Greek word · G3155

μάτην

matēn

in vain

An adverb meaning 'in vain, to no purpose, fruitlessly'. It can also mean 'without grounds, for no reason'. It comes from the same root as mataios ('empty, futile') and mataiotēs ('futility', the 'vanity' of Ecclesiastes in the Greek Old Testament).

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

μάτην

(prop. accusative of μάτη, a fault, folly), adv., [in LXX for הָבַל, שָׁוְא, etc. ;]

in vain, to no purpose: Matthew 15:9, Mark 7:7" (LXX) .†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Matthew 15:9

Range of meaning

An adverb meaning 'in vain, to no purpose, fruitlessly'. It can also mean 'without grounds, for no reason'. It comes from the same root as mataios ('empty, futile') and mataiotēs ('futility', the 'vanity' of Ecclesiastes in the Greek Old Testament).

Against the English

'In vain' is accurate. The risk is hearing it as 'proudly', as in 'vain' meaning conceited. It means 'futile' or 'empty of effect'.

Used elsewhere in the period

The word is common in classical and Koine Greek. In the NT it appears only here and in the parallel Mark 7:7, both quoting Isaiah 29:13 in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint). Related phrases such as eis matēn ('to no purpose') appear in Septuagint psalms (e.g. Ps 126[127]:1 LXX, 'unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain').

From the study of Mark 7:7

Range of meaning

An adverb meaning 'in vain, for nothing, to no end, without result'. A secondary sense is 'without cause, groundlessly' (as in 'they hated me without cause'). It belongs with μάταιος, 'empty, futile', the word used for idols and worthless things.

Against the English

'In vain' is accurate English. The only risk is that some readers link it with 'taking the Lord's name in vain' (meaning profanity). Here it means futile or ineffective, not blasphemous.

Used elsewhere in the period

Common in the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament) for wasted effort, e.g. Ps 127:1 LXX (126:1): 'unless the Lord builds the house, in vain the builders labour'. In Isa 29:13 LXX it heads the clause Jesus quotes. The Hebrew of Isa 29:13 (the Masoretic Text) has no word for 'in vain'. Many scholars think the Greek translators read the Hebrew letters of וַתְּהִי ('and it is') as וְתֹהוּ ('and emptiness'), but this explanation is not certain.

Where it appears

Matthew · 1

  1. Matthew 15:9 μάτην in vain

    They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’”

    Here: It comes first for emphasis: their devotion gets nowhere, comes to nothing, and is empty. It describes how useless the worship is, not just a feeling of disappointment.

Mark · 1

  1. Mark 7:7 μάτην In vain

    They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

    Here: Placed first for emphasis: their reverence is futile. It achieves nothing and gets no response from God. The word is about lack of result, not about irreverence or swearing.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.