קטן
small
also: young, insignificant, unimportant fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
Grammatical forms
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 68 times (67%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Singular, Absolute 17 times (17%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Absolute 7 times (7%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Singular, Construct 4 times (4%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Feminine, Plural, Absolute 3 times (3%)
- Adjective, Adjective, Masculine, Plural, Construct 2 times (2%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 101 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H6996 appears — 100 distinct verses across 24 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Genesis 19 verses
- Genesis 1:16 הַ/קָּטֹן֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
- Genesis 9:24 הַ/קָּטָֽן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his youngest son had done to him.
- Genesis 19:11 מִ/קָּטֹ֖ן prep + Adjective Adjective ms They struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves to find the door.
- Genesis 27:15 הַ/קָּטָֽן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Rebekah took the good clothes of Esau, her elder son, which were with her in the house, and put them on Jacob, her younger son.
- Genesis 27:42 הַ/קָּטָ֔ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms The words of Esau, her elder son, were told to Rebekah. She sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said to him, "Behold, your brother Esau comforts himself about you by planning to kill you.
- Genesis 29:16 הַ/קְּטַנָּ֖ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Laban had two daughters. The name of the elder was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel.
- Genesis 29:18 הַ/קְּטַנָּֽה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Jacob loved Rachel. He said, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel, your younger daughter."
- Genesis 42:13 הַ/קָּטֹ֤ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms They said, "We, your servants, are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is no more."
- Genesis 42:15 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Hereby you shall be tested. By the life of Pharaoh you shall not go forth from here, unless your youngest brother come here.
- Genesis 42:20 הַ/קָּטֹן֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Bring your youngest brother to me; so will your words be verified, and you won't die." They did so.
- Genesis 42:32 וְ/הַ/קָּטֹ֥ן conj + ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms We are twelve brothers, sons of our father; one is no more, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan.'
- Genesis 42:34 הַ/קָּטֹן֮ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Bring your youngest brother to me. Then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. So I will deliver your brother to you, and you shall trade in the land.'"
- Genesis 43:29 הַ/קָּטֹ֔ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms He lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin, his brother, his mother's son, and said, "Is this your youngest brother, of whom you spoke to me?" He said, "God be gracious to you, my son."
- Genesis 44:2 הַ/קָּטֹ֔ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, with his grain money." He did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
- Genesis 44:12 וּ/בַ/קָּטֹ֖ן conj + prep det + Adjective Adjective ms He searched, beginning with the eldest, and ending at the youngest. The cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
- Genesis 44:20 קָטָ֑ן adj Adjective ms We said to my lord, 'We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother; and his father loves him.'
- Genesis 44:23 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms You said to your servants, 'Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will see my face no more.'
- Genesis 44:26 הַ/קָּטֹ֤ן הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms We said, 'We can't go down. If our youngest brother is with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, unless our youngest brother is with us.'
- Genesis 48:19 הַ/קָּטֹן֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms His father refused, and said, "I know, my son, I know. He also will become a people, and he also will be great. However, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his seed will become a multitude of nations."
Exodus 2 verses
- Exodus 18:22 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Let them judge the people at all times. It shall be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge themselves. So shall it be easier for you, and they shall share the load with you.
- Exodus 18:26 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms They judged the people at all times. They brought the hard causes to Moses, but every small matter they judged themselves.
Numbers 1 verse
Deuteronomy 3 verses
- Deuteronomy 1:17 כַּ/קָּטֹ֤ן prep det + Adjective Adjective ms You shall not show partiality in judgment; you shall hear the small and the great alike; you shall not be afraid of the face of man; for the judgment is God's: and the cause that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.
- Deuteronomy 25:13 וּ/קְטַנָּֽה conj + Adjective Adjective fs You shall not have in your bag diverse weights, a great and a small.
- Deuteronomy 25:14 וּ/קְטַנָּֽה conj + Adjective Adjective fs You shall not have in your house diverse measures, a great and a small.
Judges 4 verses
- Judges 1:13 הַ/קָּטֹ֣ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, took it: and he gave him Achsah his daughter as wife.
- Judges 3:9 הַ/קָּטֹ֥ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother.
- Judges 9:5 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms He went to his father's house at Ophrah, and killed his brothers the sons of Jerubbaal, being seventy persons, on one stone: but Jotham the youngest son of Jerubbaal was left; for he hid himself.
