קָטֹן54 H6996b
Small, little, or insignificant; younger or youngest in age or rank; the lower bound in 'from least to greatest.'
An adjective of smallness that touches physical size, age, and social standing. It is the word for the 'lesser light' God made to rule the night (Gen 1:16) and for the 'youngest brother' whom Joseph's brothers must bring from Canaan (Gen 42:13). In many family narratives it carries the charged theological theme of divine reversal — God choosing the small over the great, the youngest over the firstborn. Spanish consistently renders it 'pequeño' for size but shifts to 'menor' for age comparisons, revealing the semantic stretch. In the formulaic phrase 'from the least to the greatest' (מִקָּטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל), it anchors an inclusive social range that means 'absolutely everyone.'
Senses
1. small, little, insignificant — Small in size, quantity, or importance — the basic adjectival sense. French 'petit' and German 'klein' match straightforwardly. Moses judges the 'small' matters alongside the great (Exod 18:22, 26), Hannah makes a 'small' robe for Samuel each year (1 Sam 2:19), and Saul protests 'Am I not small?' — claiming insignificance before his anointing (1 Sam 15:17). The word can describe physical objects, social status, or abstract degree. 28×
AR["الصَّغيرُ", "الصَّغيرِ", "الصَّغِيرِ", "صَغيراً", "صَغيرًا", "صَغِيرًا", "صَغِيرٌ", "صَغِيرٍ", "صَغِيرَةً", "صَغِيرَةٍ"]·ben["অল্প", "ক্ষুদ্র", "ছোট", "ছোট-ছিল", "ছোটো", "বালক"]·DE["[קטן]", "der-klein", "klein"]·EN["little", "small", "the-small"]·FR["[קטן]", "le-petit", "petit"]·heb["ה-קטן", "קטון", "קטן"]·HI["छोटा", "छोटी", "छोटे", "छोटे-के", "छोटे-से", "छोत", "छोति", "छोते"]·ID["Kecil", "kecil", "singkat", "yang-kecil"]·IT["il-piccolo", "piccolo"]·jav["alit", "ingkang-alit", "utawi"]·KO["그-작은자", "작게", "작도다", "작았다", "작은", "작은-자", "작은-자와"]·PT["o-pequeno", "pequena", "pequeno"]·RU["мал", "маленький", "малого", "малое", "малую", "малый", "малым"]·ES["Pequeño", "el-pequeño", "pequeña", "pequeño"]·SW["dogo", "mdogo", "mfupi", "ni-mdogo", "sijui", "ya-sadaka-za-amani"]·TR["kucuk", "küçük"]·urd["چھوٹا", "چھوٹا-تھا", "چھوٹی", "چھوٹے"]
Exod 18:22, Exod 18:26, Deut 1:17, 1 Sam 2:19, 1 Sam 15:17, 1 Sam 20:2, 1 Sam 20:35, 1 Sam 22:15, 1 Sam 25:36, 1 Sam 30:19, 1 Kgs 3:7, 1 Kgs 8:64 (+16 more)
2. younger, youngest, least — Younger or youngest in age, or least in rank — the comparative and superlative sense used especially within families. Spanish 'el menor' and Arabic أَصْغَر (elative form) confirm the comparative force. Joseph's brothers identify Benjamin as 'the youngest' (Gen 42:13, 15, 20, 32), Jacob crosses his hands to bless the younger Ephraim over Manasseh (Gen 48:14, 17), and David is described as 'the youngest' of Jesse's sons (1 Sam 16:11). The theological motif of God elevating the least runs through many of these passages. 18×
