βρᾰχύς G1024
Short, small, little, brief; denoting smallness of quantity, extent, or duration.
An adjective meaning short, small, or brief, frequently used adverbially in the New Testament to indicate a small amount, a short time, or a slight degree. In Hebrews 2:7 and 2:9, quoting Psalm 8, it describes humanity being made 'a little lower' than the angels—where the ambiguity between 'for a short time' and 'by a small degree' has generated centuries of interpretive discussion. The multilingual evidence reflects this range: Spanish uses both 'poco' (little) and 'breves palabras' (brief words), while German 'kurz' emphasizes temporal brevity. In Acts 27:28, it marks a short interval of distance between depth soundings.
Senses
1. little, short, brief — Small in quantity, duration, or extent—used adverbially and adjectivally to convey brevity or littleness. Covers temporal shortness (Luke 22:58, 'after a little while'; Acts 5:34, Gamaliel asks the apostles to be put outside 'for a short time'), spatial brevity (Acts 27:28, 'a little farther'), quantitative smallness (John 6:7, two hundred denarii would not buy enough for each to receive 'a little'), and degree (Heb 2:7, 9, made 'a little lower than the angels'). French 'peu/court' and Spanish 'poco/breve' jointly confirm the dual quantitative-temporal range across all seven occurrences. 7×
AR["بَاخْتِصَار", "قَليلًا", "قَليلٍ", "قَلِيلًا"]·ben["অল্প", "কিছুক্ষণ", "ক্ষণেক", "সংক্ষেপে"]·DE["kurz", "βραχὺ"]·EN["a-little", "brief", "for-a-short-time", "little"]·FR["court", "peu"]·heb["בְּקִצּוּר", "מְעַט"]·HI["थोड़ा", "थोड़ी-देर", "संक्षिप्त-में"]·ID["Sedikit", "sebentar", "sedikit", "singkat"]·IT["bracheōn", "brachu", "breve"]·jav["cekak", "sakedhap", "sakedhik", "sedhela,", "sekedhik"]·KO["바깥-으로", "잠깐", "잠시", "조금", "짧게"]·PT["com-poucas-palavras", "pouco", "um-pouco"]·RU["кратких-словах", "недолго", "немного"]·ES["breves-palabras", "poco", "por-poco"]·SW["kidogo", "kitambo-kidogo", "maneno-machache", "muda-mfupi"]·TR["azıcık", "kısa", "kısa-süre", "kısaca"]·urd["تھوڑا", "تھوڑی-دیر", "لے", "مختصراً"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H8147 1. cardinal number two (666×)G3956 1. all (collective plural) (616×)H3967 1. cardinal numeral hundred (550×)H1419a 1. great, large (general quality) (486×)H7969 1. cardinal number three (431×)H0505 1. cardinal number thousand (427×)H7651 1. seven (cardinal number) (393×)G1520 1. cardinal number one (339×)H6240 1. ten (cardinal number) (334×)H6242 1. twenty (cardinal number) (315×)H2568 1. cardinal number five (309×)H0702 1. four (cardinal number) (277×)G3956 2. every, each (distributive) (227×)H8337 1. six (cardinal number) (215×)G3956 3. all things, everything (substantive) (211×)G3956 4. (187×)H6235 1. ten (177×)G3173 1. great in size or extent (176×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
βρᾰχύς, εῖα (Ionic dialect έα Refs 5th c.BC+, ύ, dative plural βραχέοις Refs:—short, __1 of Space and Time, β. οἶμος, ὁδός, Refs 5th c.BC+; [αἰών] probably in Refs 5th c.BC+; μῦθος, λόγος, Refs; ἐν βραχεῖ (Ionic dialect βραχέϊ) in a short time, Refs 5th c.BC+; βραχὺ τῃδὶ μεταστῶμεν for a moment, Refs; of distance, β. ἀπόδοσις short return in ballplay, Refs 5th c.BC+; πρὸ βραχέος lamb.Refs:…