- Judges 15:2 הַ/קְּטַנָּה֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Her father said, I most assuredly thought that you had utterly hated her; therefore I gave her to your companion: isn't her younger sister more beautiful than she? Please take her, instead.
1 Samuel 13 verses
- 1 Samuel 2:19 קָטֹן֙ adj Adjective ms Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
- 1 Samuel 5:9 מִ/קָּטֹ֖ן prep + Adjective Adjective ms It was so, that after they had carried it about, the hand of Yahweh was against the city with a very great confusion: and he struck the men of the city, both small and great; and tumors broke out on them.
- 1 Samuel 9:21 מִ/קַּטַנֵּי֙ prep + Adjective Adjective mp cs Saul answered, Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? why then speak you to me after this manner?
- 1 Samuel 14:49 הַ/קְּטַנָּ֖ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Now the sons of Saul were Jonathan, and Ishvi, and Malchishua; and the names of his two daughters were these: the name of the firstborn Merab, and the name of the younger Michal:
- 1 Samuel 15:17 קָטֹ֤ן adj Adjective ms Samuel said, "Though you were little in your own sight, weren't you made the head of the tribes of Israel? Yahweh anointed you king over Israel;
- 1 Samuel 16:11 הַ/קָּטָ֔ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Samuel said to Jesse, Are here all your children? He said, There remains yet the youngest, and, behold, he is keeping the sheep. Samuel said to Jesse, Send and get him; for we will not sit down until he come here.
- 1 Samuel 17:14 הַ/קָּטָ֑ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms David was the youngest; and the three eldest followed Saul.
- 1 Samuel 20:2 קָטֹ֔ן adj Adjective ms He said to him, "Far from it; you shall not die: behold, my father does nothing either great or small, but that he discloses it to me; and why should my father hide this thing from me? It is not so."
- 1 Samuel 20:35 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms It happened in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little boy with him.
- 1 Samuel 22:15 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms Have I today begun to inquire of God for him? be it far from me: don't let the king impute anything to his servant, nor to all the house of my father; for your servant knows nothing of all this, less or more.
- 1 Samuel 25:36 קָטֹ֛ן adj Adjective ms Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: therefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light.
- 1 Samuel 30:2 מִ/קָּטֹ֣ן prep + Adjective Adjective ms and had taken captive the women [and all] who were therein, both small and great: they didn't kill any, but carried them off, and went their way.
- 1 Samuel 30:19 הַ/קָּטֹ֨ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms There was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor anything that they had taken to them: David brought back all.
2 Samuel 2 verses
- 2 Samuel 9:12 קָטָ֖ן adj Adjective ms Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Mica. All that lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth.
- 2 Samuel 12:3 קְטַנָּה֙ adj Adjective fs but the poor man had nothing, except one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and raised. It grew up together with him, and with his children. It ate of his own food, drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was to him like a daughter.
1 Kings 7 verses
- 1 Kings 2:20 קְטַנָּה֙ adj Adjective fs Then she said, I ask one small petition of you; don't deny me. The king said to her, Ask on, my mother; for I will not deny you.
- 1 Kings 3:7 קָטֹ֔ן adj Adjective ms Now, Yahweh my God, you have made your servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child; I don't know how to go out or come in.
- 1 Kings 8:64 קָטֹ֗ן adj Adjective ms The same day did the king make the middle of the court holy that was before the house of Yahweh; for there he offered the burnt offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings, because the brazen altar that was before Yahweh was too little to receive the burnt offering, and the meal-offering, and the fat of the peace-offerings.
- 1 Kings 11:17 קָטָֽן adj Adjective ms that Hadad fled, he and certain Edomites of his father's servants with him, to go into Egypt, Hadad being yet a little child.
- 1 Kings 17:13 קְטַנָּ֤ה adj Adjective fs Elijah said to her, Don't be afraid; go and do as you have said; but make me of it a little cake first, and bring it forth to me, and afterward make for you and for your son.
- 1 Kings 18:44 קְטַנָּ֥ה adj Adjective fs It happened at the seventh time, that he said, "Behold, a small cloud, like a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." He said, Go up, tell Ahab, Make ready [your chariot], and get you down, that the rain not stop you.
- 1 Kings 22:31 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.
