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Tuesday, December 3rd, 2024
the First Week of Advent

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Bible Lexicons

Old & New Testament Greek Lexical DictionaryGreek Lexicon

Strong's #3155 - μάτην

Transliteration

mátēn

Phonetics

mat'-ane

Origin

accus. of a derivative of the base of (G3145) (through the idea of tentative manipulation, i.e. unsuccessful search, or else of punishment)

Parts of Speech

adverb

TDNT

4:523,571

Definition

Thayer
Strong
Mounce

Thayer's

in vain, fruitlessly

Frequency Lists

Book
Word
Parsing

Verse Results

ASV (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

BSB (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

CSB (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

ESV (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

KJV (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

LEB (0)

The Lexham English Bible
did not use
this Strong's Number

LSB (4)

Matthew 2

Mark 2

N95 (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

NAS (4)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

NLT (2)

Matthew 2

Mark 2

WEB (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

YLT (2)

Matthew 1

Mark 1

ASV (2)

in vain 2

BSB (2)

in vain 2

CSB (2)

in vain 2

ESV (2)

vain 2

KJV (2)

vain 2

LEB (0)

The Lexham English Bible
did not use
this Strong's Number

LSB (4)

in 2

vain 2

N95 (2)

vain 2

NAS (4)

in 2

vain 2

NLT (2)

farce 2

WEB (2)

in vain 2

YLT (2)

in vain 2

RAH

The
did not use
this Strong's Number

SWE

ADV 2

ANT

ADV 2

BEZ

ADV 2

BGB

ADV 2

BMT

ADV 2

BYZ

ADV 2

ELZ

ADV 2

NA26

D 2

SBL

ADV 2

SCV

ADV 2

STV

ADV 2

TIS

ADV 2

TRG

ADV 2

The
did not use
this Strong's Number

Liddell-Scott-Jones Definitions

μάτην,

1. Dor. μάτᾱν [μᾰ], Adv. in vain, h.Cer. 308, Pi. O. 1.83, etc.; μὴ πόνει μ. A. Pr. 44; βλέποντες ἔβλεπον μ. ib. 447; μ. ἐρεῖν ib. 1007; with a Noun, τὸ μ. ἄχθος the fruitless burden, Id. Ag. 165 (lyr.); Διὸς μ. ἄκοιτις his bedfellow to no good end, S. Tr. 1149: as predicate, μ. ὁ μόχθος A. Ch. 521.

2. at random, without reason, οὔ σε μ. τιμῶσι Thgn. 523; ὅρα μὴ μ. κόμπος ὁ λόγος ᾖ Hdt. 7.103, cf. E. Supp. 127; οὐ γὰρ δίκαιον.. τοὺς κακοὺς μ. χρηστοὺς νομίζειν S. OT 609; ἵνα μὴ μ. θαρρήσῃς Pl. Tht. 189d; ὁ νοσῶν μ., i.e. he that is mad, S. Aj. 635 (lyr.), cf. Ar. Pax 95 (anap.).

3. idly, falsely, λέγοντες εἴτ' ἀληθές, εἴτ' ἄρ' οὖν μ. S. Ph. 345; λόγῳ μάτην θνῄσκοντες Id. El. 63, cf. 1298; μ. βέβακεν, of a dream, A. Ag. 423 (lyr.). — Originally acc. of μάτη, and we find εἰς μάτην in Luc. Trag. 28,241, Aristid. Or. 33(51).3; ἐπὶ μ. POxy. 530.8 (ii A.D.).

Thayer's Expanded Definition

μάτην (accusative (cf. Winers Grammar, 230 (216); Buttmann, § 131, 12) of μάτη, equivalent to ματία, a futile attempt, folly, fault), adverb, from Pindar, Aeschylus down, in vain, fruitlessly: Matthew 15:9 and Mark 7:7, after Isaiah 29:13 the Sept..

Abbott-Smith Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament

μάτην

(prop. acc of μάτη , a fault, folly), adv.,

[in LXX for H1891, H7723, etc.;]

in vain, to no purpose: Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7 (LXX).†

Abbott-Smith Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament.
Copyright © 1922 by G. Abbott-Smith, D.D., D.C.L.. T & T Clarke, London.

Vocabulary of the Greek NT

For this adverb, ";in vain,"; ";to no purpose,"; cf. the illiterate P Amh II. 130.5 (A.D. 70) ἐξλῆθα (l. ἐξῆλθα ?) εὑρὼν ἓκξ (ἓξ) ἑπτὰ μάτιαν πολούτων (l. μάτην πωλοῦντας), ";I came away after finding six or seven offering in vain to sell (some barley)"; (Edd.), and P Oxy XII. 1417.22 (early iv/A.D.) μάτη ̣ν ̣ οὖν θέλω διὰ σοῦ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, and for the interesting phrase ἐπὶ μάτην cf. ib. III. 530.8 (ii/A.D.) ἐπὶ μάτ ̣η ̣[ν ] δὲ τῶι τοῦ Παυσιρίωνος τοσοῦτον χρόνον προσκαπτερ [ῶ, ";and that I have so long been engaged with Pausirion’s business to no purpose"; (Edd.). Εἰς μάτην is similarly used by Lucian (Trag. 28, 241).

List of Word Forms

ματην μάτην maten matēn máten mátēn