H4985 H4985
to become or be sweet, pleasant; to taste sweet; figuratively, to be delightful or agreeable
A verb meaning to become sweet or be pleasant, spanning literal taste and figurative delight. In Exodus 15:25 the bitter waters of Marah become sweet when God shows Moses a tree to cast into them, a vivid narrative of divine transformation. Proverbs 9:17 warns that stolen waters 'taste sweet,' using literal sweetness as a metaphor for the allure of illicit pleasure. Job employs the word for the pleasantness the wicked find even in death (21:33) and the sweetness of evil under the tongue (20:12).
Senses
1. sense 1 — To become or be sweet, pleasant, either literally of taste (especially water) or figuratively of experiences and pleasures. Exodus 15:25 records the Marah waters becoming sweet (wayyimtequ), the only narrative use. Proverbs 9:17 uses the imperfect yimtaqu for the deceptive sweetness of stolen waters. Job 21:33 extends the image to the clods of the valley being sweet to the dead wicked, and Job 20:12 to evil tasting sweet under the tongue. Spanish 'dulces/dulce' and French 'doux' confirm the sweetness-pleasantness semantic range across languages. 5×
AR["تَحْلُو", "حَلَّينا", "حَلُوَتْ-", "حُلْوَةٌ", "وَ-حَلَتِ"]·ben["এবং-মিষ্টি-হল", "মিষ্টি", "মিষ্টি-করেছিলাম-আমরা", "মিষ্টি-হবে-", "মিষ্টি-হয়"]·DE["[ימתקו]", "[מתקו]", "[תמתיק]", "und-wurde-suess", "wir-hatte-süss"]·EN["and-became-sweet", "are-sweet", "is-sweet", "we-had-sweet"]·FR["et-devint-doux", "être-doux", "ימתקו", "מתקו", "תמתיק"]·heb["ו-המתקו", "ימתקו", "מתקו", "נמתיק", "תמתיק"]·HI["और-मीठे-हो-गये", "मीठा-है", "मीठी-हो", "मीठे-हैं"]·ID["dan-menjadi-manislah", "manis"]·IT["[נמתיק]", "e-became-dolce", "sono-sweet", "è-sweet"]·jav["lan-dados-manis", "manis", "manis-", "tiyang"]·KO["그리고-달게-되었다", "달콤하게-나누었도다", "달콤하나니-", "달콤하다", "달콤하면"]·PT["São-doces", "e-adocicaram-se", "for-doce", "são-doces", "tínhamos-doce"]·RU["и-сделались-сладкими", "наслаждались", "сладка", "сладки", "сладки-"]·ES["Son-dulces-", "endulzábamos", "es-dulce", "son-dulces", "y-se-endulzaron"]·SW["inatamu", "na-yakawa-matamu", "ni-matamu", "ni-tamu", "tulifurahia"]·TR["tatlı-gelirse", "tatlı-kılardık", "tatlıdır", "tatlıdır-", "ve-tatlandı"]·urd["اور-میٹھے-ہو-گئے", "مِیٹھی-کَرتے-تَھے", "میٹھا-ہوتا-ہے", "میٹھی ہو", "میٹھے ہوں-"]
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
† [מָתֹק] vb. become or be sweet, pleasant (NH מתק, especially Pi.; Assyrian [matâḳu] be sweet, in deriv.; Ethiopic ምጡቅ: sweet; Aramaic ܡܬܰܩ suck (with pleasure), מְתַק id., be sweet; Arabic مطق (ط before ق) v. smack the lips (with pleasure), مَطْقَةٌ sweetness);— Qal Pf. 3 ms. sf. מְתָקוֹ Jb 24:20; 3 pl. מָֽתְקוּ 21:33; Impf. 3 mpl. יִמְתָּ֑קוּ Pr 9:17, וַיִּמְתְּקוּ Ex 15:25;— 1. lit. become…