2 Kings 7 verses
- 2 Kings 2:23 קְטַנִּים֙ adj Adjective mp He went up from there to Bethel; and as he was going up by the way, there came forth young lads out of the city, and mocked him, and said to him, Go up, you baldy; go up, you baldhead.
- 2 Kings 4:10 קְטַנָּ֔ה adj Adjective fs Let us make, Please, a little chamber on the wall; and let us set for him there a bed, and a table, and a seat, and a lamp stand: and it shall be, when he comes to us, that he shall turn in there.
- 2 Kings 5:2 קְטַנָּ֑ה adj Adjective fs The Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Naaman's wife.
- 2 Kings 5:14 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms Then went he down, and dipped [himself] seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
- 2 Kings 18:24 הַ/קְּטַנִּ֑ים ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective mp How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
- 2 Kings 23:2 לְ/מִ/קָּטֹ֣ן prep + prep + Adjective Adjective ms The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem with him, and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, both small and great: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Kings 25:26 מִ/קָּטֹ֤ן prep + Adjective Adjective ms All the people, both small and great, and the captains of the forces, arose, and came to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
1 Chronicles 4 verses
- 1 Chronicles 12:14 הַ/קָּטָ֔ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms These of the sons of Gad were captains of the host: he who was least was equal to one hundred, and the greatest to one thousand.
- 1 Chronicles 24:31 הַ/קָּטָֽן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms These likewise cast lots even as their brothers the sons of Aaron in the presence of David the king, and Zadok, and Ahimelech, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the priests and of the Levites; the fathers' [houses] of the chief even as those of his younger brother.
- 1 Chronicles 25:8 כַּ/קָּטֹ֣ן prep det + Adjective Adjective ms They cast lots for their offices, all alike, as well the small as the great, the teacher as the scholar.
- 1 Chronicles 26:13 כַּ/קָּטֹ֧ן prep det + Adjective Adjective ms They cast lots, the small as well as the great, according to their fathers' houses, for every gate.
2 Chronicles 7 verses
- 2 Chronicles 15:13 קָטֹן֙ adj Adjective ms and that whoever would not seek Yahweh, the God of Israel, should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.
- 2 Chronicles 18:30 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Now the king of Syria had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.
- 2 Chronicles 21:17 קְטֹ֥ן adj Adjective ms cs and they came up against Judah, and broke into it, and carried away all the substance that was found in the king's house, and his sons also, and his wives; so that there was never a son left him, save Jehoahaz, the youngest of his sons.
- 2 Chronicles 22:1 הַ/קָּטֹן֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms The inhabitants of Jerusalem made Ahaziah his youngest son king in his place; for the band of men who came with the Arabians to the camp had slain all the eldest. So Ahaziah the son of Jehoram king of Judah reigned.
- 2 Chronicles 31:15 כַּ/קָּטָֽן prep det + Adjective Adjective ms Under him were Eden, and Miniamin, and Jeshua, and Shemaiah, Amariah, and Shecaniah, in the cities of the priests, in their office of trust, to give to their brothers by divisions, as well to the great as to the small:
- 2 Chronicles 34:30 קָטָ֑ן adj Adjective ms The king went up to the house of Yahweh, and all the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the priests, and the Levites, and all the people, both great and small: and he read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant that was found in the house of Yahweh.
- 2 Chronicles 36:18 וְ/הַ/קְּטַנִּ֔ים conj + ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective mp All the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of Yahweh, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes, all these he brought to Babylon.
Esther 2 verses
- Esther 1:5 קָטָ֛ן adj Adjective ms When these days were fulfilled, the king made a feast to all the people who were present in Shushan the palace, both great and small, seven days, in the court of the garden of the king's palace.
- Esther 1:20 קָטָֽן adj Adjective ms When the king's decree which he shall make shall be published throughout all his kingdom (for it is great), all the wives will give to their husbands honor, both to great and small.
Job 1 verse
Psalms 2 verses
Proverbs 1 verse
Ecclesiastes 1 verse
Song of Solomon 2 verses
- Song of Solomon 2:15 קְטַנִּ֖ים adj Adjective mp Catch for us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vineyards; For our vineyards are in blossom. Beloved
- Song of Solomon 8:8 קְטַנָּ֔ה adj Adjective fs We have a little sister. She has no breasts. What shall we do for our sister In the day when she is to be spoken for?
