Lexical Summary chassir: lacking, wanting, deficient Original Word: חַסִּיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance wanting (Aramaic) from a root corresponding to chacer; deficient -- wanting. see HEBREW chacer NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) from a root corresponding to chaser Definition lacking, wanting, deficient NASB Translation deficient (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs חַסִּר adjective lacking, wanting, deficient (compare Biblical Hebrew חָסֵר); — ׳ח Daniel 5:27. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Thematic Range The word describes a state of lack, deficiency, or insufficiency that is exposed when measured against a fixed, righteous standard. It conveys more than mere numerical shortfall; it denotes moral and spiritual failure to meet God’s requirements. Occurrence and Context in Daniel Daniel 5:27 records the lone biblical use, appearing in the heavenly verdict on Babylon’s King Belshazzar: “TEKEL—you have been weighed on the scales and found deficient.” The royal banquet, desecration of Temple vessels, and sudden judgment frame the term. Belshazzar’s splendor could not offset his irreverence and pride; the scale of divine justice registered a critical deficit that immediately ushered in the fall of his kingdom. Theological Implications 1. Divine Standards: God weighs individuals and nations on scales calibrated to His holiness (Job 31:6; Proverbs 16:11). A single instance suffices to demonstrate that human pretensions collapse before His perfect equity. Parallel Biblical Motifs • Scales and Balances: Accurate weights are “His delight” (Proverbs 11:1). God employs the imagery both ethically (fair commerce) and spiritually (right living). Historical Notes Belshazzar’s condemnation occurred on the eve of Medo-Persian conquest (539 B.C.). Contemporary cuneiform texts corroborate the empire’s rapid overthrow, underscoring Scripture’s historical reliability and the immediacy of the prophetic word. Christological Fulfillment Jesus Christ alone meets the divine measure. He is the One in whom “the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9). At Calvary He bore the fate pronounced on Belshazzar—death and dispossession—so that believers might receive the verdict “complete in Him” (Colossians 2:10). Practical Ministry Applications • Self-Examination: Regularly invite the Lord to “search me and know my heart” (Psalms 139:23), asking where life may be חסיר. Homiletical and Discipleship Angles 1. Sermon: “Weighed and Wanting—God’s Scales and the Gospel Remedy.” Related Terms and Concepts • Weigh (שָׁקַל) Together they reveal the cohesive biblical theme that God alone defines adequacy, exposes deficiency, and supplies sufficiency through the atoning work of His Son. Forms and Transliterations חַסִּֽיר׃ חסיר׃ chasSir ḥas·sîr ḥassîrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 5:27 HEB: בְמֹֽאזַנְיָ֖א וְהִשְׁתְּכַ֥חַתְּ חַסִּֽיר׃ NAS: on the scales and found deficient. KJV: and art found wanting. INT: the scales and found deficient 1 Occurrence |
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