--- title: מְעַט — a little · The Tanakh dictionary description: מְעַט (4592), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 101 times: a little. BDB 1906: subst. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4592.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [מ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1502-6.md)‎ / מְעַט‎ # מְעַט «מְעַט» in the Tanakh dictionary: **a little** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 101 times · **Key:** 4592 · **BDB:** מְעַט ### Glosses a.little (55); little (13); few (12) ### Meaning (OSHB) a little [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4592/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) subst. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4592/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** subst. a little, fewness, a few;—מ׳ abs. and cstr., מְעָ֑ט Is 10:7 +, pl. מְעַטִּים †ψ 109:8 Ec 5:1;— Gn 30:30 מעט אשׁר היה לך לְפָנַי the little that thou hadst, 47:9 מעט ורעים היו ימי שׁני חיי few and evil, Lv 25:52 Nu 26:54 (cf. 33:54) וְלַמְעַט תמעיט נחלתו and to the small (few) thou shalt make small his inheritance, v 56; 35:8 וּמֵאֵת הַֽמְעַט תמעיטו, Dt 7:7 וכי אתם הַֽמְעַט מכל־העמים ye are the fewest out of all peoples, 1 S 14:6 לְהוֹשִׁיעַ בְּרַב אוֹ בִמְעָ֑ט, Je 42:2 כִּי נִשְׁאַרְנוּ מְעַט מֵהַרְבֵּה we are left as few out of many, Ez 5:3 וְלָקַחְתָּ מִשָּׁם מְעַט בְּמִסְפָּר, Hg 1:6 זְרַעְתֶּם הַרְבֵּה וְהָבֵא מְעָ֑ט (cf. v 9), ψ 8:6 ותחסּרהו מעט מאלהים, 37:16 טוֹב מְעַט לַצַּדִּיק (cf. Pr 15:16; 16:8), 2 Ch 29:34 רַק הַבֹּהֲנִים הָיוּ לִמְעָ֑ט; as pred. Nu 13:18 הַמְעַט הוּא אִם־רָ֑ב, Jos 7:3 כִּי מְעַט הֵמָּה, Jb 10:20; Ru 2:7; Ne 7:4; Is 16:14 וּשְׁאָר מְעַט מִזְעָר.—Ho 8:10 וַיָּחֵלּוּ מְעַט and they begin as littleness (=to be minished) because of, \&c. but read prob. (𝔊) וְיֶחְדְּלוּ מְעַט מִמְּשֹׁחַ and they shall cease for a little (d) from anointing, etc. as subst. with foll. gen., Gn 18:4 מְעַט מַיִם a little of water, 24:17, 43, מְעַט אֹכֶל 43:2; 44:25; 1 S 14:43; 17:28 מְעַט הַצֹּאן הָהֵ֫נָּה lit. the fewness of those sheep, Pr 6:10 +; as gen. to a previous subst., מְתֵי מְעָ֑ט men of fewness †Dt 26:5; 28:62; in appos., †Is 10:7 לְהַכְרִית גּוֹיִם לֹא מְעָ֑ט, Ezr 9:8 מִחְיָה מְעַט, Ne 2:12 וַאֲנָשִׁים מְעַט עִמִּי, Ec 9:4; either gen. or appos., 10:1; Dn 11:34 יֵעָֽזְרוּ עֵזֶר מְעָ֑ט with a help of smallness. twice declined as an adj., ψ 109:8 יִהְיוּ יָמָיו מְעַטִּים, Ec 5:1 על־כן יהיו דבריך מְעַטִּים. as adverb. acc., of place, 2 S 16:1 וְדָוִד עֹבֵר מְעַט; of time, Jb 10:20b; of degree, 2 K 10:18 אַחְאָב עָבַד אֶת־הַבַּעַל מְעָ֑ט, Ez 11:16 and have been to them for a sanctuary but little, Zc 1:15; repeated מְעַט מְעַט by little, by little=gradually, Ex 23:30; Dt 7:22. phrases:—a. with the interr. הֲ, †Gn 30:15 הַֽמְעַט קַחְתֵּךְ אֶת־אִישִׁי וְלָקַחַת was thy