Ezra 10:37 — Word Study
WLCמַתַּנְיָ֥ה מַתְּנַ֖י וְיַעֲשָֽׂי׃
BSAMattaniahMattanyâh [a gift from Jehovah] MattenaiMattᵉnay [a gift] and JaasuYaʻăsûw△ [they will do, Jaasau]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| מַתַּנְיָ֥ה | Mattaniah | Noun proper masculine |
| מַתְּנַ֖י | Mattenai | Noun proper masculine |
| וְיַעֲשָֽׂי׃ | and Jaasai | Conjunction, noun proper masculine |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu. |
| KJV | Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, |
| ASV | Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu, |
| YLT | Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau, |
| WEB | Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu, |
| BBE | Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu, |
The translations agree on the names and their meanings, with no significant differences noted.
The verse consists of a simple list of names, indicating a straightforward structure without additional clauses.
2 commentators on this verse
Ellicott, Cambridge & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 3 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Ezra 10:37
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Names of Those Who Took Foreign Wivesgenerated
Ezra 10:37 presents a list of individuals who had taken foreign wives, a significant issue during the return from exile. This verse highlights the names of three men, indicating their involvement in the community's challenges and decisions at that time. These names serve as a reminder of the complexities faced by the returning exiles as they sought to restore their identity and faithfulness to God.
Cross References
The Key Word — מַתַּנְיָה, ma.tan.Yahgenerated
The name מַתַּנְיָה (*Mattaniah*) is a proper noun meaning 'gift from Jehovah.' It is derived from the root for 'gift' and includes a reference to God, indicating a divine blessing.
Similarly, מַתְּנַי (*Mattenai*) also means 'gift' and refers to several individuals, including a priest. The repetition of the root emphasizes the theme of divine gifts among the people.
Lastly, יַעֲשָׂי (*Jaasai*) translates to 'they will do,' suggesting an action or commitment associated with this individual.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
The translations of this verse largely agree, presenting the names as they are, with their meanings included in brackets.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The structure of this verse is straightforward, consisting of a main clause that lists the names of three individuals. The finite verb is implicit, as the context is a list rather than a narrative.
The names are presented in a noun phrase format, indicating the subjects without additional clauses or phrases.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates מַתַּנְיָה as μαθανια, maintaining the same meaning of 'gift.' This shows continuity in the understanding of the name across translations.
The choice of ἐποίησαν for יַעֲשָׂי indicates a focus on the action associated with Jaasu, aligning with the meaning 'they will do.'
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Ezra 10:37 lists three men: Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu. Each name carries a meaning that reflects a connection to God, emphasizing the community's identity and challenges during their return from exile.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Mattaniah means 'gift from Jehovah' and is associated with various individuals in the Old Testament.
Mattenai means 'gift' and refers to several men, while Jaasu means 'they will do' and refers to an Israelite who took a foreign wife.
The list highlights the challenges faced by the returning exiles and their commitment to restoring their community.
Each name signifies a connection to God, illustrating the importance of divine gifts in the context of their return from exile.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What do the meanings of these names tell us about the values of the community during the return from exile?
- How can we see the importance of identity in our own communities today?
- In what ways do we recognize and honor the gifts we receive from God in our lives?
- How can we learn from the challenges faced by those in Ezra's time regarding commitments and relationships?
Commentators on this verse — 2 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Ezra 10:37 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(18-44) List of the transgressors. (19) They gave their hands.—The four members of the high priest’s family were peculiarly dealt with. They gave their distinct pledge, and offered each a special trespass offering. It is one among a multitude of similar tokens of authenticity in the history; and inventor would have given some reason for the peculiarity. (22) Pashur.—Comparing Ezra 2:36-39, we find that all the priestly families that returned with Zerub-babel were implicated in the national offence. (25) Of Israel.—Of the laity eighty-six are mentioned, belonging to ten races which returned with Zerubbabel. (34) Bani.—Probably this should be some other name, as Bani occurs before. The…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Ezra 10 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges37. and Jaasau] R.V. and Jaasu. Marg. ‘Another reading is, Jaasai’. The LXX. clearly had ‘Jaasu’, which they mistook for a verb and rendered ‘and they did or made’ (καὶἐποίησαν) regardless of the lack of meaning. The C’thib has ‘Jaasu’: the K’ri ‘Jaasai’.
Read Cambridge on Ezra 10 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
Mattaniah, Mattenai, Jaasu,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
Tyndale line
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu;
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Iaasau,
Strictly literal
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasai,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasau,
Matthanyah, Matthenai, and Ja'assai,
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
From the Latin
Mathanias, Mathania, and Jasi,
Simplified
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu.
Mattaniah, Mattenai, and Jaasu,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree on the names listed in this verse. The Septuagint matches each Hebrew name with its Greek equivalent, showing consistency in the transmission of these names.
מַתַּנְיָ֥ה מַתְּנַ֖י וְיַעֲשָֽׂי׃
3 of the 3 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Ezra 10:37
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word מַתַּנְיָ֫הוּ (*Mattanyah*) means 'gift of Jah' and refers to various individuals in the Old Testament, including the last king of Judah, Zedekiah. It is derived from the roots for 'gift' and 'Jah.' The entries highlight multiple Levites named Mattaniah, involved in temple service and significant events during the Exile and Return.
