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חֹסֶר

𐤇𐤎𐤓

chôçer

H2640 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חסר to lack, be deprived, decrease

Definition

A state or condition of lacking, deficiency, or insufficient supply, particularly of material resources such as food, goods, or necessities. The term may refer to economic poverty or the absence of some essential element in various contexts. Semantic range includes physical deprivation, scarcity, want, or general insufficiency.

Semantic Range

poverty, want, lack, deficiency, absence, insufficiency, scarceness

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root חָסַר (ḥ-s-r), meaning 'to lack,' 'to be without,' or 'to decrease.' The noun form חֹסֶר designates the quality or state of being in lack or want, carrying the idea from the verbal root into a substantive condition.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חֹסֶר is used in biblical Hebrew to refer to a lack or deficiency, most often in tangible or economic terms (such as food or wealth), as in Proverbs 6:11 and Proverbs 24:34, describing poverty brought about by sloth. The word can also generalize to any kind of absence or deficiency, not exclusively financial. In earlier periods, it reflects basic material need or deprivation, not a fixed social class. Occasionally, the term appears in wisdom literature to describe the consequence of certain actions (e.g., laziness leads to חֹסֶר). It is distinct from עֹנִי (oni), which more specifically connotes affliction or suffering in poverty, often with a focus on the diminished social status or distress of the poor. Later English translations often render חֹסֶר as 'poverty' or 'want,' but the semantic field accommodates broader forms of insufficiency or lack, not strictly defined by modern concepts of poverty. The word is rare and primarily found in the wisdom tradition.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָסֵר; poverty; in want of.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חסר (ḥ-s-r) — to lack, be deprived, decrease

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2627 חַסִּיר deficient one
H2637 חָסֵר we lacked
H2638 חָסֵר in lack of
H2639 חֶסֶר in lack
H2641 חַסְרָה Chasrah

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2640-01 בְּ/חֹֽסֶר bechoser HR/Ncmsc for lack in lack of 1
H2640-02 וּ/בְ/חֹ֣סֶר uvechoser HC/R/Ncmsc and in lack and in lack of 1
H2640-03 וְ/חֹ֣סֶר vechoser HC/Ncmsc and lack lack of 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2640-02 Deuteronomy 28:48 וּ/בְ/חֹ֣סֶר uvechoser HC/R/Ncmsc and in lack and in lack of
H2640-01 Deuteronomy 28:57 בְּ/חֹֽסֶר bechoser HR/Ncmsc for lack in lack of
H2640-03 Amos 4:6 וְ/חֹ֣סֶר vechoser HC/Ncmsc and lack lack of
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