Bible Person

Mattan

Meaning: gift · Male · 2 cross references

Mattan is the priest of Baal executed during Jehoiada's reform after the overthrow of Athaliah. He appears at the violent turning point where Judah's leadership publicly rejects Baal worship and restores covenant order. First appears in 2 Kgs 11:18.1

AI summary: Mattan matters because his cross references place him at the altar of a rival cult precisely when Judah returns to allegiance to the Lord. His death marks more than the removal of one priest: it dramatizes the cleansing of public worship and the repudiation of royal-sponsored idolatry. Taken together, the material presents Mattan as a symbolic casualty of covenant reform in Jerusalem.1

Central Figure

Mattan

Meaning: gift

A priest of Baal, slain before his altar during the reformation under Jehoiada (2 Kings 11:18).