AR["أَصْغَرَ", "الأَصْغَرَ", "الأَصْغَرُ", "الصَّغِيرَ", "الـ-أَصْغَر", "الْ-أَصْغَرَ", "الْ-أَصْغَرُ", "الْ-أَصْغَرِ", "الْأَصْغَرَ", "الْأَصْغَرُ", "وَ-الْ-أَصْغَرُ", "وَ-بِالْ-أَصْغَرِ"]·ben["-ক্ষুদ্রতমকে", "আর-ছোটজন", "আর-ছোটজনে", "কনিষ্ঠ", "ক্ষুদ্রতম", "ছোট", "ছোট-", "ছোটজন", "ছোটজনের"]·DE["[הקטן]", "[קטן]", "das-kleine", "den-jüngsten", "der-Kleine", "der-jüngste", "der-younger", "der-youngest", "des-Jüngsten", "und-beim-Kleinsten", "und-der-jüngste"]·EN["and-at-the-youngest", "and-the-youngest", "smallest-of", "the-lesser", "the-younger", "the-youngest"]·FR["der-petit", "et-le-youngest", "et-à-le-youngest", "le-lesser", "le-younger", "le-youngest", "petit"]·heb["ה-קטן", "ו-ב-ה-קטן", "ו-ה-קטן", "קטן"]·HI["और-छोटा", "और-छोटे-में", "छोटा", "छोटी", "छोटे", "छोटे-के", "छोटेको"]·ID["dan-dari-yang-terkecil", "dan-yang-bungsu", "kecil", "terkecil", "yang-bungsu", "yang-lebih-muda", "yang-terkecil"]·IT["e-a-il-youngest", "e-il-youngest", "il-lesser", "il-minore", "il-piccolo", "il-più-giovane", "il-younger", "il-youngest", "piccolo"]·jav["anem", "ingkang-alit", "ingkang-anem", "lan-ingkang-alit", "lan-wonten-ing-ingkang-alit"]·KO["그-막내", "그-막내를", "그-어린", "그-작은", "그-작은-자가", "그리고-작은-자는", "그리고-작은-자에게서", "작은", "작은-자는", "작은-자의"]·PT["e-no-pequeno", "e-o-menor", "menor", "o-menor", "o-pequeno"]·RU["-малое", "-младший", "а-младшего", "а-младший", "и-с-малого", "младшего", "младший"]·ES["el-menor", "el-pequeño", "la-pequeña", "y-el-pequeño", "y-en-el-pequeño"]·SW["amtacho", "ata", "baba-yaku", "mdogo", "mdogo-", "na-mdogo", "na-tazama", "na-wa-mdogo", "wenu"]·TR["-en-kucuk", "-küçük", "-küçüğün", "de-küçük", "en-küçük", "küçük", "ve-küçük", "ve-küçükle"]·urd["اور-چھوٹا-وہ", "اور-چھوٹے-پر", "چھوٹا", "چھوٹا-وہ", "چھوٹی", "چھوٹے", "چھوٹے-وہ", "چھوٹے-کی"]
3. from the least (range formula) — The formulaic use with preposition מִן in the expression 'from the least to the greatest' (מִקָּטֹן וְעַד־גָּדוֹל), marking the lower bound of a complete social or age range. German 'vom Kleinen' preserves the prepositional construction. At Sodom, 'from the least to the greatest' pressed against Lot's door (Gen 19:11); at Ashdod, the LORD's hand struck 'from the least to the greatest' (1 Sam 5:9). The formula is a merism meaning 'every single person without exception.' 9×
AR["مِن-الصَّغيرِ", "مِنَ-الصَّغِيرِ", "مِنَ-الـ-صَّغِيرِ", "مِنْ-الصَّغِيرِ"]·ben["ক্ষুদ্রতম-থেকে", "ছোট-থেকে", "থেকে-ছোট"]·DE["vom-Kleinen", "von-klein", "zu-vom-Kleinen"]·EN["from-small", "from-the-least"]·FR["de-petit", "petit"]·heb["ל-מ-קטון", "מ-קטון", "מ-קטן"]·HI["छोते-से", "ल-मिन-छोटे", "से-छोटे"]·ID["dari-kecil", "dari-yang-kecil"]·IT["da-piccolo", "piccolo"]·jav["saking-alit", "saking-ingkang-alit"]·KO["에서-작은-자", "에서-작은자", "작은-자-에서", "작은-자로부터", "작은-자로부터-", "작은-자부터", "작은-자에서"]·PT["de-pequeno", "desde-pequeno"]·RU["от-малого"]·ES["desde-pequeño"]·SW["kutoka-kijana", "kutoka-mdogo", "kutoka-wadogo"]·TR["-küçükten", "küçükten", "küçükten-", "küçüğünden"]·urd["سے-چھوٹے", "چھوٹے-سے", "چھوٹے-سے-لےکر"]
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
קָטֹן54 adj. small, insignificant;—abs. ק׳ 1 S 2:19 +; cstr. קְטֹן 2 Ch 21:17;—f., pl. and sf. supplied by קָטָן;— 1. small: especially a. of youth = young, נַעַר ק׳ 1 S 20:35; 1 K 3:7; 2 K 5:14; Is 11:6; = younger of two brothers, Gn 48:17 (E) Ju 1:13; 3:9 (+ מִן comp.); הַקּ׳ youngest brother Gn 42:13 + 10 times Gn (JE), son Ju 9:5 2 Ch 22:1, so קְטֹן בַּנָיו 21:17; + גדול = young and old (v.…