ma.vet denotes the end of life, and in some clauses the lethal danger, sentence, or power set against life.

The term most often marks a person’s death, especially as the point after, before, or until which events are dated. Other clauses use it for a lethal sentence or threatened killing, for destructive danger, and for an abstraction contrasted with life or portrayed as an enemy-like power.

1. A person’s death as a life-ending event · dominant

   In 2 Kings 1:1 and 2 Samuel 1:1, the singular construct form occurs in clauses locating later events after Ahab’s and Saul’s deaths. In 1 Samuel 15:35 and 2 Kings 15:5, it marks the day or period ending a person’s life; 2 Samuel 1:23 also joins Saul and Jonathan in their death.

   2 Kings 1:12 Samuel 1:11 Samuel 15:352 Kings 15:52 Samuel 1:231 Chronicles 22:5
2. Lethal sentence, liability, or intended killing · common

   In Deuteronomy 21:22, the absolute singular occurs in the clause about a sin worthy of a judgment of death and ensuing execution. In 1 Samuel 20:31 and 1 Samuel 26:16, the surrounding clauses demand that David die or declare another person deserving of death; 1 Kings 2:26 similarly calls Abiathar a man of death while postponing action against him.

   Deuteronomy 21:221 Samuel 20:311 Samuel 26:161 Kings 2:262 Samuel 12:5Deuteronomy 19:6
3. Threatening or destructive death imagery · occasional

   In 1 Samuel 20:3, David says only a step stands between him and death, presenting it as imminent peril. In 2 Samuel 22:5 and 2 Samuel 22:6, the APB renders surrounding images as waves, cords, and snares of death; 2 Kings 4:40 places death in a pot whose contents cannot be eaten.

   1 Samuel 20:32 Samuel 22:52 Samuel 22:62 Kings 4:401 Samuel 5:11Exodus 10:17
4. An abstraction set against life or confronted · occasional

   In Deuteronomy 30:15 and Deuteronomy 30:19, the absolute singular stands in the stated contrast between life and death. Isaiah 25:8 says that death will be swallowed up forever, while Hosea 13:14 addresses death in a challenge concerning its plagues; Isaiah 28:15 describes a claimed covenant with death.

   Deuteronomy 30:15Deuteronomy 30:19Isaiah 25:8Hosea 13:14Isaiah 28:15Habakkuk 2:5

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB frequently presents the term with “death,” including temporal phrases such as “after the death” and “the day of his death.” In other contexts it renders the surrounding clause with expressions such as “must die,” “deserve death,” or images of waves and snares.