Lexical Summary maat: To diminish, to be few, to be small, to be reduced Original Word: מָעַט Strong's Exhaustive Concordance suffer to decrease, diminish, borrow, giveA primitive root; properly, to pare off, i.e. Lessen; intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make) small or few (or figuratively, ineffective) -- suffer to decrease, diminish, (be, X borrow a, give, make) few (in number, -ness), gather least (little), be (seem) little, (X give the) less, be minished, bring to nothing. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be or become small, diminished, or few NASB Translation bring to nothing (1), decrease (2), diminish (2), diminished (2), dwindles (1), few (2), fewness (1), get a few (1), give less (1), had little (1), least (1), little (1), make so small (1), pay less (1), reduce (1), seem insignificant (1), small (1), take less (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs [מָעַט] verb be or become small, diminished, few (Late Hebrew, Talmud, id.; Arabic  is to be without hair on the body) — Qal Imperfect יִמְעַט Exodus 12:4, 2masculine plural תִּמְעָ֑טוּ Jeremiah 29:6, 3masculine plural יִמְעָ֑טוּ Isaiah 21:17 +, וַיִּמְעֲטוּ Psalm 107:39; Infinitive מְעֹט Leviticus 25:16; — Exodus 12:4 אִסיִֿמְעַט הַבַּיִת מִהְיוֺת מִשֶּׂה if the house be too small for a lamb; Nehemiah 9:32 אַליִֿמְעַט לְפָנֶיךָ אֵת כָּלהַֿתְּלָאָה (compare Ges§ 117l); of a people, Jeremiah 29:6 וּרְבוּ שָׁם וְאַלתִּֿמְעָ֑טוּ and become not few, Jeremiah 30:19 וְהִרְבִּתִים וְלֹא יִמְעָ֔טוּ, Isaiah 21:17; Psalm 107:39; Proverbs 13:11 הוֺן מֵהֶבֶל יִמְעָ֑ט diminishes (opposed to יַרְבֶּה); Leviticus 25:16 וּלְפִי מְעֹט הַשָּׁנִים according to the fewness of the years. Pi`el become few (Ges§ 52k), Perfect3plural Ecclesiastes 12:3 וּבָֽטְלוּ הַטֹּחֲנוֺת כִּי מִעֵ֔טוּ. Hiph`il Perfect3feminine singular consecutive וְהִמְעִ֫יטָה (Ges§ 49k), Leviticus 26:22, 1singular with suffix וְהִמְעַטְתִּים Ezekiel 29:15; Imperfect2masculine singular תַּמְעִיט Leviticus 25:16, תַּמְעִטֵ֫נִי Jeremiah 10:34, 2feminine singular תַּמְעִ֫יטִי 2 Kings 4:3, etc.; — make small or few, diminish: a. Leviticus 26:22 (of the sword) וְהִמְעִ֫יטָה אֶתְכֶם, Ezekiel 29:15 וְהִמְעַטְתִּים, Jeremiah 10:24 אַלבְּֿאַמְּךָ מֶּןֿ תַּמְעִטֵנִי lest thou make me (the people) small, Psalm 107:38 וּבְהֶמְתָּם לֹא יַמְעִיט; Leviticus 25:16 וּלְפִי מְעֹט הַשָּׁנִים תַּמְעִיט מִקְנָתוֺ according to the smallness (fewness) of the years, thou shalt make small its price, Numbers 26:54 לָרַב תַּרְבֶּה נַחֲלָתוֺ וְלַמְעַט תַּמְעִיט נַחֲלָתוֺ and to the small (few) thou shalt make small his inheritance (so Numbers 33:54). b. qualifying an action (sometimes to be understood from the context), Exodus 16:17 וַיִּלְקְטוּ הַמַּרְבֶּה וְהַמַּמְעִיט and they gathered, he that made much, and he that made little (that is לִלְקֹט), Exodus 16:18; Numbers 11:32 עשׂרה חמרים הממעיט אסף, 2 Kings 4:3 כֵּלִים רֵקִים אַלתַּֿמְעִיטִי empty vessels make not few (that is, in borrowing); Exodus 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, Numbers 35:8 מֵאֵת הָרַב תַּרְבּוּ וּמֵאֵת הַמְעַט תַּמְעִיטוּ and from the few ye shall make few (that is לָתֵת), i.e. ye shall give few (cities). Topical Lexicon Overview Strong’s Hebrew 4591, māʿaṭ, threads through Scripture wherever numbers, resources, influence, or people are “diminished,” “reduced,” or considered “too few.” The verb marks the contrast between