Hebrew word · H6810

צָעִיר

tza'ir

little

Small, young, younger or youngest, of low rank, insignificant.

Appears 23 times in 23 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) little, insignificant, young

1a) little, insignificant

1b) insignificant, mean

1c) young, younger, youngest

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 Micah 5:2

Range of meaning

Small, young, younger or youngest, of low rank, insignificant. It covers birth order (Genesis 43:33, the brothers seated "according to youth"; Genesis 48:14, Ephraim the younger), social weakness (Judges 6:15, Gideon "the least in my father's house"; Psalm 119:141, "I am small and despised"), and small numbers (Isaiah 60:22, "the smallest one will become a mighty nation").

Against the English

"Small" and "little" are accurate but flat. They suggest size alone. The Hebrew carries the sense of the junior or overlooked family member, which hits harder in a culture built on rank and honor.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint has oligostos, "very few / least." The "younger is chosen" pattern runs through Israel's stories: Jacob over Esau, Joseph, Ephraim over Manasseh, Gideon, and David, whom Jesse did not even call in from the sheep (1 Samuel 16:11).

From the study of Isaiah 60:22

Range of meaning

Little, young; especially the youngest child (Gen 19:31; 43:33; 48:14). Also lowest in rank or insignificant (Judg 6:15; Ps 119:141, "I am small and despised"; Jer 49:20).

Against the English

"Small one" (KJV, WEB, YLT) and "smallest" (BSB, NIV) capture size. They lose the overtone of the youngest, lowest-ranked one, the overlooked younger son whom God so often chooses in Israel's stories (Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, Gideon, David).

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 43:33 (Benjamin the tsa'ir); Gen 48:14 (Ephraim the younger, blessed over the elder); Judg 6:15; 1 Sam 9:21 (Saul: "from the smallest of the tribes", related root); Mic 5:2.

From the study of Genesis 25:23

Range of meaning

'Little, small, insignificant; young, younger'. It is the standard term for a younger sibling, often set against bekhor ('firstborn').

Against the English

'The younger' is right. English loses the second sense of 'small, lowly', which the Septuagint keeps with 'the lesser' (tō elassoni).

Used elsewhere in the period

Gen 19:31–38 (the younger daughter); Gen 43:33 (Benjamin); Gen 48:14 (Ephraim, the younger, preferred over Manasseh); Josh 6:26; Judg 6:15 (Gideon: 'I am the least, tsa'ir, in my father's house').

Where it appears

Genesis · 8

  1. Genesis 19:31 הַצְּעִירָ֖ה the young

    One day the older daughter said to the younger, “Our father is old, and there is no man in the land to sleep with us, as is the custom over all the earth.

  2. Genesis 19:34 הַצְּעִירָ֔ה the young

    The next day the older daughter said to the younger, “Look, I slept with my father last night. Let us get him drunk with wine again tonight so you can go in and sleep with him and we can preserve our father’s line.”

  3. Genesis 19:35 הַצְּעִירָה֙ the young [one]

    So again that night they got their father drunk with wine, and the younger daughter went in and slept with him; he was not aware when she lay down or when she got up.

  4. Genesis 19:38 וְהַצְּעִירָ֤ה and the young

    The younger daughter also gave birth to a son, and she named him Ben-ammi. He is the father of the Ammonites of today.

  5. Genesis 25:23 צָעִֽיר׃ [the] young [one]

    and He declared to her: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.”

    Here: 'The young/little (one)': the standard term for the younger son (Gen 43:33; 48:14). It also carries a sense of small and lowly, so the line sharpens the reversal: the 'great' serves the 'little'.

  6. Genesis 29:26 הַצְּעִירָ֖ה the young

    Laban replied, “It is not our custom here to give the younger daughter in marriage before the older.

  7. Genesis 43:33 וְהַצָּעִ֖יר and the young [brother]

    They were seated before Joseph in order by age, from the firstborn to the youngest, and the men looked at one another in astonishment.

  8. Genesis 48:14 הַצָּעִ֔יר [was] the young

    But Israel stretched out his right hand and put it on the head of Ephraim, the younger; and crossing his hands, he put his left on Manasseh’s head, although Manasseh was the firstborn.

