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Discover the meanings of thousands of Biblical names in Abarim Publications' Biblical Name Vault: Mattathias

Mattathias meaning

Mattathias in Biblical Greek
Ματταθιας
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Source: https://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Mattathias.html

🔼The name Mattathias: Summary

Meaning
Gift Of Yah
Etymology
From (1) the noun מתת (mattat), gift, from the verb נתן (natan), to give, and (2) יה (yah), the shortened name of the Lord.
Related names
• Via נתן (natan): Elnathan, Jonathan, Mattan, Mattanah, Mattaniah, Mattatha, Mattattah, Mattenai, Matthan, Matthat, Matthew, Matthias, Mattithiah, Nathan, Nathanael, Nathan-melech, Nethanel, Nethaniah, Nethinim, Tattenai
• Via יה (yah): See the 'browse by form' menu for a long list of yah-names.

🔼The name Mattathias in the Bible

There are two men named Mattathias in the Bible, and they both occur in the Lucan genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:25 and 3:26).

Both these men named Mattathias descend from Nathan, a son of David. The second one mentioned is both the great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of Jesus, and the great-great-great-great-grandson of the first one.

🔼Etymology of the name Mattathias

The name Mattathias is a Hellenized Hebrew name, possibly מתתיה (Mattathiah; this name does not occur in the Hebrew Bible). That name consist of two elements, the final one being יה (Yah) = יהו (Yahu) = יו (Yu), which in turn are abbreviated forms of the Tetragrammaton יהוה, YHWH, or Yahweh.

The first part of this name comes from the Hebrew verb נתן (natan) meaning to give, or rather the noun מתת (mattat), meaning gift or reward:

Excerpted from: Abarim Publications' Biblical Dictionary
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").

— See the full Dictionary article —

🔼Mattathias meaning

The name Mattathias means Gift Of The Lord, or more precisely: Gift Of Yah.