מַתַּנְיָ֫הוּ, מַתַּנְיָה n.pr.m.
last king of Judah, name changed to Zedekiah
Levite name
Levite name
name of several who took strange wives
base
H4983 מַתַּנְיָ֫הוּ, מַתַּנְיָה
4983 Mattanyah mat-tan-yaw'
or Mattanyahuw {mat-tan-yaw'-hoo}; from 4976 and 3050; gift
of Jah; Mattanjah, the name of ten Israelites:--Mattaniah.
see HEBREW for 04976
see HEBREW for 03050
מַתַּנְיָ֫הוּ (mat.tan.yah) — Mattaniah.
A man of the tribe of Levi living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at 1Ch.9.15;
son of: Mica (H4316)
§ Mattaniah = "gift of Jehovah"
1) the original name of the last king of Judah before the captivity; also known as 'Zedekiah'
2) a Levite, son of Heman, whose office was to blow the horns in the temple service as appointed by David
3) a Levite of the family of Asaph
4) a Levite of the family of Asaph who assisted in the purification of the temple in the reign of Hezekiah
5) a Levite of the family of Asaph who took part in the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem; leader of the temple choir
6) a Levite, descendant of Asaph and ancestor of Jahaziel in the time of Jehoshaphat
7) another Levite in the time of Nehemiah
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
mat-a-ni'-a (mattanyaha, "gift of Yah"):
(1) King Zedekiah's original name, but changed by Nebuchadnezzar when he made him king over Judah instead of his nephew Jehoiachin (2Ki 24:17).
(2) A descendant of Asaph (1Ch 9:15), leader of the temple choir (Ne 11:17; 12:8). Mentioned among the "porters," keepers of "the storehouses of the gates" (Ne 12:25), and again in Ne 12:35 as among the "priests' sons with trumpets."
(3) May be the same as (2), though in 2Ch 20:14 he is mentioned as an ancestor of that Jahaziel whose inspired words in the midst of the congregation…
Mattaniah
Gift of Jehovah. (1.) A Levite, son of Heman, the chief of the ninth class of temple singers (1 Chr. 25:4, 16).
(2.) A Levite who assisted in purifying the temple at the reformation under Hezekiah (2 Chr. 29:13).
(3.) The original name of Zedekiah (q.v.), the last of the kings of Judah (2 Kings 24:17). He was the third son of Josiah, who fell at Megiddo. He succeeded his nephew Jehoiakin.
(gift of Jehovah). The original name of Zedekiah king of Judah, which was changed when Nebuchadnezzar placed him on the throne. (2 Kings 24:17) A Levite singer of the sons of Asaph. (1 Chronicles 9:15) He was leader of the temple choir after its restoration, (Nehemiah 11:17; 12:8) in the time of Nehemiah, and took part in the musical service which accompanied the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 12:25,35) A descendant of Asaph, and ancestor of Jahaziel the Levite, in the reign of Jehoshaphat. (2 Chronicles 20:14) One of the sons of Elam. (Ezra 10:26)…
gift, or hope, of the Lord
מַתְּנַי (Mattnay) refers to a name meaning "gift of Jehovah." It denotes a priest and two Israelites mentioned during the time of Exile and Return, specifically in Ezra and Nehemiah, who had foreign wives. The word is derived from a root meaning "liberal." There are three distinct individuals named Mattenai in the biblical texts.
מַתְּנַי n.pr.m. (abbrev. fr. foregoing [n.gg.am]
a priest
name of two who took strange wives
base
H4982 מַתְּנַי
4982 Mattnay mat-ten-ah'ee
from 4976; liberal; Mattenai, the name of three
Israelites:--Mattenai.
see HEBREW for 04976
מַתְּנַי (mat.t.nay) — Mattenai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.33
§ Mattenai = "gift of Jehovah"
1) a priest, son of Joiarib, in the time of Joiakim
2) an Israelite who had and put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra
3) another Israelite who had and put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra
מַתְּנַי (mat.t.nay) — Mattenai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.37
§ Mattenai = "gift of Jehovah"
1) a priest, son of Joiarib, in the time of Joiakim
2) an Israelite who had and put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra
3) another Israelite who had and put away his foreign wife in the time of Ezra
מַתְּנַי (mat.t.nay) — Mattenai.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Neh.12.19
§ Mattenai = "gift of Jehovah"
1) a priest, son of Joiarib, in the time of Joiakim
N-proper — Noun proper masculineHNpm
(gift of Jehovah), a contraction of Mattaniah. Two Israelites who divorced their Gentile wives after the return from the Babylonish captivity. (Ezra 10:33,37) (B.C. 469.) A priest, son of Joiarib, in the time of Joiakim. (Nehemiah 12:19) (B.C. after 536.)
וְיַעֲשׂוֹ (*ve-ya'asu*) refers to Jaasu, an Israelite mentioned in Ezra 10:37, who was noted for taking a foreign wife during the Exile and Return. The word is derived from the root meaning 'to do' and indicates a plural form, translating to 'they will do.'
(ו)יעשׂו Kt, (וְ)יַעֲשָׂ֑י Qr, n.pr.m. one with foreign wife Ezr 10:37
ref
H3299 (ו)יעשׂו, (וְ)יַעֲשָׂ֑י, יַעֲשׂוּ
3299 Ya`asuw yah-as-oo'
from 6213; they will do; Jaasu, an Israelite: -Jaasau.
see HEBREW for 06213
וְיַעֲשׂוֹ (ya.a.su) — Jaasu.
A man living at the time of Exile and Return, only mentioned at Ezr.10.37
§ Jaasau = "they will do"
one of the descendants of Bani who took a foreign wife during the time of Ezra
Conj | N-proper — Conjunction · noun proper masculineHC/Npm