🔼The name Mattatha: Summary
- Meaning
- Gift Of Yah
- Etymology
- From (1) the verb נתן (natan), to give, and (2) יה (yah), the shortened name of the Lord.
🔼The name Mattatha in the Bible
The name Mattatha occurs only once in the Bible. He is a son of Nathan, son of king David, and the evangelist Luke traces the genealogy of Jesus through this man (Luke 3:31; whereas Matthew goes through Solomon — Matthew 1:6).
🔼Etymology of the name Mattatha
The name Mattatha (Ματταθα) is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name מתתה (Mattattah), which comes from the Hebrew verb נתן (natan) meaning to give:
נתן
The shape-shifting verb נתן (natan) means to give in a broad bouquet of senses, from regular giving or bestowing, to setting or putting, to transforming one thing or situation into another.
This verb's three nouns מתן (mattan), מתנה (mattana) and מתת (mattat) all mean gift, again broadly ranging from a regular present to an offering to an innate talent (being "gifted").
The final letter ה (he) is not part of the verb, but scholars assume that the name Mattattah is a contraction of the name מתתיה (Mattithiah), and that means that the final he is a remnant of יה (Yah), which in turn is an abbreviated form of the Tetragrammaton יהוה, YHWH, or Yahweh.
🔼Mattatha meaning
The name Mattatha means Gift Of The Lord, or more properly: Gift Of Yah.