scarcity and abundance, dependence and sufficiency, judgment and restoration. Provision and Sufficiency • Exodus 12:4 employs māʿaṭ in the Passover regulations: if a household is “too small” for a lamb, families share. Even at Israel’s birth as a nation, God’s economy guards against both waste and deprivation. Equity in Community Life • Leviticus 25:16 (twice) and Numbers 26:54; 33:54; 35:8 regulate land and inheritance: payment and acreage “shall decrease” or “be reduced” according to the years remaining until Jubilee or according to clan size. māʿaṭ preserves proportional justice. Divine Discipline and Covenant Consequences • Leviticus 26:22 warns that covenant breach will cause wild beasts to “diminish” Israel’s children and cattle. Personal and National Correction • Jeremiah pleads, “Correct me, O LORD, but with justice—not in Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing” (Jeremiah 10:24). The prophet recognizes that unchecked judgment could utterly māʿaṭ him. Wealth, Integrity, and Stewardship • Proverbs 13:11 warns, “Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will grow.” Illicit gain carries the built-in sentence of māʿaṭ; patient diligence invites God’s increase. Themes for Ministry 1. God ordains both increase and decrease. Scarcity is not random but serves covenant purposes—discipline, humility, or prudent distribution. New-Covenant Echoes Although māʿaṭ itself does not reappear in the Greek New Testament, its theology undergirds Jesus’ teaching: five loaves feed thousands with “twelve baskets full” left over (Matthew 14:20); the faithful steward of “little” is set over “much” (Luke 16:10). The God who can diminish also multiplies grace. Pastoral Reflection Māʿaṭ invites believers to measure life not by volume but by the Giver’s intent. Whether facing dwindling resources, shrinking congregations, or personal pruning, Scripture unites loss to the larger account of providence: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In every season of reduction, Christ remains the Lamb whose sufficiency never runs “too small.” Forms and Transliterations הַמַּמְעִ֕יט הממעיט וְהִ֨מְעַטְתִּ֔ים וְהִמְעִ֖יטָה וְהַמַּמְעִ֖יט וְהַמַּמְעִֽיט׃ וַיִּמְעֲט֥וּ והממעיט והממעיט׃ והמעטתים והמעיטה וימעטו יִמְעַ֣ט יִמְעָ֑ט יִמְעָ֑טוּ יִמְעָ֔טוּ יַמְעִ֔יט יַמְעִֽיט׃ ימעט ימעטו ימעיט ימעיט׃ מְעֹ֣ט מעט תִּמְעָֽטוּ׃ תַּמְעִ֑יטוּ תַּמְעִ֖יט תַּמְעִ֣יט תַּמְעִֽיטִי׃ תַּמְעִטֵֽנִי׃ תמעטו׃ תמעטני׃ תמעיט תמעיטו תמעיטי׃ ham·mam·‘îṭ hammam‘îṭ hammamIt mə‘ōṭ mə·‘ōṭ meOt tam‘îṭ tam‘iṭênî tam‘îṭî tam‘îṭū tam·‘i·ṭê·nî tam·‘î·ṭî tam·‘î·ṭū tam·‘îṭ tamIt tamiTeni tamIti tamItu tim‘āṭū tim·‘ā·ṭū timAtu vaiyimaTu vehammamIt veHimatTim vehimItah way·yim·‘ă·ṭū wayyim‘ăṭū wə·ham·mam·‘îṭ wə·him·‘aṭ·tîm wə·him·‘î·ṭāh wəhammam‘îṭ wəhim‘aṭtîm wəhim‘îṭāh yam‘îṭ yam·‘îṭ yamIt yim‘aṭ yim‘āṭ yim‘āṭū yim·‘ā·ṭū yim·‘aṭ yim·‘āṭ yimAt yimAtuLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 12:4 HEB: וְאִם־ יִמְעַ֣ט הַבַּיִת֮ מִהְיֹ֣ת NAS: is too small for a lamb, KJV: be too little for the lamb, INT: now if small the household be Exodus 16:17 Exodus 16:18 Exodus 30:15 Leviticus 25:16 Leviticus 25:16 Leviticus 26:22 Numbers 11:32 Numbers 26:54 Numbers 33:54 Numbers 35:8 2 Kings 4:3 Nehemiah 9:32 Psalm 107:38 Psalm 107:39 Proverbs 13:11 Isaiah 21:17 Jeremiah 10:24 Jeremiah 29:6 Jeremiah 30:19 Ezekiel 29:15 21 Occurrences |
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