What does קָטָן (qāṭān) mean in the Bible?
H6996 describes what is small in size, quantity, age, status, or comparative importance. 17, judges must hear the small and great alike without partiality or intimidation.
Hebrew · H6996
קָטָן
Abbreviated , i.e. diminutive , literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance)
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קָטָןH6996
Pronunciationqāṭān
What does קָטָן (qāṭān) mean in the Bible?
H6996 describes what is small in size, quantity, age, status, or comparative importance. 17, judges must hear the small and great alike without partiality or intimidation.
Reader summary
Full entry for קָטָן (H6996) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6996?
The BSB source-word alignment has 101 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include small (13), from the least (5), young (5), The youngest (4), your youngest (4).
Where does קָטָן (qāṭān) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 1:16. Its strongest book concentrations include Genesis (20), 1 Samuel (13), Jeremiah (8), 1 Kings (7).
What This Word Actually Means
H6996 describes what is small in size, quantity, age, status, or comparative importance. In Deut. 1. 17, judges must hear the small and great alike without partiality or intimidation. In Isa. 11. 6, a little child leads animals within the prophet's peace vision. In Zech. 4. 10, hearers are warned not to despise the day of small things as rebuilding begins. H6996 opens teaching on equal justice, children and younger people, modest beginnings, limited capacity, and God's attention beyond status.
It does not make smallness morally superior, romanticize child leadership, or excuse under-resourcing work by calling it humble. Smallness can describe quantity, age, status, or apparent significance without deciding a person's worth before God.
How the Bible Uses It
H6996 compares people, cases, objects, cities, houses, requests, age, lights, and quantities as small or lesser. It often functions within contrasts such as small and great, younger and older, or modest and large.
- Deut.1.17
Show no partiality in judging; hear both small and great alike. Do not be intimidated by anyone, for judgment belongs to God. And bring to me any case too difficult for you, and I will hear it.”
Judges must hear small and great alike because judgment belongs to God and must not bend before status.
- Isa.11.6
The wolf will live with the lamb, and the leopard will lie down with the goat; the calf and young lion and fatling will be together, and a little child will lead them.
A little child leads within a prophetic scene where former predators and prey dwell together in peace.
- Zech.4.10
For who has despised the day of small things? But these seven eyes of the Lord, which scan the whole earth, will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.”
The day of small things must not be despised as Zerubbabel's rebuilding work proceeds under God's sight.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itsmall13×1 Samuel 15:17, 1 Samuel 20:2, 2 Samuel 12:3, 1 Kings 2:20
from the least5×Esther 1:5, Esther 1:20, Jeremiah 42:1, Jeremiah 42:8
young5×Genesis 19:11, 1 Samuel 30:19, 1 Chronicles 25:8, 1 Chronicles 26:13
The youngest4×Genesis 42:13, Judges 9:5, 1 Samuel 16:11, 2 Chronicles 22:1
your youngest4×Genesis 42:15, Genesis 42:20, Genesis 42:34, Genesis 43:29
her younger3×Genesis 27:15, Genesis 27:42, Judges 15:2
younger3×Judges 1:13, Judges 3:9, Ezekiel 16:61
. . .2×2 Kings 2:23, Isaiah 11:6
a small2×1 Kings 17:13, 2 Kings 4:10
a young2×1 Kings 11:17, 2 Kings 5:2
among the least2×2 Kings 18:24, Isaiah 36:9
and small2×2 Chronicles 36:18, Jeremiah 16:6
both young2×1 Samuel 5:9, 1 Samuel 30:2
from the least of them2×Jeremiah 6:13, Jeremiah 31:34
his youngest2×Genesis 9:24, 2 Chronicles 21:17
