Matay מָתַי

Matay (Hebrew מָתַי, Strong's H4970) is a Hebrew interrogative meaning “how”. It occurs 43 times in 40 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Verses

Every verse with Matay, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Genesis

• Genesis 30:30
  For it was little which thou hadst before I came, and it is now increased unto a multitude; and the Lord hath blessed thee since my coming: and now when shall I provide for mine own house also?Indeed, you had very little before my arrival, but now your wealth has increased many times over. The LORD has blessed you wherever I set foot. But now, when may I also provide for my own household?”

Exodus

• Exodus 8:9
  And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?Moses said to Pharaoh, “You may have the honor over me. When shall I pray for you and your officials and your people that the frogs (except for those in the Nile) may be taken away from you and your houses?”
• Exodus 10:3
  And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me.So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
• Exodus 10:7
  And Pharaoh’s servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the Lord their God: knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is in ruins?”

Numbers

• Numbers 14:27
  How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me.“How long will this wicked congregation grumble against Me? I have heard the complaints that the Israelites are making against Me.

1 Samuel

• 1 Samuel 1:14
  And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.and said to her, “How long will you be drunk? Put away your wine!”
• 1 Samuel 16:1
  And the Lord said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth–lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I have selected from his sons a king for Myself.”

2 Samuel

• 2 Samuel 2:26
  Then Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then, ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?Then Abner called out to Joab: “Must the sword devour forever? Do you not realize that this will only end in bitterness? How long before you tell the troops to stop pursuing their brothers?”

1 Kings

• 1 Kings 18:21
  And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.

Nehemiah

• Nehemiah 2:6
  And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.Then the king, with the queen seated beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me, and I set a time.

Job

• Job 7:4
  When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.When I lie down I think: ‘When will I get up?’ But the night drags on, and I toss and turn until dawn.

Psalms

• Psalm 6:3
  My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?My soul is deeply distressed. How long, O LORD, how long?
• Psalm 41:5
  Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?My enemies say with malice: “When will he die and be forgotten?”
• Psalm 42:2
  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?My soul thirsts for God, the living God. When shall I come and appear in God’s presence?
• Psalm 74:10
  O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?How long, O God, will the enemy taunt You? Will the foe revile Your name forever?
• Psalm 80:4
  O LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?O LORD God of Hosts, how long will Your anger smolder against the prayers of Your people?
• Psalm 82:2
  How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.“How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
• Psalm 90:13
  Return, O LORD, how long? and let it repent thee concerning thy servants.Return, O LORD! How long will it be? Have compassion on Your servants.
• Psalm 94:3
  LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult?
• Psalm 94:8
  Understand, ye brutish among the people: and ye fools, when will ye be wise?Take notice, O senseless among the people! O fools, when will you be wise?
• Psalm 101:2
  I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.I will ponder the way that is blameless— when will You come to me? I will walk in my house with integrity of heart.
• Psalm 119:82
  Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?My eyes fail, looking for Your promise; I ask, “When will You comfort me?”
• Psalm 119:84
  How many are the days of thy servant? when wilt thou execute judgment on them that persecute me?How many days must Your servant wait? When will You execute judgment on my persecutors?

Proverbs

• Proverbs 1:22
  How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?
• Proverbs 6:9
  How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep?
• Proverbs 23:35
  They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.“They struck me, but I feel no pain! They beat me, but I did not know it! When can I wake up to search for another drink?”

Isaiah

• Isaiah 6:11
  Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged,

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 4:14
  O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?
• Jeremiah 4:21
  How long shall I see the standard, and hear the sound of the trumpet?How long must I see the signal flag and hear the sound of the horn?
• Jeremiah 12:4
  How long shall the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein? the beasts are consumed, and the birds; because they said, He shall not see our last end.How long will the land mourn and the grass of every field be withered? Because of the evil of its residents, the animals and birds have been swept away, for the people have said, “He cannot see what our end will be.”
• Jeremiah 13:27
  I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the fields. Woe unto thee, O Jerusalem! wilt thou not be made clean? when shall it once be?Your adulteries and lustful neighings, your shameless prostitution on the hills and in the fields— I have seen your detestable acts. Woe to you, O Jerusalem! How long will you remain unclean?”
• Jeremiah 23:26
  How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;How long will this continue in the hearts of these prophets who prophesy falsehood, these prophets of the delusion of their own minds?
• Jeremiah 31:22
  How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing in the earth, A woman shall compass a man.How long will you wander, O faithless daughter? For the LORD has created a new thing in the land— a woman will shelter a man.”
• Jeremiah 47:5
  Baldness is come upon Gaza; Ashkelon is cut off with the remnant of their valley: how long wilt thou cut thyself?The people of Gaza will shave their heads in mourning; Ashkelon will be silenced. O remnant of their valley, how long will you gash yourself?

Daniel

• Daniel 8:13
  Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host to be trampled?”
• Daniel 12:6
  And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”

Hosea

• Hosea 8:5
  Thy calf, O Samaria, hath cast thee off; mine anger is kindled against them: how long will it be ere they attain to innocency?He has rejected your calf, O Samaria. My anger burns against them. How long will they be incapable of innocence?

Amos

• Amos 8:5
  Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?asking, “When will the New Moon be over, that we may sell grain? When will the Sabbath end, that we may market wheat? Let us reduce the ephah and increase the shekel; let us cheat with dishonest scales.

Habakkuk

• Habakkuk 2:6
  Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and to him that ladeth himself with thick clay!Will not all of these take up a taunt against him, speaking with mockery and derision: ‘Woe to him who amasses what is not his and makes himself rich with many loans! How long will this go on?’

Zechariah

• Zechariah 1:12
  Then the angel of the Lord answered and said, O Lord of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years?Then the angel of the LORD said, “How long, O LORD of Hosts, will You withhold mercy from Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been angry these seventy years?”

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).