4977. Mattan
Lexical Summary
Mattan: Mattan

Original Word: מַתָּן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Mattan
Pronunciation: mat-TAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (mat-tawn')
KJV: Mattan
NASB: Mattan
Word Origin: [the same as H4976 (מַתּתָּן - gift)]

1. Mattan, the name of a priest of Baal, and of an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Mattan

The same as mattan; Mattan, the name of a priest of Baal, and of an Israelite -- Mattan.

see HEBREW mattan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from nathan
Definition
a priest of Baal, also a man of Judah
NASB Translation
Mattan (3).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. מַתָּן proper name, masculine 1. priest of Baal at Jerusalem 2 Kings 11:18 2Chronicles 23:17; ᵐ5 Μαγθαν, Ματθαν, ᵐ5L Ματθαν.

2 father of Shephatiah, in Judah Jeremiah 38:1; ᵐ5 Ναθαν, Μαθθα.

Topical Lexicon
Occurrences and Narrative Setting

1. 2 Kings 11:18 – During the overthrow of Queen Athaliah, “They killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars”.
2. 2 Chronicles 23:17 – Parallel account of the same purge under Jehoiada’s leadership.
3. Jeremiah 38:1 – Shephatiah son of Mattan joins officials who seek Jeremiah’s death.

Historical Background

• Athaliah’s usurpation imported Baal worship into Judah. Mattan, as Baal’s leading priest in Jerusalem, symbolized that apostasy. His death marked the instant, public rejection of false worship and the re-enthronement of Davidic rule under the boy-king Joash.
• More than two centuries later in Jeremiah’s day, a man named Mattan has a son in the royal court. The family’s standing suggests lingering sympathies with political power rather than covenant fidelity. His son urges King Zedekiah to silence Jeremiah, revealing how idolatry’s spiritual legacy can persist even when overt Baal temples are gone.

Theological Implications

• Judgment on Idolatry. The fate of Mattan the priest demonstrates that God will not share His glory with another (Isaiah 42:8). His execution before the shattered altars exposes Baal as powerless and vindicates the First Commandment.
• Restoration through Covenant Leadership. Jehoiada’s reforms immediately follow Mattan’s removal, illustrating how decisive leadership can realign a nation with divine covenant.
• The Danger of Hard-Hearted Opposition. In Jeremiah 38, Mattan’s household stands on the wrong side of prophetic truth. Their desire to silence God’s messenger foreshadows ultimate judgment on Jerusalem in 586 BC.

Lessons for Ministry

1. Spiritual leadership matters. A single unfaithful priest can draw thousands into error; a single faithful priest (Jehoiada) can reverse the tide.
2. Public sin sometimes requires public correction. The dismantling of Baal’s temple and execution of its priest were necessary to prevent relapse (compare Numbers 25:4-5).
3. Heritage does not guarantee faithfulness. A later “son of Mattan” serves in Judah’s court, yet opposes God’s word. Every generation must choose obedience (Joshua 24:15).

Typological and Prophetic Connections

• Cleansing the Temple. Jehoiada’s actions anticipate the zeal of Jesus Christ in cleansing the Temple (John 2:15-17). Both acts confront false worship and restore proper praise.
• True Gift versus False Gift. The name Mattan (“gift”) contrasts sharply with the destruction his idolatry brought. In the gospel God offers the true gift—His Son (Romans 6:23)—showing that only gifts originating with the LORD bring life.

Summary

Mattan appears briefly yet poignantly as the priest of Baal who fell under divine judgment, and as the father of an official who resisted Jeremiah. His name, ironically associated with a “gift,” serves as a warning: every supposed gift that lures hearts from the living God must be rejected. God’s unchanging purpose is to purge idolatry, uphold His covenant, and point His people to the ultimate, life-giving Gift fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

Forms and Transliterations
מַתָּ֗ן מַתָּן֙ מתן mat·tān matTan mattān
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
2 Kings 11:18
HEB: הֵיטֵ֔ב וְאֵ֗ת מַתָּן֙ כֹּהֵ֣ן הַבַּ֔עַל
NAS: and killed Mattan the priest
KJV: and slew Mattan the priest
INT: broke thoroughly Mattan the priest of Baal

2 Chronicles 23:17
HEB: שִׁבֵּ֑רוּ וְאֵ֗ת מַתָּן֙ כֹּהֵ֣ן הַבַּ֔עַל
NAS: and killed Mattan the priest
KJV: and slew Mattan the priest
INT: and his images broke Mattan the priest of Baal

Jeremiah 38:1
HEB: שְׁפַטְיָ֣ה בֶן־ מַתָּ֗ן וּגְדַלְיָ֙הוּ֙ בֶּן־
NAS: the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah
KJV: the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah
INT: now Shephatiah the son of Mattan and Gedaliah the son

3 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 4977
3 Occurrences


mat·tān — 3 Occ.

4976
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