מָעַט
Properly, to pare off, i.e. lessen ; intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make ) small or few (or figuratively, ineffective )
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Canonical witness: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
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What does מָעַט mean in the Bible?
מָעַט is a Hebrew word meaning "properly, to pare off, i.e. lessen ; intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make ) small or few (or figuratively, ineffective )". properly, to pare off, i.
Meaning
properly, to pare off, i.e. lessen; intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make) small or few (or figuratively, ineffective) Usage: suffer to decrease, diminish, (be, × borrow a, give, make) few (in number, -ness), gather least (little), be (seem) little, (× give the) less, be minished, bring to nothing.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 7×
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 7×
Piel intensive active — emphasizes thoroughness or repeated action 1×
Hebrew Verb Forms
How this verb appears across 15 occurrences in the Hebrew OT (OSHB Leningrad Codex).
Aspect in Hebrew reflects grammatical form, not tense. "Perfect" (Perfective) typically denotes completed action; "Imperfect" (Imperfective) denotes incomplete or ongoing action. Stem modifies the action type (Qal=simple, Niphal=passive, Piel=intensive, etc.).
Morphology: OSHB WLC (Open Scriptures, CC BY 4.0) · STEPBible TEHMC (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0)