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# מָעַט

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H4591

**be small** — used 22 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

be small [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4591/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

מָעַט: vb. be or become small, diminished, few [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4591/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** vb. be or become small, diminished, few (NH, Talm., id.; Arabic مَعِطَ is to be without hair on the body)— Impf. יִמְעַט Ex 12:4, 2 mpl. תִּמְעָ֑טוּ Je 29:6, 3 mpl. יִמְעָ֑טוּ Is 21:17 +, וַיִּמְעֲטוּ ψ 107:39; Inf. מְעֹם Lv 25:16;—Ex 12:4 אִם־יִמְעַט הַבַּיִת מִהְיוֹת מִשֶּׂה if the house be too small for a lamb; Ne 9:32 אַל־יִמְעַט לְפָנֶיךָ אֵת כָּל־הַתְּלָאָה (cf. Ges§ 117 l); of a people, Je 29:6 וּרְבוּ שָׁם וְאַל־תִּמְעָ֑טוּ and become not few, 30:19 וְהִרְבִּתִים וְלֹא יִמְעָ֔טוּ, Is 21:17 ψ 107:39; Pr 13:11 הוֹן מֵהֶבֶל יִמְעָ֑ט diminishes (opp. יַרְבֶּה); Lv 25:16 וּלְפִי מְעֹט הַשָּׁנִים according to the fewness of the years. become few (Ges§ 52 k), Pf. 3 pl. Ec 12:3 וּבָֽטְלוּ הַטֹּחֲנוֹת כִּי מִעֵ֔טוּ. Pf. 3 fs. consec. וְהִמְעִ֫יטָה (Ges§ 49 k), Lv 26:22, 1 s. with sf. וְהִמְעַטְתִּים Ez 29:15; Impf. 2 ms. תַּמְעִיט Lv 25:16, תַּמְעִטֵ֫נִי Je 10:24, 2 fs. תַּמְעִ֫יטִי 2 K 4:3, etc.;—make small or few, diminish: Lv 26:22 (of the sword) וְהִמְעִ֫יטָה אֶתְכֶם, Ez 29:15 וְהִמְעַטְתִּים, Je 10:24 אַל־בְּאַפְּךָ פֶּן־תַּמְעִטֵנִי lest thou make me (the people) small, ψ 107:38 וּבְהֶמְתָּם לֹא יַמְעִיט; Lv 25:16 וּלְפִי מְעֹט הַשָּׁנִים תַּמְעִיט מִקְנָתוֹ according to the smallness (fewness) of the years, thou shalt make small its price, Nu 26:54 לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֹ וְלַמְעַט תַּמְעִיט נַחֲלָתוֹ and to the small (few) thou shalt make small his inheritance (so 33:54). qualifying an action (sometimes to be understood from the context), Ex 16:17 וַיִּלְקְמוּ הַמַּרְבֶּה וְהַמַּמְעִיט and they gathered, he that made much, and he that made little (sc. לִלְקֹט), v 18 Nu 11:32 הממעיט אסף עשׂרה חמרים, 2 K 4:3 כֵּלִים רֵקִים אַל־תַּמְעִיטִי empty vessels make not few (sc. in borrowing); Ex 30:15 הֶעָשִׁיר לֹא יַרְבֶּה וְהַדַּל לֹא יַמְעִיט מִמַּחֲצִית הַשָּׁ֑קֶל לָתֵת וגו׳ shall not diminish from the half shekel to give, i.e. shall not give less, Nu 35:8 מֵאֵת הָרַב תַּרְבּוּ וּמֵאֵת הַמְעַט תַּמְעִיטוּ and from the few ye shall make few (sc. לָתֵת) i.e. ye shall give few (cities).

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 21 of its verses cited, 3 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: who\] made little (3); you will make small (3); I (1).

## In the verses

[Psalms 107:39](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.107.39/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.107.39/#tree)

וַיִּמְעֲט֥וּ וַיָּשֹׁ֑חוּ מֵעֹ֖צֶר רָעָ֣ה וְיָגֽוֹן׃

*Word for word:* and they.became.few and they.were.bowed.down from.\[the\] oppression of.calamity and sorrow

*JPS 1917:* Again, they are minished and dwindle away through oppression of evil and sorrow.

[Proverbs 13:11](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.13.11/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.13.11/#tree)

ה֭וֹן מֵהֶ֣בֶל יִמְעָ֑ט וְקֹבֵ֖ץ עַל־יָ֣ד יַרְבֶּֽה׃

*Word for word:* wealth from vanity it.will.become.small and \[one.who\].gathers on hand he.will.increase

*JPS 1917:* Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished; but he that gathereth little by little shall increase.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4591.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4591/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).