Mattan מַתָּן
Priest of Baal, killed during Jehoiada's reforms.
Biography
Mattan was a priest of Baal during the reign of Athaliah, the queen mother of Judah. When Jehoiada the priest led a revolt to overthrow Athaliah and restore the rightful king, Joash, to the throne, the temple of Baal was destroyed. Mattan, as a priest of Baal, was killed in front of the altars of his pagan temple (2Ki.11.18; 2Ch.23.17). This event marked a significant moment in Jehoiada's religious reforms, which aimed to restore the worship of the Lord and eliminate idolatry in Judah.
In Scripture
2 biblical books2 Kings 1 verse
- 2 Kings 11:18
"All the people of the land went to the house of Baal, and broke it down. They broke his altars and his images in pieces thoroughly, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars. The priest appointed officers over Yahweh’s house."
2 Chronicles 1 verse
- 2 Chronicles 23:17
"All the people went to the house of Baal, broke it down, broke his altars and his images in pieces, and killed Mattan the priest of Baal before the altars."
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script | Strong's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Named | Hebrew | מַתָּן | H4977G |
Mattan
he father of Shephatiah a contemporary and persecutor of Jeremiah (Jer 38:1), one of those who put Jeremiah into Malechiah's dungeon (38:6).
mat'-a-na (mattanah; Codex Vaticanus, Manthanaein; Codex Alexandrinus, Manthanein): A station of the Israelites which seems to have lain between Beer and Nahaliel (Nu 21:18 f). Th