H4134 H4134
to become poor, grow impoverished; to sink low in economic status, used of Israelites in need of redemption
This verb describes the process of becoming impoverished, used exclusively in legal contexts addressing the social safety net for Israelites. Leviticus 25 employs it four times to introduce laws of kinsman-redemption (v. 25), charitable loans (v. 35), indentured service (v. 39), and sale to a resident alien (v. 47). Leviticus 27:8 applies it to a person too poor to pay a vow assessment. The multilingual evidence (spa empobrece, deu wird arm, fra becomes pauvre) consistently renders the progressive, resultative sense of 'becoming poor' rather than a static state.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To become economically reduced, to grow poor — describing the downward process of impoverishment among covenant members. Concentrated entirely in Levitical legislation (25:25, 35, 39, 47; 27:8), the verb triggers specific communal obligations: land redemption, interest-free lending, limits on servitude, and adjusted vow pricing. The Aramaic cognate מוּךְ ('to sink down') and Syriac parallel reinforce the image of sinking or being brought low. Translations uniformly express the inchoative aspect: spa empobrece, deu wird arm. 5×
AR["فَقِيرٌ", "وَيَفْتَقِرُ", "يَفْتَقِرُ"]·ben["এবং-দরিদ্র-হয়", "দরিদ্র", "দরিদ্র-হয়"]·DE["arm", "und-wird-arm", "wird-arm"]·EN["and-becomes-poor", "becomes-poor", "poor"]·FR["becomes-pauvre", "et-becomes-pauvre", "pauvre"]·heb["ו-מך", "ימוך", "מך"]·HI["और-गरीब हो जाए", "गरीब", "गरीब हो जाए"]·ID["dan-saudaramu-menjadi-miskin", "lebih-miskin", "saudaramu-menjadi-miskin"]·IT["diviene-povero", "e-diviene-povero", "povero"]·jav["lan-mlarat", "mlarat"]·KO["가난하면", "가난해지면", "그리고-가난해지면"]·PT["e-empobrecer", "empobrecer", "pobre"]·RU["беден", "и-обеднеет", "обеднеет"]·ES["empobrece", "pobre", "y-empobrece"]·SW["ataanguka", "maskini", "na-ataanguka"]·TR["fakirleşirse", "ve-fakirleşirse", "yoksul"]·urd["اور-غریب-ہو-جائے", "غریب", "غریب-ہو-جائے"]
Related Senses
G2962 1. Lord (divine title) (661×)H0136 1. Lord (divine title) (440×)H0113 1. lord, human superior (249×)G1849 1. authority, power (91×)H6485a 2. Qal: punish, bring judgment (63×)H8198 1. maidservant, female slave (63×)G2962 2. master, lord (human authority) (61×)H0034 1. needy, poor, destitute (61×)H0519 1. female servant, maidservant (56×)H6041 1. poor, needy person (55×)H0113 2. master, owner of servants (49×)H4910 1. Qal: to have dominion, exercise power over (44×)H1800 1. poor, needy (socioeconomic) (38×)H3515 1. heavy, severe, grievous (36×)G4434 1. (34×)G5092 1. honor, esteem, respect (33×)H6485a 4. Qal: visit, attend to, care for (32×)H3513 1. honor / show respect (Piel) (30×)H4910 2. Qal: to rule, govern (administrative authority) (27×)H4513 1. withhold, restrain, hold back (25×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† [מוּךְ] vb. be low, depressed, grow poor (NH id., Niph.; Aramaic מוּךְ, sink or bend down; cf. מָכַךְ, Syriac ܡܰܟ, ܡܟܶܟ, be brought low, humble);— Qal Pf. consec. וּמָךְ Lv 27:8 (P); Impf. יָמוּךְ Lv 25:25, 35, 39 (all H); Pt. מָךְ Lv 25:47 (P): all of impoverished Israelites.