Joshua · 1

  1. Joshua 6:26 וּבִצְעִיר֖וֹ and with young [son] his

    At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”

    Here: 'And with/in his youngest'. Paired with 'firstborn', it likely means 'from first son to last': the whole line of sons.

Judges · 1

  1. Judges 6:15 הַצָּעִ֖יר [am] the insignificant

    “Please, my Lord,” Gideon replied, “how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father’s house.”

    Here: With 'the' in front: 'the youngest' or 'the least'. The word covers both birth order and low rank, and for a younger son in an ancient household the two went together.

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 9:21 הַצְּעִרָ֔ה the insignificant

    Saul replied, “Am I not a Benjamite from the smallest tribe of Israel, and is not my clan the least of all the clans of Benjamin? So why would you say such a thing to me?”

    Here: "The least / the most junior." The word often means "youngest" in a birth order (Gen 43:33). So Saul ranks his clan as the junior, lowest-standing branch of an already small tribe.

1 Kings · 1

  1. 1 Kings 16:34 צְעִירוֹ֙ young [son] his

    In Ahab’s days, Hiel the Bethelite rebuilt Jericho. At the cost of Abiram his firstborn he laid its foundation, and at the cost of Segub his youngest he set up its gates, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through Joshua son of Nun.

    Here: 'Little', and so here the youngest son. Firstborn and youngest are the two ends of the family, and the pair may suggest that everything in between was lost too.

Job · 2

  1. Job 30:1 צְעִירִ֥ים [people] young

    “But now they mock me, men younger than I am, whose fathers I would have refused to put with my sheep dogs.

    Here: Younger men. In a society where age brought rank, this already signals that juniors are insulting their senior.

  2. Job 32:6 צָ֘עִ֤יר [am] young

    So Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite declared: “I am young in years, while you are old; that is why I was timid and afraid to tell you what I know.

Psalms · 2

  1. Psalm 68:27 צָעִ֡יר insignificant

    There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, the princes of Judah in their company, the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

    Here: This means both "the youngest" (Benjamin was Jacob's youngest son) and "the smallest, least significant" (Benjamin was a small tribe). The point is the reversal: the least of the tribes walks at the front.

  2. Psalm 119:141 צָעִ֣יר [am] insignificant

    I am lowly and despised, but I do not forget Your precepts.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 60:22 וְהַצָּעִ֖יר and the little

    The least of you will become a thousand, and the smallest a mighty nation. I am the LORD; in its time I will accomplish it quickly.

    Here: "And the little / youngest one": a word for the youngest son or the lowest-ranked. It matches "the small one" in the first line and adds the sense of low status as well as small numbers.

Jeremiah · 4

  1. Jeremiah 14:3 צְעִירֵיהֶ֖ם servants their

    The nobles send their servants for water; they go to the cisterns, but find no water; their jars return empty. They are ashamed and humiliated; they cover their heads.

    Here: 'Their little ones': those below them, whether young people, servant boys or household dependents. The pairing 'great ones … little ones' covers the whole social ladder.

  2. Jeremiah 48:4 צְעִירֶֽיהָ׃ servants its

    Moab will be shattered; her little ones will cry out.

  3. Jeremiah 49:20 צְעִירֵ֣י [the] young [ones] of

    Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Edom and the strategies He has devised against the people of Teman: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.

  4. Jeremiah 50:45 צְעִירֵ֣י [the] young [ones] of

    Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.

Daniel · 1

  1. Daniel 8:9 מִצְּעִירָ֑ה from a small [thing]

    From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land.

    Here: Literally 'from smallness': the horn starts out small or insignificant, and that sets up the contrast with what follows. The word tsa'ir also means 'younger' or 'lowly'. It describes where the horn starts and how it is seen, not just its size.

Micah · 1

  1. Micah 5:2 צָעִיר֙ [are] insignificant

    But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come forth for Me One to be ruler over Israel—One whose origins are of old, from the days of eternity.

    Here: "Little" in size, rank or birth order. It is the word for the youngest or least-regarded member of a family, and it recalls God's habit of choosing the younger son, including David, the overlooked youngest of Jesse's sons.

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