soborno,' revealing the moral polarity the Hebrew leaves implicit.
Senses
1. gift or offering — A voluntary gift, present, or sacred offering given freely — whether to God or to another person. Abraham's gifts to his sons (Gen 25:6), the holy gifts Israel brings before the LORD (Exod 28:38), and the Levitical freewill offerings distinct from vows and pledges (Lev 23:38) all fall here. Numbers 18 defines the priestly share of these gifts. The key phrase 'according to the gift of his hand' (Deut 16:17) ties generosity to capacity. Spanish 'don' and French 'don' both preserve the positive, voluntary character of this giving. 15×
AR["بِعَطَايَاكُمْ","بِـ-عَطَايَاهُمْ","عَطايا","عَطَايَا","عَطَايَاكُمْ","عَطِيَّةً","كَـ-عَطِيَّةِ","هِبَاتِكُمْ","هِبَةً","هِبَةٍ","وَ‒عَطَايَا"]·ben["উপহার","উপহারগুলি","উপহারগুলি-তোমাদের","উপহারগুলো","ও-দান","তাদের-উপহার-দিয়ে","তোমাদের-উপহারগুলো","তোমাদের-দানগুলির","দান","দান-অনুসারে","প্রতিমাগুলি-তোমাদের"]·DE["Gaben","Geschenke","[במתנותיכם]","[במתנותם]","[ומתנות]","[מתנה]","[מתנות]","[מתנתיכם]","dein-gifts","gemaess-zu-gift-von","gift","gifts-von"]·EN["according-to-gift-of","and-gifts","gift","gifts","gifts-of","gifts-your","in-gifts-their","with-gifts-your","your-gifts"]·FR["[ומתנות]","[מתנות]","de-don","don","dons","dons-de","selon-don-de","ton-gifts"]·heb["ב-מתנותיכם","ב-מתנותם","ו-מתנות","כ-מתנת","מתנה","מתנות","מתנותיכם","מתנת","מתנתיכם"]·HI["अपने-दान","उपहार","और-दान","जैसी-देन","तुम्हारी-दानों","तुम्हारे-दानों","दान","दान-की","दान-के-रूप-में","भेंटों","में-अपने-दानों","में-उनके-दानों"]·ID["dan-hadiah-hadiah","dengan-persembahan-persembahanmu","hadiah-hadiah","oleh-persembahan-persembahan-mereka","pemberian","pemberian-pemberian","pemberian-pemberian-kamu","pemberian-pemberianmu","persembahan-persembahanmu","sesuai-pemberian"]·IT["[במתנותיכם]","[במתנותם]","[ומתנות]","[מתנה]","[מתנות]","[מתנתיכם]","doni","doni-di","gift","secondo-gift-di","tuo-gifts"]·jav["kanthi-pisungsung-nipun","kanthi-pisungsung-panjenengan","lan-pisungsung","miturut-pisungsung-","paweh","peparingan","peparingipun-sira","pisungsung","pisungsung-panjenengan","pisungsung-panjenengan-sedaya","pisungsung-pisungsung"]·KO["그들의-예물들-안에서","그리고-선물들을","너희-의-선물들","너희의-선물들","너희의-예물들로","너희의-예물들을","대로-선물","선물","선물-들-을","선물들을","선물들의","선물을"]·PT["com-vossas-ofertas","conforme-doação-de","dons","dádivas-vossas","e-presentes","em-suas-ofertas","ofertas-de","presente","presentes","vossas-dádivas","vossas-ofertas"]·RU["дар","дара","дарами-вашими","даров","даров-ваших","дары","и-подарки","по-дару","подарок","при-проведении"]·ES["con-vuestras-ofrendas","don","dones","en-sus-ofrendas","ofrendas-de","regalos","según-don-de","vuestras-ofrendas","vuestros-dones","y-regalos"]·SW["kwa-zawadi-ya","kwa-zawadi-zao","kwa-zawadi-zenu","na-zawadi","wa-zawadi","zawadi","zawadi-zenu","zawadi-zenu-zote"]·TR["armağan","armağanlar","armağanlarının","armağanlarınız","armağlanlarınızdan","hediyeler","sunularınızla","sunularınızı","sunularıyla","ve-hediyeler","verdiğine-göre"]·urd["اور-تحائف","تحائف","تحفہ","تحفے","تحفے-کی","تحفے-کے-مطابق","تمہارے-تحفوں","تمہارے-تحفوں-کے","نذروں","نذروں-سے","نذریں-تمہاری"]
Gen 25:6, Exod 28:38, Lev 23:38, Num 18:6, Num 18:7, Num 18:29, Deut 16:17, 2 Chr 21:3, Esth 9:22, Ps 68:18, Ezek 20:26, Ezek 20:31 (+3 more)
2. bribe or corrupting gift — A gift intended to influence or corrupt — a bribe. Proverbs 15:27 warns that 'he who hates bribes (מַתָּנֹת) will live,' and Ecclesiastes 7:7 laments that 'a gift destroys the heart.' The same noun that describes sacred generosity in sense 1 here names the perversion of giving, where the intent shifts from worship or love to manipulation. Spanish 'soborno' makes this distinction lexically explicit, while Hebrew relies on context to signal the shift from holy offering to corrupting inducement. 2×
AR["هَدايا"]·ben["উপহারকে","উপহারের"]·DE["[מתנה]","[מתנת]"]·EN["bribes","gift"]·FR["מתנה","מתנת"]·heb["מתנה","מתנות"]·HI["उपहार-का","उपहारों-को"]·ID["hadiah","suap"]·IT["bribes","gift"]·jav["peparing","suap"]·KO["선물-의","선물들을"]·PT["o-presente","presentes"]·RU["дар.","подарки"]·ES["soborno","sobornos"]·SW["rushwa","zawadi"]·TR["hediyeyi","rüşveti"]·urd["تحائف-سے","رشوت"]
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
† I. מַתָּנָה n.f. gift;—abs. מ׳ Nu 18:6 + 4 times; cstr. מַתְּנַת Dt 16:17; pl. מַתָּנֹת Gn 25:6 +, cstr. מַתְּנֹת Ex 28:38, sf. מַתְּנֹתֵיכֶם Ez 20:31 +; etc.;—gift, Gn 25:6 (J) Ez 46:16, 17; 2 Ch 21:3; offerings to י׳ Ex 28:38 (מַתְּנֹת קָדְשֵׁיכֶם), Lv 23:38 (disting. from נֶדֶר and נְדָבָה), Nu 18:29 (cf. מַתָּנָם v 11;—all P); rejected (idolatrous) offerings Ez 20:26, 31, 39; אִישׁ…