is so small2×Amos 7:2, Amos 7:5
minor2×Exodus 18:22, Exodus 18:26
the lesser2×Genesis 1:16, Isaiah 22:24
[and] young alike1×2 Chronicles 31:15
[both] small1×Deuteronomy 1:17
[The space] from the smaller1×Ezekiel 43:14
a little1×1 Samuel 2:19
and a small1×1 Samuel 20:35
and a younger brother1×Genesis 44:20
and one light1×Deuteronomy 25:13
and one small1×Deuteronomy 25:14
and the small1×Amos 6:11
and the younger1×Genesis 29:16
and the youngest1×Genesis 42:32
and their younger1×1 Chronicles 24:31
and your younger1×Ezekiel 16:46
anything small1×Numbers 22:18
are small1×Proverbs 30:24
as small1×1 Kings 18:44
Both small1×Job 3:19
For a brief1×Isaiah 54:7
for your younger1×Genesis 29:18
from the least [of them]1×Jeremiah 8:10
from the smallest1×1 Samuel 9:21
had a young1×2 Samuel 9:12
his younger1×Genesis 48:19
his younger daughter1×1 Samuel 14:49
not in part1×1 Samuel 22:15
nothing1×1 Samuel 25:36
of a little1×2 Kings 5:14
of small things1×Zechariah 4:10
of the youngest one’s1×Genesis 44:2
only a little1×1 Kings 3:7
our younger1×Genesis 44:26
So if our younger1×Genesis 44:26
the least1×Jonah 3:5
the least [of whom]1×1 Chronicles 12:14
The least [of you]1×Isaiah 60:22
the little1×Song Of Solomon 2:15
There was a small1×Ecclesiastes 9:14
was the youngest1×1 Samuel 17:14
was too small1×1 Kings 8:64
We have a little1×Song Of Solomon 8:8
with the youngest1×Genesis 44:12
your younger1×Genesis 44:23
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 1:16הַקָּטֹן֙tothe lesserArticle | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 9:24הַקָּטָֽן׃tohis youngestArticle | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 19:11מִקָּטֹ֖ןtoyoungPreposition-m | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 27:15הַקָּטָֽן׃toher youngerArticle | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 27:42הַקָּטָ֔ןtoher youngerArticle | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 29:16הַקְּטַנָּ֖הtoand the youngerArticle | Adjective - feminine singularGenesis 29:18הַקְּטַנָּֽה׃tofor your youngerArticle | Adjective - feminine singularGenesis 42:13הַקָּטֹ֤ןtoThe youngestArticle | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 42:15הַקָּטֹ֖ןtoyour youngestArticle | Adjective - masculine singularGenesis 42:20הַקָּטֹן֙toyour youngestArticle | Adjective - masculine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 1:16
Aligned rows101
Books represented24
Genesis20Exodus2Numbers1Deuteronomy3Judges41 Samuel132 Samuel21 Kings72 Kings71 Chronicles42 Chronicles7Esther2Job1Psalms2Proverbs1Ecclesiastes1Song Of Solomon2Isaiah5Jeremiah8Ezekiel3Amos3Obadiah1Jonah1Zechariah1
Source forms
הַקָּטֹ֖ן8xhaq·qā·ṭōnGenesis 42:15, Genesis 44:23, Genesis 44:26, Exodus 18:22
קָטֹ֖ן8xqā·ṭōn1 Samuel 20:35, 1 Samuel 22:15, 1 Kings 22:31, 2 Kings 5:14
הַקָּטֹן֙5xhaq·qā·ṭōnGenesis 1:16, Genesis 42:20, Genesis 48:19, 2 Chronicles 22:1
הַקָּטָ֔ן3xhaq·qā·ṭānGenesis 27:42, 1 Samuel 16:11, 1 Chronicles 12:14
קָטֹ֛ן3xqā·ṭōn1 Samuel 25:36, Jeremiah 49:15, Obadiah 1:2
קְטַנָּ֔ה3xqə·ṭan·nāh2 Kings 4:10, Ecclesiastes 9:14, Song Of Solomon 8:8
הַקָּטָ֑ן2xhaq·qā·ṭān1 Samuel 17:14, Isaiah 22:24
הַקָּטֹ֤ן2xhaq·qā·ṭōnGenesis 42:13, Genesis 44:26
Parsing patterns
Article | Adjective - masculine singular29xGenesis 1:16, Genesis 9:24, Genesis 27:15, Genesis 27:42
Adjective - masculine singular24xGenesis 44:20, 1 Samuel 2:19, 1 Samuel 15:17, 1 Samuel 20:2
Adjective - feminine singular9xNumbers 22:18, 2 Samuel 12:3, 1 Kings 2:20, 1 Kings 17:13
Preposition-m | Adjective - masculine singular7xGenesis 19:11, 1 Samuel 5:9, 1 Samuel 30:2, 2 Kings 25:26
Article | Adjective - feminine singular6xGenesis 29:16, Genesis 29:18, Judges 15:2, 1 Samuel 14:49
Preposition-k, Article | Adjective - masculine singular4xDeuteronomy 1:17, 1 Chronicles 25:8, 1 Chronicles 26:13, 2 Chronicles 31:15
Article | Adjective - masculine plural3x2 Kings 18:24, Psalms 115:13, Isaiah 36:9
