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חֶסְרוֹן

𐤇𐤎𐤓𐤅𐤍

cheçrôwn

H2642 noun

SILEX Entry

Root חסר to lack, be missing, decrease, be without

Definition

A state or condition of lacking, deficiency, or insufficiency; the abstract concept of that which is missing, needed, or absent. Used to describe absence of material goods, resources, or qualities, in both literal (physical lack) and figurative (moral or personal deficiency) contexts.

Semantic Range

deficiency, state of lacking, absence of something needed, insufficiency, want, shortcoming, inadequacy

Root / Etymology

From the root חסר (ḥ-s-r), meaning 'to lack, be without, decrease.' חֶסְרוֹן (chesron) is a masculine noun formation indicating the state, act, or result of lacking, from the verbal root's sense of deprivation or absence.

Historical & Contextual Notes

חֶסְרוֹן appears only rarely in the Hebrew Bible. Its usage is primarily found in wisdom and poetic literature (e.g., Ecclesiastes 4:8, 6:2), where it conveys the abstract notion of lack or deficiency, especially in relation to wealth, enjoyment, or fulfillment. The term can denote either material lack (not possessing goods or resources) or the failure to achieve satisfaction or completeness. Alternate expressions of lack use forms of the verb חסר or the noun מחסור, but חֶסְרוֹן has a more abstract, general sense and typically appears in contexts reflecting on existential or philosophical limitations. In later Hebrew, the word can also refer to a shortcoming or defect. English translations usually render it as 'lack,' 'deficiency,' or 'wanting,' but these may not always capture the breadth of its contemplative or existential usage, as in Ecclesiastes. There is no ethnic, geographic, or religious connotation attached directly to the word; it refers generally to the condition of lacking.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from חָסֵר; deficiency; wanting.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חסר (ḥ-s-r) — to lack, be missing, decrease, be without

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2627 חַסִּיר deficient one
H2637 חָסֵר we lacked
H2638 חָסֵר in lack of
H2639 חֶסֶר in lack
H2640 חֹסֶר in lack of

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2642-01 וְ/חֶסְר֖וֹן vecheseron HC/Ncmsa and deficiency 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2642-01 Ecclesiastes 1:15 וְ/חֶסְר֖וֹן vecheseron HC/Ncmsa and deficiency
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