H2637 H2637
To lack, be in want, decrease; in Hifil, to cause lack or withhold; in Piel, to make lower or deprive
A verb of deficiency and diminishment that runs through Israel's wilderness narratives and wisdom literature alike. In its Qal stem it simply means to lack or be without, as when Moses reminds Israel 'you lacked nothing' during forty years of wandering (Deut 2:7). The same form describes the flood waters decreasing (Gen 8:3, 5). The Hifil causative means to cause lack or withhold, as when God arranges that no one gathering manna had too little (Exod 16:18). The Piel carries the striking sense of 'making lower,' as in Psalm 8:5 where humanity is made 'a little lower than the angels.' Spanish distinguishes 'carecer' (to lack) from 'hacer faltar' (to cause to lack), mirroring the stem-based semantic shifts.
Senses
1. lack, be in want — The core Qal sense: to lack, be in want, be without. This covers both material need (Deut 15:8, 'whatever he lacks') and existential assurance (Ps 23:1, the related noun). Deuteronomy 2:7 and Nehemiah 9:21 use it in Israel's wilderness retrospective—'you lacked nothing'—while Proverbs 31:11 applies it to the household of a virtuous wife. Spanish 'carecer' and French 'manquer' consistently render it as simple absence or deficiency. 15×
AR["أَحْتَاجُ","تَحْتاجُ","تَحْتَاجُ","تَحْتَجْ","تَنْقُصُ","نَقَصْنَا","يَحْتَاجُ","يَحْتَاجُوا","يَفْتَقِرونَ","يَنْقُصُ","يَنْقُصُونَ","يُعْوِزُهُم","يِحْسَر"]·ben["-তার-অভাব-হবে","অভাব-হবে","অভাব-হয়েছে","অভাব-হল","অভাব-হুক","অভাব-হোক","অভাবগ্রস্ত","অভাবী-হবে","আমাদের-অভাব-হয়েছে","আমার-অভাব-হবে","কম-হবে","কমবে","তাদের-অভাব-হবে","তার-অভাব","তোমার-অভাব-হবে"]·DE["[חסרו]","[חסרנו]","[יחסר]","[יחסרו]","[תחסר]","du-lacked","du-soll-lack","er-lacks","fehlen","ich-soll-Mangel","lack","wird-lack"]·EN["I-shall-want","he-lacks","lack","let-be-lacking","let-it-lack","suffers-want","they-lack","they-lacked","we-have-lacked","will-lack","you-lacked","you-shall-lack"]·FR["--manquer","[חסרו]","[חסרנו]","[יחסר]","fera-lack","il-lacks","manque-pas","manquer","tu-devra-lack","tu-lacked"]·heb["אחסר","חסרו","חסרנו","חסרת","יחסר","יחסרו","יחסרון","תחסר"]·HI["कम-हो-जये","कमी-होगी","घट-गए","घटा-था","घटी-होगी-मुझे","घटे","घटेगा","घटेगी","घटेगी।","नहीं","वे-कमी-करें"]·ID["akan-berkurang","akan-kekurangan","ia-akan-kekurangan","kami-kekurangan","kamu-kekurangan","kekurangan","kurang","mereka-kekurangan","yang-kurang"]·IT["[חסרו]","[חסרנו]","[יחסר]","[יחסרו]","egli-lacks","mancare","manco'","tu-dovra-lack","tu-lacked","vorrà-lack","will-lack"]·jav["badhé-kirang","boten-ngantos-kirang","kakurangan-kula","kakèrangan","kirang","kita-kirang","kurang","panjenengan-kirang","sami-kakirangan","tiyang-tiyang-punika-kekurangan"]·KO["그들이-부족하리라","네가-부족하였다","모자랐다-우리가","부족하게-하라","부족하다","부족하리라","부족하지","부족했다","줄어들리라"]·PT["falta-te","faltaram","faltará","faltarão","falte","faltou-nos","faltou-te","lhe-faltar","lhe-faltará","passará-falta","tenham-falta-de","terei-falta","terão-falta-de"]·RU["-будешь-нуждаться","будет-недоставать","будет-недостатка","будет-нуждаться","буду-нуждаться","будут-нуждаться","имели-нужды","недостанет","недостаёт","нуждаемся-мы","нуждались","нуждался-ты","пусть-иссякнет.","уменьшится"]·ES["carecerán","careceré","carecieron","carecimos","faltará","faltarán","falte","le-faltará","le-falte","les-falte","te-faltará","te-ha-faltado","tendrá-falta"]·SW["anahitaji","hakupungukiwa","hukupungukiwa","hutapungukiwa","kukosa","kupungua","kupungukiwa","litakuwa-na-njaa","na-divai-iliyochanganywa","nitahitaji","pungukiwa","tulipungukiwa","wapungukiwe","watapungua"]·TR["aç-kalacak","eksik","eksik-kaldılar","eksik-kaldın","eksik-kalırlar","eksik-olacak","eksik-olmasin","eksik-olmasının","eksik-olsun","eksik-olur","eksik-olursa","eksildik","eksilir","eksilirim"]·urd["خالی-رہے-گا","محتاج-ہوں-گے","کم-ہو","کم-ہوں","کمی-رہی-تجھے","کمی-ہو","کمی-ہو-اُنہیں","کمی-ہو-گی","کمی-ہوئی","کمی-ہوتی","کمی-ہوگی","کمی-ہے","گھٹے-گا","ہم-محتاج-ہوئے"]
