gift
mat.ta.nah denotes something bestowed or presented, including personal provisions, offerings, and gifts treated as harmful.
The attested forms most often designate things bestowed from one person or authority to another, whether as provisions, portions, or an inheritance-related grant. They also occur for gifts presented in sacred settings and, less often, in warnings about gifts whose effect is destructive or corrupting.
Senses in use
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Things bestowed or assigned to recipients · dominant
Plural and singular forms occur where a giver supplies recipients with goods or a grant: in Genesis 25:6 the APB renders Abraham giving items to the sons of the concubines, and in 2 Chronicles 21:3 it renders a father giving silver, gold, precious things, and cities. In Ezekiel 46:16 and Ezekiel 46:17, the singular absolute form marks an inheritance-related grant whose outcome differs for a son and for a servant.
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Items presented in sacred contexts · common
Construct plural forms occur among items brought before the LORD: Exodus 28:38 speaks of holy items consecrated by the sons of Israel, while Leviticus 23:38 distinguishes them from vows and freewill offerings. In Ezekiel 20:26 and Ezekiel 20:31, the same plural construct forms occur in clauses about acts that defile the people through their gifts.
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Gifts assessed for their harmful effect · occasional
In Ecclesiastes 7:7, the singular absolute form appears in the clause that the APB renders "a gift destroys the heart." In Proverbs 15:27, the plural absolute form is contrasted with unjust gain as the APB describes one who hates gifts as living.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses "gifts" in clauses about giving, holy presentations, and harmful effects; it also expands some contexts into descriptions of goods, inheritance, or offerings. Psalm 68:19 does not isolate an English equivalent for the supplied form.