Adjective - feminine plural2xPsalms 104:25, Zechariah 4:10
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not use child-leader imagery to place children in adult roles, public exposure, or unsafe responsibility.
- Do not use praise of small beginnings to excuse chronic underfunding, poor planning, or exploitation of volunteers.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim that H6996 means small people are automatically righteous or large institutions automatically corrupt.
- Do not claim that faith removes the need for scale, staffing, expertise, or safeguarding in work that requires them.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Small in size, quantity, age, or significance; marks both physical diminishment and reduced status or importance.
Source Gloss
abbreviated , i.e. diminutive , literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance)
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Small in size, quantity, age, or significance; marks both physical diminishment and reduced status or importance.
abbreviated, i.e. diminutive, literally (in quantity, size or number) or figuratively (in age or importance) BDB: small Usage: least, less(-er), little (one), small(-est, one, quantity, thing), young(-er, -est).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Comparative description of age between two sons, the younger receiving greater blessing
Physical smallness in size of creatures, yet wise and capable in their own ways
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 101 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
קָטָן is built from this root:
קוּטH6962
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
H6996 names relative smallness without assigning lesser human worth. Deuteronomy makes that distinction explicit: a judge hears small and great alike because judgment belongs to God. Status must not control access or outcome. Isaiah's little child appears within a vision of reconciled creation, where domination gives way to peace. The child is not exposed to danger as a leadership experiment; the scene portrays transformed conditions.
Zechariah addresses another kind of smallness, the modest stage of rebuilding that observers may despise. God's attention is not limited to impressive scale. Elsewhere small can simply describe age, quantity, or a minor matter. Faithful application designs accessible processes, listens to children with safeguards, welcomes beginners, and evaluates fruit beyond audience size.
It also provides adequate resources and does not use smallness rhetoric to keep a ministry permanently fragile or workers unpaid.
Anchor passage
Deut.1.17
Doctrinal connections
- H6996: God's justice gives small and great equal hearing and resists intimidation by status.
- H6996: a child appears safely within prophetic peace because the whole environment has been transformed.
- H6996: modest beginnings can belong to faithful rebuilding under God's attentive sight.
- H6996: age, size, and social importance are real differences but do not determine dignity.
- H6996: shared duties can include young and old, teacher and pupil, within accountable order.
- H6996: faithful evaluation asks about justice and fruit rather than equating scale with divine approval.
H6996 is a Hebrew adjective for small, little, young, or less important in a comparison. The noun it modifies and any paired contrast clarify whether size, age, quantity, or status is in view.
From Old to New Testament
Jesus welcomes children and identifies care for the least with care for Himself, while the New Testament teaches the body to give special honor to members that appear weaker. Jesus welcomes children and overlooked people, showing that social smallness never makes someone disposable or outside God's attention.