αματταρι <Semitic; Hellenistic period>
👉 αματταρι (vv.ll. αρματταρι, λααρματταραι) – ‘target’ (LXX: 1 Sam. 20.20), ἀματάραν ‘id.’ (Thdt., Quaest. in Reg. 573D-576A).
⚠ Thdt., Quaest. in Reg. 573D-576A: τὴν ἀματάραν ἐν τῇ τῶν Ἑβραïκῶν ὀνομάτων ἑρμηνείᾳ οὕτως εὗρον κειμένην (...) – “I found amataran in the translation of Hebrew nouns (...)”.
🅔 A transliteration of Biblical Hebrew maṭṭārā ‘target (for archery); guard, watch’. The initial α- probably comes from a reading of lə-maṭṭārā (= εἰς τὴν αματταρι in LXX) as *la-maṭṭārā with a definite article (cf. v.l. λααρματταραι; but cf. also the unexpected initial vowel in αμαδαρωθ). The final -ι (v.l. -αι) in αματταρι is probably an error for -α, whereas ἀματάραν was Hellenised by adding -ν as an accusative mark (note the article τήν in both occurrences).
📖 Data: DCH: V, 242; HALOT: 575. Ref.: GELS: 23; Simotas 1969: 24.