ἐλασσ-όω G1642
to make less, diminish, decrease; reduction in size, status, or prominence
The verb ἐλασσόω (from ἐλάσσων 'less') means to make smaller, reduce, or diminish. Biblical usage spans from the voluntary decrease of John the Baptist's prominence to the temporary humbling of Christ below angels in the incarnation. The word denotes not accidental loss but purposeful or decreed reduction—making something or someone less than they were or could be, whether through self-effacement or divine appointment.
Senses
1. sense 1 — John 3:30 contains John the Baptist's famous statement of mission: 'He must increase, but I must decrease'—the forerunner deliberately yielding prominence to the Christ. Hebrews 2:7 and 2:9 both quote Psalm 8, applying it to Jesus: 'You made him for a little while lower than the angels' (2:7), 'But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus' (2:9). The Spanish (hecho-menor, hiciste-menor, menguar) and French (diminuer) and German (geringer-werden 'become less') all capture the diminishing sense. The theology is profound: John voluntarily decreases as part of God's plan; Jesus is temporarily made less than angels as part of redemptive humiliation before exaltation. Decrease can be obedience or incarnational necessity. 3×
AR["أَنْقَصْتَهُ", "أَنْقُصَ", "مُنْقَصًا"]·ben["নীচু-করলে", "নীচু-করা", "হ্রাস-পেতে"]·DE["geringer-werden"]·EN["having-been-made-lower", "to-decrease", "you-made-lower"]·FR["diminuer", "geringer-werden"]·heb["הִשְׁפַּלְתָּ", "לְהַקְטִין", "מֻשְׁפָּל"]·HI["कम-किए-गए", "कम-किया", "घटना।"]·ID["Engkau-merendahkannya", "berkurang.", "yang-direndahkan"]·IT["elattousthai", "ēlattōmenon", "ēlattōsas"]·jav["Panjenengan-sampun-ngandhapaken", "sampun-kaandhapaken", "suda."]·KO["낮아진", "낮추셨으니", "줄어들다"]·PT["Fizeste-o-um-pouco-menor", "diminuir.", "feito-menor"]·RU["Ты-унизил", "умаляться", "униженного"]·ES["hecho-menor", "hiciste-menor", "menguar"]·SW["Ulimfanya-mdogo", "aliyefanywa-mdogo", "nipungue"]·TR["alçalttın", "alçaltılmış-olanı", "küçülmemi"]·urd["کم-کیا", "کم-کیا-گیا", "گھٹنا"]
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
ἐλασσ-όω, Attic dialect ἐλαττόω: aorist ἠλάττωσα Refs 5th c.BC+: perfect ἠλλάττωκα Refs 1st c.BC+:—passive, future -ωθήσομαιRefs 5th c.BC+: future middle in same sense, Refs 5th c.BC+aorist ἠλασσώθην, -ττώθην, Refs 4th c.BC+: perfect ἠλάττωμαι Refs 4th c.BC+:—make less or smaller, diminish, reduce in amount, Refs 2nd c.BC+:—passive, Refs 2nd c.AD+ __2 in early writers, lower, degrade, τὴν πόλιν…