Lexical Summary elattoneó: To diminish, to make less, to decrease Original Word: ἐλαττονέω Strong's Exhaustive Concordance have lack. From elasson; to diminish, i.e. Fall short -- have lack. see GREEK elasson NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom elassón Definition to be less NASB Translation had...lack (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 1641: ἐλαττονέωἐλαττονέω (Buttmann, 7), ἐλαττόνω: 1 aorist ἠλαττόνησα; (ἔλαττον); not found in secular authors (yet see Aristotle, de plant. 2, 3, p. 825a, 23); to be less, inferior (in possessions): 2 Corinthians 8:15 from Exodus 16:18. (Proverbs 11:24; Sir. 19:6 (Sir. 19:5); also transitively, to make less, diminish: Genesis 8:3; Proverbs 14:34; 2 Macc. 13:19, etc.) Topical Lexicon Conceptual Overview Strong’s Greek 1641 captures the idea of “being made less” or “diminished.” In biblical thought the term is never a lament of scarcity but a recognition that God sovereignly redistributes abundance so that His people experience neither surplus that breeds self-reliance nor lack that provokes despair. “Diminishing” therefore serves unity, equity, and mutual care inside the covenant community. Biblical Usage The verb appears once in the Greek New Testament, at 2 Corinthians 8:15, where Paul cites Exodus 16:18 from the Septuagint to support his appeal for the Jerusalem relief offering: “As it is written: ‘The one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little.’” Here the aorist form ἠλαττόνησεν (“was diminished”) describes those Israelites who collected more manna than they personally required yet found nothing left over once distribution took place. The lessening was not punitive but a God-ordained balancing that left every family equally supplied. Old Testament Background: Manna and Divine Equity Exodus 16 narrates Israel’s earliest lessons in dependence on daily grace. When some “gathered much,” the excess “diminished” (LXX: ἠλαττόνησεν) so that “each one had gathered as much as he could eat” (Exodus 16:18). The wilderness economy demonstrated three principles: 1. Provision is from God, not human effort. Paul’s Appeal in 2 Corinthians 8 Paul applies the manna paradigm to monetary generosity. Macedonia had already given out of poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-3), and Paul desires Corinth’s relative wealth to “abound” so that “there may be equality” (2 Corinthians 8:13-14). By invoking ἠλαττόνησεν he reminds the church that any surplus they retain outside God’s purpose is already earmarked for others. True stewardship invites the Spirit to “diminish” excess for the good of the body of Christ. Theology of Sufficiency and Equality • Divine Sufficiency: God is able to adjust both plenty and need (Philippians 4:19). Christological Perspective Jesus embodies voluntary “diminishing” (Philippians 2:7). By taking the form of a servant He surrendered celestial riches so that “through His poverty” believers might “become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). The rare verb in 8:15 therefore echoes the self-emptying of Christ; Christian giving mirrors His kenosis. Practical Ministry Implications • Fundraising: Pastors may ground appeals for missions or benevolence in God’s pattern of redistributing resources, assuring donors that sacrificial gifts will not leave them lacking. Historical Interpretation • Early Church: Patristic writers like John Chrysostom linked 2 Corinthians 8:15 with communal life in Acts 2:44-45, viewing “diminishing” surplus as essential to koinonia. Related Vocabulary While 1641 appears only once, cognate terms (1642 “to be inferior,” 1640 “less”) reinforce Scripture’s broader teaching that greatness in the kingdom is measured by willingness to become least (Luke 22:26). Summary Strong’s Greek 1641 portrays the divine act of making excess subside so that insufficiency disappears. Anchored in the manna miracle and applied by Paul to Christian generosity, the word invites every believer to trust God’s economy, relinquish surplus, and experience the joy of watching Him “diminish” abundance into shared blessing. Forms and Transliterations ελασσονούσι ελαττονή ελαττονήσει ελαττονούνται ελαττονωθώσιν ηλαττόνησε ηλαττονησεν ἠλαττόνησεν ηλαττονούτο elattonesen elattónesen ēlattonēsen ēlattónēsenLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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