The Hebrew particle maan (often appearing as lemaan with the preposition le) expresses purpose or reason: "for the sake of," "in order that," or "so that." It links actions to their motivating purpose and appears over 250 times. It is central to understanding divine motivation — why God acts.
Maan / lemaan reveals divine motivation throughout Scripture. God delivers Israel "for the sake of his name" (Psalm 23:3; Ezekiel 36:22) — not because of Israel's merit but for His own glory and covenant faithfulness. God's self-referential purpose is the deepest ground of salvation. The Psalms cry "For your name's sake, LORD, forgive my iniquity" (Psalm 25:11) — an appeal not to human deserving but to God's own character. This theology of divine self-motivation is foundational to grace: God acts to vindicate His own holiness and love, and we are beneficiaries.