King James Bible
King James Version (KJV)
STRONGS NUMBER H4591
Transliteration: maat
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-at')
Part of Speech: Verb
Short Definition: to be or become small, diminished, or few
Meaning: to pare off, lessen, in, to be, small, few
Word Summary
maat: to be or become small, diminished, or few
Original Word: מָעַטTransliteration: maat
Phonetic Spelling: (maw-at')
Part of Speech: Verb
Short Definition: to be or become small, diminished, or few
Meaning: to pare off, lessen, in, to be, small, few
Strong's Concordance
suffer to decrease, diminish, borrow, giveA primitive root; properly, to pare off, i.e. Lessen; intransitively, to be (or causatively, to make) small or few (or figuratively, ineffective) -- suffer to decrease, diminish, (be, X borrow a, give, make) few (in number, -ness), gather least (little), be (seem) little, (X give the) less, be minished, bring to nothing.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
H4591. maat
[מָעַט] verb be or become small, diminished, few (Late Hebrew, Talmud, id.; Arabic is to be without hair on the body) —
Qal Imperfect יִמְעַט Exodus 12:4, 2masculine plural תִּמְעָ֑טוּ Jeremiah 29:6, 3masculine plural יִמְעָ֑טוּ Isaiah 21:17 +, וַיִּמְעֲטוּ Psalm 107:39; Infinitive מְעֹט Leviticus 25:16; — Exodus 12:4 מִשֶּׂה מִהְיוֺת הַבַּיִת אִסיִֿמְעַט if the house be too small for a lamb; Nehemiah 9:32 כָּלהַֿתְּלָאָה אֵת לְפָנֶיךָ אַליִֿמְעַט (compare Ges§ 117l); of a people, Jeremiah 29:6 וְאַלתִּֿמְעָ֑טוּ שָׁם וּרְבוּ and become not few, 30:19 יִמְעָ֔טוּ וְלֹא וְהִרְבִּתִים, Isaiah 21:17; Psalm 107:39; Proverbs 13:11 יִמְעָ֑ט מֵהֶבֶל הוֺן diminishes (opposed to יַרְבֶּה); Leviticus 25:16 הַשָּׁנִים מְעֹט וּלְפִי according to the fewness of the years.
Pi`el become few (Ges§ 52k), Perfect3plural Ecclesiastes 12:3 מִעֵ֔טוּ כִּי הַטֹּחֲנוֺת וּבָֽטְלוּ.
Hiph`il Perfect3feminine singular consecutive וְהִמְעִ֫יטָה (Ges§ 49k), Leviticus 26:22, 1singular with suffix וְהִמְעַטְתִּים Ezekiel 29:15; Imperfect2masculine singular תַּמְעִיט Leviticus 25:16, תַּמְעִטֵ֫נִי Jeremiah 10:34, 2feminine singular תַּמְעִ֫יטִי 2 Kings 4:3, etc.; — make small or few, diminish:
a. Leviticus 26:22 (of the sword) אֶתְכֶם וְהִמְעִ֫יטָה, Ezekiel 29:15 וְהִמְעַטְתִּים, Jeremiah 10:24 תַּמְעִטֵנִי מֶּןֿ אַלבְּֿאַמְּךָ lest thou make me (the people) small, Psalm 107:38 יַמְעִיט לֹא וּבְהֶמְתָּם; Leviticus 25:16 מִקְנָתוֺ תַּמְעִיט הַשָּׁנִים מְעֹט וּלְפִי according to the smallness (fewness) of the years, thou shalt make small its price, Numbers 26:54 נַחֲלָתוֺ תַּמְעִיט וְלַמְעַט נַחֲלָתוֺ תַּרְבֶּה לָרַב and to the small (few) thou shalt make small his inheritance (so 33:54).
b. qualifying an action (sometimes to be understood from the context), Exodus 16:17 וְהַמַּמְעִיט הַמַּרְבֶּה וַיִּלְקְטוּ and they gathered, he that made much, and he that made little (that is לִלְקֹט), 16:18; Numbers 11:32 אסף הממעיט חמרים עשׂרה, 2 Kings 4:3 אַלתַּֿמְעִיטִי רֵקִים כֵּלִים empty vessels make not few (that is, in borrowing); Exodus 30:15 וגו ׳לָתֵת הַשָּׁ֑קֶל מִמַּחֲצִית יַמְעִיט לֹא וְהַדַּל יַרְבֶּה לֹא הֶעָשִׁיר shall not diminish from the half shekel to give, i.e. shall not give less, Numbers 35:8 תַּמְעִיטוּ הַמְעַט וּמֵאֵת תַּרְבּוּ הָרַב מֵאֵת and from the few ye shall make few (that is לָתֵת), i.e. ye shall give few (cities).