H2642 H2642
and (that which is) lacking, deficiency, what is missing
This noun denotes something lacking or a deficiency. Ecclesiastes 1:15 uses it in a wisdom saying about the limits of human effort: 'What is lacking cannot be counted.' The term emphasizes absence or deficiency that cannot be remedied by human calculation or effort. It comes from the root חָסֵר (be lacking, decrease), and captures the Preacher's theme of human limitation and the frustration of trying to fix what is fundamentally broken.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Ecclesiastes 1:15 states: 'What is crooked cannot be made straight, and what is lacking cannot be numbered.' The multilingual glosses (English 'and-lacking,' Spanish 'y-lo-que-falta,' French 'et-manque') emphasize deficiency or absence. The parallelism pairs something twisted (which can't be straightened) with something absent (which can't be counted). The Preacher's point is existential: some deficiencies in the human condition cannot be remedied by wisdom or effort. 1×
AR["وَالنَّاقِصُ"]·ben["এবং-অভাব"]·DE["[וחסרון]"]·EN["and-lacking"]·FR["et-manque"]·heb["ו-חסרון"]·HI["और-घटी"]·ID["dan-yang-kurang"]·IT["e-e-lacking"]·jav["lan-ingkang-kirang"]·KO["그리고-부족함"]·PT["e-a-falta"]·RU["и-недостающее"]·ES["y-lo-que-falta"]·SW["na-upungufu"]·TR["ve-eksik"]·urd["اور-کمی"]
Related Senses
H5414 1. give, bestow (1855×)H3947 1. take, seize, grasp (Qal) (940×)G2192 1. possess / have (680×)G1325 1. give, bestow (336×)H5159 1. inherited land or property (170×)G2983 1. receive, obtain (134×)H3423 1. Qal: take possession of land (130×)G2983 2. take, take up (113×)G2398 1. one's own, belonging to oneself (91×)G3860 1. hand over, deliver to custody (78×)H7998 1. spoil, plunder, booty (74×)G1325 2. be given, be granted (70×)H5414 2. put, place, set (68×)H7999a 1. pay, repay, recompense (63×)H7069 1. Buy, purchase (59×)H1892 1. vanity, futility, absurdity (58×)H5159 2. heritage as covenant portion (52×)H6299 1. redeem or ransom (Qal active) (49×)H4376 1. Sell (Qal active) (47×)H1350a 1. Redeem, buy back (46×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† חֶסְרוֹן n.m. thing lacking, deficiency (Lag BN 198)—only ח׳ לֹא־יוּכַל לְהִמָּנוֹת Ec 1:15 what is lacking cannot be counted.