Isaiah 5 verses
- Isaiah 11:6 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
- Isaiah 22:24 הַ/קָּטָ֑ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms They shall hang on him all the glory of his father's house, the offspring and the issue, every small vessel, from the cups even to all the pitchers.
- Isaiah 36:9 הַ/קְטַנִּ֑ים ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective mp How then can you turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master's servants, and put your trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?
- Isaiah 54:7 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms For a small moment have I forsaken you; but with great mercies will I gather you.
- Isaiah 60:22 הַ/קָּטֹן֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms The little one shall become a thousand, and the small one a strong nation; I, Yahweh, will hasten it in its time.
Jeremiah 8 verses
- Jeremiah 6:13 מִ/קְּטַנָּ/ם֙ prep + Adjective Adjective ms cs + sfx pers 3mp For from the least of them even to the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely.
- Jeremiah 8:10 מִ/קָּטֹן֙ prep + Adjective Adjective ms Therefore will I give their wives to others, and their fields to those who shall possess them: for everyone from the least even to the greatest is given to covetousness; from the prophet even to the priest every one deals falsely.
- Jeremiah 16:6 וּ/קְטַנִּ֛ים conj + Adjective Adjective mp Both great and small shall die in this land; they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them;
- Jeremiah 31:34 לְ/מִ/קְטַנָּ֤/ם prep + prep + Adjective Adjective ms cs + sfx pers 3mp and they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know Yahweh; for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says Yahweh: for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more.
- Jeremiah 42:1 מִ/קָּטֹ֥ן prep + Adjective Adjective ms Then all the captains of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah, and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least even to the greatest, came near,
- Jeremiah 42:8 לְ/מִ/קָּטֹ֥ן prep + prep + Adjective Adjective ms Then called he Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, and all the people from the least even to the greatest,
- Jeremiah 44:12 מִ/קָּטֹן֙ prep + Adjective Adjective ms I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed; in the land of Egypt shall they fall; they shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine; they shall die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine; and they shall be an object of horror, [and] an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
- Jeremiah 49:15 קָטֹ֛ן adj Adjective ms For, behold, I have made you small among the nations, and despised among men.
Ezekiel 3 verses
- Ezekiel 16:46 הַ/קְּטַנָּ֣ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Your elder sister is Samaria, who dwells at your left hand, she and her daughters; and your younger sister, who dwells at your right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
- Ezekiel 16:61 הַ/קְּטַנּ֖וֹת ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fp Then shall you remember your ways, and be ashamed, when you shall receive your sisters, your elder [sisters] and your younger; and I will give them to you for daughters, but not by your covenant.
- Ezekiel 43:14 הַ/קְּטַנָּ֜ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs From the bottom on the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits, and the breadth one cubit; and from the lesser ledge to the greater ledge shall be four cubits, and the breadth a cubit.
Amos 3 verses
- Amos 6:11 הַ/קָּטֹ֖ן ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms "For, behold, Yahweh commands, and the great house will be smashed to pieces, And the little house into bits.
- Amos 7:2 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms It happened that, when they made an end of eating the grass of the land, then I said, "Lord Yahweh, forgive, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small."
- Amos 7:5 קָטֹ֖ן adj Adjective ms Then I said, "Lord Yahweh, stop, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small."
Obadiah 1 verse
Jonah 1 verse
Zechariah 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
The Hebrew adjective קטן centers on the idea of “small.” Alongside “small” the lexicon also lists “young”, “insignificant”, and “unimportant” — part of its full sense range. It turns up in 100 verses across 24 books, a moderately common footprint. Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 1:16. It shares a root with קוט, קטן and קטן. Dig into 100-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H6996 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 100
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 100 distinct verses.
- 24 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 24 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #421
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 421 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 100 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 100 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 55 verses · 55%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 25 verses · 25%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 20 verses · 20%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 4 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Small 16×, Little 12×, Younger 12×
- American Standard Version†: Small 18×, Youngest 9×, Little 8×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Small 21×, Younger 14×, Youngest 12×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Small 34×, Youngest 17×, Little 8×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H6996 across 101† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 23 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H6996 across 100† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 36 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H6996 across 99† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 21 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 2 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H6996 across 100† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 15 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
11 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each.
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 11 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
קטן I be small, insignificant (NH Hiph. and deriv.
