Mattanah standard
e name means "gift," and might not inappropriately be applied to a well in the wilderness (Budde translates "Out of the desert a gift"; see The Expository Times, VI, 482). Some would therefore identify it with Beer.
Where is Mattanah in the Bible?
Mattanah was a wilderness encampment located southwest of the Dead Sea where the Israelites stopped during their exodus from Egypt, as recorded in Numbers 21:18-19. The name means "gift" in Hebrew, and scholars believe it may have been associated with a well in the desert, reflecting God's provision for the Israelites during their forty-year journey. Although the exact location is unknown today, Mattanah represents one of the many stations marked in the biblical account of Israel's wandering in the wilderness before entering the Promised Land. The site's significance lies in its documentation of God's care and sustenance for his people during their extended desert travels.
In Scripture1 biblical book
- Numbers
Mattanah
ISBE 1915 (Public Domain)e name means "gift," and might not inappropriately be applied to a well in the wilderness (Budde translates "Out of the desert a gift"; see The Expository Times, VI, 482). Some would therefore identify it with Beer. This is improbable. There is now no clue to the place, but it must have lain Southwest of the Dead Sea.
(1) King Zedekiah's original name, but changed by Nebuchadnezzar when he made him king over Judah instead of his nephew Jehoiachin (2Ki