taking my husband (too) little? and (wilt thou be) for taking also my son’s love-apples? Nu 16:9–10 הַֽמְעַט מִכֶּם כִּי הִבְדִּיל … וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם גַּם כְּהֻנָּה is it too little for you that J. hath separated, etc., … and do ye seek, etc.? v 13 הַֽמְעַט כִּי הֶעֱלִיתָנוּ … כִּי תִשְׂתָּרֵר גַּם הִשְׂתָּרֵר, Jos 22:17f. הַֽמְעַט לָנוּ … וְאַתֶּם תָּשׁוּבוּ וגו׳, Is 7:13 הַֽמְעַט מִכֶּם הַלְאוֹת אֲנָשִׁים כִּי תַלְאוּ וגו׳ is wearying men too little for you, that you will weary also my God? Ez 34:18 (as Ew Co AV RV), Jb 15:11; הַֽמְעַט מִמְּךָ תַּנְחוּמוֹת אֵל. But Ez 16:20 (si vera l.) was it (too) little because of thy whoredom? (was that insufficient for thee? Köiii. 406 m). b. עוֹד מְעַט וְ׳, †Ex 17:4 עוֹד מְעַט וּסְקָלֻנִי yet a little, and they will stone me, Je 51:33; Ho 1:4 ψ 37:10; עוֹד מְעַט מִזְעָר וְ׳ †Is 10:25; 29:17; cf. Hg 2:6; Jb 24:24. †כִּמְעַט like a little: hence almost (cf. ὀλίγου), of unrealized action, Gn 26:10 כִּמְעַט שָׁכַב … almost had lain …, ψ 73:2 Qr, 94:17; 119:87 Pr 5:14 (all sq. pf.); Ez 16:47 כִּמְעַט קָט וַתַּשְׁחִתִי מֵהֶן like only(?) a little, and thou hadst done more corruptly than they; Ct 3:4 כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי מֵהֶם=hardly had I passed. with impf., just, 2 S 19:37 כמעט יעבר עבדך just would thy servant pass over; lightly, easily, quickly (cf. διʼ ὀλίγου), ψ 2:12 כִּי יִבְעַר כִּמְעַט אַפּוֹ, 81:15 Jb 32:22. =shortly, 2 Ch 12:7. =little worth, Pr 10:20 ולב רשׁעים במעט. pleon. for מְעַט, Is 1:9 (accents) שָׂרִיד כִּמְעָ֑ט a little remnant, ψ 105:12 (=1 Ch 16:19) כִּמְעַט וְגָרִים בָּהּ; כִּמְעַט רֶגַע like the littleness of a moment=for a little moment, Is 26:20; Ezr 9:8. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 80 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «מְעַט» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4592/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Psalms 109:8](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.109.8/) יִֽהְיֽוּ־יָמָ֥יו מְעַטִּ֑ים פְּ֝קֻדָּת֗וֹ יִקַּ֥ח אַחֵֽר׃ *Word for word:* may.they.be days his few office his may.he.take another *JPS 1917:* Let his days be few; let another take his charge. [Proverbs 10:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PRO.10.20/) כֶּ֣סֶף נִ֭בְחָר לְשׁ֣וֹן צַדִּ֑יק לֵ֖ב רְשָׁעִ֣ים כִּמְעָֽט׃ *Word for word:* \[is\].silver chosen \[the\].tongue of.\[the\].righteous \[the\].heart of.wicked.\[people\] \[is\].like a.little *JPS 1917:* The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver; the heart of the wicked is little worth. - ← previous: [מָעַט](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4591.md) - next →: [מַעֲטֶה](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4594.md) - ↑ back to [מ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1502-6.md)