Qal
- Pf. 1 s. קָטֹנְתִּי Gn 32:11, c. מִן comp., I am too insignificant for all the kindnesses; Impf. 3 fs. וַתִּקְטַן זֹאת בְּעֵינֶיךָ 2 S 7:19 = 1 Ch 17:17. e.g. Genesis 32:11
Hiphil
- lit. Inf. cstr. לְהַקְטִין Am 8:5 making ephah small. e.g. Amos 8:5
קטן II small, young, unimportant
- 1. small: especially
- a. of children, youth = young, Gn 44:20 (J) 2 S 9:12; 1 K 11:17; 2 K 2:23; 5:2, of sister Ct 8:8; = younger, of two children (often opp. גדול), Gn 9:24; 27:15, 42 (all J), 29:16, 18 (E), 1 S 14:49 (f.; opp. הַבְּכִירָה); of younger sister Ju 15:2, so (fig.) Ez 16:46 and (+ מִן comp.) v 61; brother 1 Ch 24:31; הַקּ׳ youngest son (of several) 1 S 16:11; 17:14; + גָּדוֹל = young and old (v. קָטֹן 1) Je 16:6 cf. 2 Ch 31:15; 34:30. e.g. Genesis 44:20
- b. of things: utterance Nu 22:18 (E), weight Dt 25:13, 14, vessels 2 Ch 36:18, animals ψ 104:25 (all opp. גדול); cf. also 2 S 12:3; 1 K 2:20; 17:13; 18:44; 2 K 4:10; Ez 43:14 (opp. גדול), Pr 30:24; Ct 2:15, + prob. Ez 46:22 (v II. [קָטַר]); כְּלֵי הַקָּטָן Is 22:24 the vessels of small size (fig.). e.g. Numbers 22:18
- 2. small:
- a. with added idea of weakness, pers. 2 K 18:24 = Is 36:9, city Ec 9:14. e.g. 2 Kings 18:24
- b. = insignificant, (1) tribe 1 S 9:21; (2) pers. (+ גדול; = all persons) Je 6:13; 31:34 Jon 3:5 ψ 115:13 Est 1:5, 20, cf. 1 Ch 12:14 (van d. H. v 13); (3) in gen., יוֹם קְטַנּוֹת Zc 4:10 day of small things.—Vid. also קָטֹן. e.g. 1 Samuel 9:21
קטן III m. (the small)
קטן IV small, insignificant
- a. of youth = young, נַעַר ק׳ 1 S 20:35; 1 K 3:7; 2 K 5:14; Is 11:6; = younger of two brothers, Gn 48:17 (E) Ju 1:13; 3:9 (+ מִן comp.); הַקּ׳ youngest brother Gn 42:13 + 10 times Gn (JE), son Ju 9:5 2 Ch 22:1, so קְטֹן בַּנָיו 21:17; + גדול = young and old (v. קָטָן 1), i.e. everybody Gn 19:11 (J), 1 S 5:9; 30:2 + (of pers. and things) v 19. e.g. 1 Samuel 20:35
- b. of things 1 S 2:19; 1 K 8:64 (+ מִן comp.), Am 6:11 Is 54:7; opp. גָּדוֹל 1 S 22:15; 25:36; Gn 1:16 (P). e.g. 1 Samuel 2:19
- 2. = unimportant, things, Ex 18:22, 26 (E), 1 S 20:2 (all opp. גדול); pers., = feeble Am 7:2, 5; = insignificant Je 49:15 Ob 2 (both ‖ בָּזוּי), Is 60:22 (‖ צָעִיר); ק׳ בְּעֵינֶיךָ 1 S 15:17; especially + גָּדוֹל = low and high, = everybody, Dt 1:17; 1 K 22:31 = 2 Ch 18:30; Je 8:10; Jb 3:19, + 8 times—Vid. also קָטָן. e.g. Exodus 18:22
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. vb. be small, insignificant (NH Hiph. and deriv.; J.Aram. in deriv., Syriac ܩܛܰܢ; Old Aramaic קטין insignificant; Arabic قَطِىن parum edens; Ethiopic ቀጠነ be thin, chiefly in deriv.; prob. also Assyrian kuṭṭinnu, small, younger, ZehnpfBAS i. 505 (otherwise DlHWB 323); MeissnSuppl. ḳatânu, be short (of hair), cf. BezZA viii, 141 f.);—
I. adj. small, young, unimportant;—abs. ק׳ Gn 9:24 +; sf. קְטַנָּם (Köii. 1, 74) Je 6:13 +; fs. קְטַנָּה Gn 29:16 +; mpl. קְטַנִּים 2 K 18:24 +; cstr. קְטַנֵּי 1 S 9:21 (v. Dr; We conj. -נִּי, old cstr., cf. HPS), Pr 30:24; fpl. קְטַנּוֹת Ez 16:61 +;—
