ma.toq describes sweetness of taste and, by comparison, what is pleasant or desirable.

The term most often marks sweetness tasted in honey, fruit, or food, including contrasts with bitterness; it also describes what is pleasant or beneficial, as light for the eyes and words that bring healing.

1. Sweetness tasted or contrasted with bitterness · dominant

   In Ezekiel 3:3 the masculine singular absolute form occurs as the eaten scroll is described in the APB as tasting “as sweet as honey in my mouth.” Judges 14:14, Judges 14:18, Proverbs 24:13, and Song of Songs 2:3 place it with edible sweetness, while Isaiah 5:20 and Proverbs 27:7 set sweetness in contrast to what is bitter.

   Ezekiel 3:3Judges 14:14Judges 14:18Proverbs 24:13Song of Songs 2:3Isaiah 5:20
2. Pleasant or beneficial quality · common

   In Ecclesiastes 11:7 the masculine singular absolute form characterizes light as pleasant for eyes seeing the sun. Proverbs 16:24 applies the same form to pleasant words in a clause the APB renders “sweet to the soul and healing to the bone”; Ecclesiastes 5:11 and Psalm 19:11 also contain attested forms, though the translation does not isolate their contribution.

   Ecclesiastes 11:7Proverbs 16:24Ecclesiastes 5:11Psalm 19:11

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB frequently presents the term with “sweet,” including honey, fruit, light, and words, and it preserves the bitter/sweet contrast in Isaiah 5:20 and Proverbs 27:7. In Ecclesiastes 5:11 and Psalm 19:11, the supplied translation does not visibly isolate an English rendering for the attested form.