Gen 18:28, Deut 2:7, Deut 8:9, Deut 15:8, 1 Kgs 17:14, Neh 9:21, Ps 23:1, Ps 34:10, Prov 13:25, Prov 31:11, Eccl 9:8, Song 7:2 (+3 more)
2. cause to lack, withhold — The Hifil causative sense: to cause to lack or withhold. In Exodus 16:18 the manna miracle is described so that the one who gathered little 'did not lack,' where the Hifil implies divine provision preventing deficit. Isaiah 32:6 uses it for the wicked who withhold drink from the thirsty. Spanish 'hacer faltar' and French forms with causative nuance capture the agent-directed deprivation. 2×
AR["يَمْنَعُ","يَنْقُصْ"]·ben["অভাব-হল","সে-বাধা-দেয়"]·DE["[יחסיר]","lacked"]·EN["he-withholds","lacked"]·FR["[יחסיר]","manqua"]·heb["החסיר","יחסיר"]·HI["घटाया","वह-रोक-देता-है"]·ID["berkekurangan","ia-kekurangan"]·IT["[יחסיר]","lacked"]·jav["dipunkurangi","kirang"]·KO["다하게-하리라","모자랐다"]·PT["faltou;","privará"]·RU["было-недостатка","отнимает"]·ES["faltó","hará-faltar"]·SW["atapunguza","hakupunguka"]·TR["eksik-kaldı","kisilar"]·urd["روکے-گا","کمی-تھی"]
3. decrease, diminish — The Qal sense of physical decrease or diminishment, applied to natural phenomena. Genesis 8:3 and 8:5 describe the flood waters 'decreasing' and 'continually diminishing.' Spanish 'disminuir' and German 'abnehmen' (to diminish) render this as a measurable, gradual reduction in quantity—distinct from personal need or moral deprivation. 2×
AR["وَ-تَنْقُصُ","وَ-نَقَصَتِ"]·ben["এবং-কমা","এবং-কমে-গেল"]·DE["und-abnehmend","und-es-nahmen-ab"]·EN["and-decreased","and-decreasing"]·FR["et-decreasing","et-diminua"]·heb["ו-חסור","ו-יחסרו"]·HI["और-घता","और-घताता"]·ID["berkurang","dan-berkuranglah"]·IT["e-decreasing","e-diminuì"]·jav["lan-asat","lan-surut"]·KO["그리고-줄어들며","그리고-줄어들었다"]·PT["e-diminuindo","e-diminuíram"]·RU["и-убывали","и-убывая"]·ES["y-disminuyendo","y-disminuyeron"]·SW["na-kupungua","na-yakapungua"]·TR["ve-azalarak","ve-azaldı"]·urd["اور-کم-ہوئے","اور-کم-ہوتے"]
4. make lower, deprive — The Piel intensive-causative sense: to make lower or actively deprive someone. Psalm 8:5 famously declares that God made humanity 'a little lower than the heavenly beings,' using this stem to convey deliberate positioning in the cosmic hierarchy. Ecclesiastes 4:8 applies it to self-deprivation, depriving one's soul of good. German and Spanish renderings wrestle with the dual force of lowering rank and withholding blessing. 2×
AR["وَ-تُنْقِصَهُ","وَمُحْرِمٌ"]·ben["এবং-তুমি-তাকে-কম-করেছ","এবং-বঞ্চিত-করছি"]·DE["[ומחסר]","doch-du-gemacht-ihn-ein-little-lower"]·EN["and-depriving","yet-you-made-him-a-little-lower"]·FR["et-manquer"]·heb["ו-מחסר","ו-תחסרהו"]·HI["और-वंचित-करता-हूँ","तूने-उसे-थोड़ा-नीचे-किया"]·ID["Dan-Engkau-membuatnya-kurang","dan-mengurangi"]·IT["e-mancare","e-manco'"]·jav["Saha-Panjenengan-ndamel-kirang","lan-nyuda"]·KO["그리고-부족하게-하는가","그리고-부족하게-하셨나이다"]·PT["E-o-fizeste","e-privo"]·RU["и-лишаю","и-умалил-его"]·ES["Y-lo-hiciste-menor","y-privo"]·SW["Na-umemfanya-apungue","na-kuninyima"]·TR["ve-eksilttin-onu","ve-yoksun-birakan"]·urd["اور-تُو-نے-اُسے-کم-کیا","اور-محروم-کرتا-ہوں"]
Related Senses
H3605 1. all, every, whole (5352×)H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H0259 1. one (cardinal numeral) (940×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)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×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)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×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חָסֵר vb. lack, need, be lacking, decrease (v. Lag BN 143; NH חִסֵּר cause to lack or fail, diminish (act.), and deriv.; Aramaic חֲסַר, ܚܣܰܪ, want, lack, and deriv., cf. Ph. מחסר, v. מחסור infr.; Arabic حَسَرَ remove, strip off; disappear, retire (of water), fail (of sight), etc.; perhaps also Ethiopic ኀስረ: be inferior, worthless, diminished Di 590 and deriv.)— Qal Pf. 3 ms. ח׳ 1 K 17:16; 2 ms.…