Hebrew word · H4270

מַחְסוֹר

machsor

need

Lack, need, want, poverty. It comes from the root chaser, 'to lack, be lacking' (Ps 23:1, 'I shall not lack').

Appears 13 times in 13 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) need, poverty, thing needed

1a) need, thing needed

1b) lack, want

1c) need, poverty

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 11:24

Range of meaning

Lack, need, want, poverty. It comes from the root chaser, 'to lack, be lacking' (Ps 23:1, 'I shall not lack').

Against the English

'Poverty' (BSB, KJV, NIV) or 'want' (ESV, NASB). The Hebrew is broader than destitution: it is any shortfall, the state of not having enough.

Used elsewhere in the period

The exact phrase akh-lemachsor, 'only to lack', recurs in Proverbs 14:23 (mere talk), 21:5 (hasty dealing) and 22:16 (oppressing the poor and giving to the rich). It is a stock ending for paths that look like gain but end in loss. Proverbs 28:27: 'Whoever gives to the poor will not lack (machsor).'

From the study of Proverbs 14:23

Range of meaning

From ḥaser, "to lack, be lacking". It means want, need, shortfall: lacking what you need. It is not necessarily destitution.

Against the English

"Poverty" (BSB, NIV, ESV, NASB, WEB) is fine, but it can suggest a fixed social class. KJV's "penury" and YLT's "want" stay closer to the idea of falling short.

Used elsewhere in the period

It is a favorite word of the Solomonic sayings. Prov 6:11; 11:24 ("withholds… only to want", using the same phrase ʾakh lemaḥsor); 21:5, 17; 22:16; 28:27. The phrase ʾakh lemaḥsor works almost like a set formula in Proverbs.

From the study of Proverbs 22:16

Range of meaning

Maḥsôr comes from ḥāsēr, 'to lack, be short of'. It means want, need, insufficiency. With ʾak ('only, nothing but') it forms a stock wisdom phrase: 'it leads only to lack'.

Against the English

'Poverty' (BSB, WEB) is fine. 'Want' (KJV) is closer to the root idea of falling short. The force lies in the contrast with lᵉharbôt, 'to make much'. He reached for more and got less.

Used elsewhere in the period

The exact phrase recurs: Prov 11:24 (one who withholds what is fitting comes 'only to lack'); 14:23 (mere talk leads 'only to lack'); 21:5 (everyone who is hasty comes 'only to lack'). Also Prov 28:27: 'Whoever gives to the poor will not lack (maḥsôr)'. That verse is the mirror image of this one.

Similar words

Where it appears

Deuteronomy · 1

  1. Deuteronomy 15:8 מַחְסֹר֔וֹ lack his

    Instead, you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs.

Judges · 3

  1. Judges 18:10 מַחְס֔וֹר [is] lack of

    When you enter, you will come to an unsuspecting people and a spacious land, for God has delivered it into your hand. It is a place where nothing on earth is lacking.”

  2. Judges 19:19 מַחְס֖וֹר [is] lack of

    even though there is both straw and feed for our donkeys, and bread and wine for me and the maidservant and young man with me. There is nothing that we, your servants, lack.”

  3. Judges 19:20 מַחְסוֹרְךָ֖ lack your

    “Peace to you,” said the old man. “Let me supply everything you need. Only do not spend the night in the square.”

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 34:9 מַ֝חְס֗וֹר lack

    Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.

    Here: Real material shortage: going without what you need to live. In Proverbs it is the opposite of 'surplus' or 'profit'. The point is having enough, not having plenty.

Proverbs · 8

  1. Proverbs 6:11 וּ֝מַחְסֹֽרְךָ֗ and lack your

    and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.

    Here: From the verb 'to lack, be short of'. It means a shortfall, not having what you need. It runs parallel to 'poverty' and makes it concrete: empty storage jars, not enough to eat.

  2. Proverbs 11:24 לְמַחְסֽוֹר׃ to poverty

    One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.

    Here: 'To lack.' This is where the tight fist leads: shortage, need. Proverbs repeats the same phrase ('only to lack') for other self-defeating paths (14:23; 21:5; 22:16).

  3. Proverbs 14:23 לְמַחְסֽוֹר׃ to poverty

    There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

    Here: "To lack": a shortfall, not having enough. It is the exact opposite of *motar* ("surplus"), and the two words sound alike. Talk ends in less than you started with.

  4. Proverbs 21:5 לְמַחְסֽוֹר׃ to poverty

    The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.

    Here: 'To lack'. From ḥāsēr, 'to be lacking'. It is the opposite of surplus: not enough to live on. It also echoes maḥšəbôt, the verse's first word, in sound, so the verse opens with 'plans' and closes with 'lack'.

  5. Proverbs 21:17 מַ֭חְסוֹר poverty

    He who loves pleasure will become poor; the one who loves wine and oil will never be rich.

  6. Proverbs 22:16 לְמַחְסֽוֹר׃ to poverty

    Oppressing the poor to enrich oneself or giving gifts to the rich will surely lead to poverty.

    Here: 'To lack'. This is where the road ends. The man who wanted 'more' ends up with 'not enough'. The phrase ʾak lᵉmaḥsôr ('only to lack') is a fixed proverbial expression (compare 11:24; 14:23; 21:5).

  7. Proverbs 24:34 וּ֝מַחְסֹרֶ֗יךָ and poverti<es> your

    and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.

  8. Proverbs 28:27 מַחְס֑וֹר [is] lack

    Whoever gives to the poor will not be in need, but he who hides his eyes will receive many curses.

    Here: Real shortage, going without what you need. Elsewhere in Proverbs it is the opposite of plenty (21:5) and the end of the lazy (6:11; 24:34) and of the one who holds back (11:24). Here: the giver does not end up in want.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.