מַטֶּה matteh

Hebrew word for “tribe” · Strong’s H4294 · used 252 times in 205 verses

Explore it in the Word Atlas

Meaning

: tribe; 1) staff, branch, tribe; 1a) staff, rod, shaft; 1b) branch (of vine); 1c) tribe; 1c1) company led by chief with staff (originally)

Senses in the lexicon

• tribe (184)
• tribe: rod (56)
• tribe: supply (5)
• tribe: stick (5)
• tribe: arrow (2)

How it is translated

Glosses given for matteh in context, with how often each is used:

• tribe 161
• staff 39
• tribes 20
• rod 17
• rods 5
• will be the tribe 3
• branch 3
• staffs 1
• branches 1
• arrows 1
• own arrows 1

Where it is used

Also in 3 more books.

Chapters where it is used most

Joshua 21 (17), Numbers 1 (16), Numbers 34 (14), 1 Chronicles 6 (14), Numbers 13 (13), Joshua 19 (9), Numbers 2 (8), Numbers 10 (8), Numbers 17 (8), Numbers 36 (8)

Forms

• מטה 71
• למטה 57
• וממטה 27
• ממטה 18
• המטה 13
• מטות 10
• המטות 10
• ומטה 7
• ולמטה 7
• מטהו 7

Words used with it

Words that share verses with matteh more often than their overall frequency would suggest:

• מִשְׁפָּחָה mishpachah “family” 34
• נָשִׂיא nasi “leader” 24
• מִגְרָשׁ migrash “pasture” 20
• גּוֹרָל goral “allotted” 19
• מְנַשֶּׁה menashsheh “Manasseh” 21
• מֹשֶׁה mosheh “Moses” 31
• נַחֲלָה nachalah “inheritance” 20
• עִיר ir “city” 27
• אָב av “father” 28
• אֶלֶף eleph “thousand” 18
• חֲצִי chetsi “half” 13
• אָשֵׁר asher “Asher” 11

Key verses

The verses using matteh that are most connected by cross-references (King James Version):

• Exodus 7:17 — Thus saith the LORD, In this thou shalt know that I am the LORD: behold, I will smite with the rod that is in mine hand upon the waters which are in the river,…
• Exodus 9:23 — And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the…
• Leviticus 24:11 — And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the LORD, and cursed. And they brought him unto Moses: (and his mother’s name was Shelomith, the…
• Leviticus 26:26 — And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye…
• Numbers 20:8 — Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his…
• Joshua 7:1 — But the children of Israel committed a trespass in the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah,…
• Psalms 110:2 — The LORD shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.
• Isaiah 9:4 — For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
• Isaiah 10:5 — O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
• Ezekiel 14:13 — Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread…
• Ezekiel 19:12 — But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit: her strong rods were broken and withered; the fire…
• Micah 6:9 — The LORD’s voice crieth unto the city, and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.

See all 205 verses in the Word Atlas

Hebrew and Greek text, tagging, glosses and lexicon definitions: STEPBible.org, Tyndale House Cambridge (TAHOT, TAGNT, TBESH, TBESG; CC BY 4.0), adapted. Counts follow King James verse numbering; a word counts each time it is written.