יִמְעָ֑טוּ
𐤉𐤌𐤏𐤈𐤅
yimeatu
will be few
a 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, [idiom] borrow a, give, make) few (in number, -ness), gather least (little), be (seem) little, ([idiom] give the) less, be minished, bring to nothing.
Isaiah 21:17 · Word #7
Lexicon H4591
| Lemma | מָעַט |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤌𐤏𐤈 |
| Transliteration | mâʻaṭ |
| Strong's | H4591 |
| In-context | will be few |
Morphology HVqi3mp
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | i — Imperfect — Incomplete or ongoing action |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | p — Plural — Plural |
SIBI-P1 H4591-06
they will become few
| Root | מעט (m-ʿ-ṭ) |
| Core Meanings | smallness, fewness, diminution, reduction, lessening |
| Semantic Range | to be small, to become few, to diminish, to lessen, to decrease in number or significance, to be reduced |
| Conceptual Significance | This root often conveys covenantal or communal diminishment—whether in population, strength, or influence—sometimes as judgment and sometimes as humble beginnings. It underscores the biblical theme that numerical smallness does not negate covenantal significance. |
| Morphological Notes | Verb in Qal stem, imperfect (yiqtol) 3rd masculine plural. The Qal here is intransitive, describing the subject entering a diminished or reduced state. |
| Rendering Rationale | The Qal imperfect 3rd masculine plural form expresses a simple, intransitive future action: "they will" enter a state of smallness or fewness. Rendering it as "they will become few" preserves the root idea of diminishment (מעט) while accurately reflecting the third person masculine plural morphology. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root מעט (smallness, fewness, diminution, reduction, lessening)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H4592-01 |
bimeat | with a smallness of |
H4592-02 |
hameat | Is it the small thing? |
H4592-03 |
khimeat | as a small-amount of |
Word Usage (22 occurrences of H4591)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exodus 12:4 | יִמְעַ֣ט | yimeat | is too small |
| Exodus 16:17 | וְ/הַ/מַּמְעִֽיט | vehamameit | and the one gathering little |
| Exodus 16:18 | וְ/הַ/מַּמְעִ֖יט | vehamameit | and the one gathering little |