II. n.pr.m. (the small);—הַקּ׳, post-ex. name Ezr 8:12, Ακ(κ)αταν.
II. adj. small, insignificant;—abs. ק׳ 1 S 2:19 +; cstr. קְטֹן 2 Ch 21:17;—f., pl. and sf. supplied by קָטָן;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from קוט (qûwṭ) (H6962) — to loathe.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
קטן
- , Yalk. Sam. 124, ק׳ השמן, read: קִיתוֹן.
קֹטֶן
- , v. קוֹטֶן
קָטֹן
- (b. h.) to be short, small, inferior. Gen. R. s. 76 (expl. קטנתי, Gen. XXXII, 11) איני כדאי … כדאי אני אכל קָטֹנְתִּי מכל וכ׳ I am not deserving (of any of the mercies &c.); R. L. says, I am deserving, but I am too small for (unworthy of) all the mercies &c. e.g. Genesis 32:11
- 1. to make small; to subordinate. B. Bath. 90ᵇ מַקְטִינֵי איפה those who make the Ephah (measure) small (Am. VIII, 5). Y. Sot. IX, 24ᵇ Samuel was surnamed ‘the small’, לפי שהוא מַקְטִין את עצמו because he made himself small (bore himself humbly). Gen. R. s. 37 (play on יקטן, Gen. X, 25) מקטין את עסקיו made his affairs small (was contented with subordinate services); מקטין את עצמו ואת עסקיו subordinated himself and his affairs, v. צָעַר. Meg. 11ᵃ, v. קַטְנוּת; a. e. e.g. Amos 8:5
- 2. to grow smaller, be narrower. Lev. R. s. 31 מַקְטִינוֹת, v. רָחב; Pesik. Ḳumi, p. 145ᵃ; ib. 145ᵇ מקיטנות (corr. acc.).
- to shrink. Snh. 81ᵇ עד שיוּקְטָן, v. מַעְיָן.
- to be reduced, become less. Tosef. Sot. XV, 5 Var. משמת … נִתְקַטְּנָה חסידות וכ׳ when Abba José ben Ḳiṭnith died, piety became rare in Israel; v. קִיטּוּנְתָּא.
קָטָן
- preced.) small, young; inferior. Y. Kil. IV, beg. 29ᵃ. Ab. IV, 19, a. fr. שמואל הק׳ Samuel the junior; Y. Sot. IX, 24ᵇ, v. preced. Yeb. II, 8 הק׳ a younger brother. Gen. R. s. 37 ומה אם הק׳ שהוא מקטין וכ׳ if an inferior person that is contented with a subordinate position (v. preced.) is thus rewarded, how much more a great man &c. Gen. R. s. 93 קְטַנָּן של שבטים one of the youngest of the tribes; Yalk. ib. 152 (not קטנו); Yalk. Ps. 762; a. fr.—Esp. minor, a boy under thirteen, a girl under twelve years. Gitt. 65ᵃ שלש מדות בק׳ וכ׳ there are three legal stages of a minor: when he throws away a pebble &c., v. צְרוֹר II; וכנגדן בק׳ מתקדשת וכ׳ and in the corresponding stage a girl may be betrothed subject to protest (מִיאוּן). Ib. II, 6 קבל הק׳ והגדיל if he received a letter of divorce (as a carrier) while he was a minor, and reached majority before delivery. Ber. 47ᵇ; a. fr.—Sot. 22ᵃ (among those who are a ruin to the world) ק׳ שלא כלו לו וכ׳ a child whose months are not complete (a prematurely born child), expl. ib. ‘a student who disregards his teacher’, or ‘a student who constitutes himself a teacher before regular ordination.’—Pl. קְטַנִּים; קְטַנּוֹת. Tosef. Snh. XIII, 1 קטנים בני רשעי ארץ ed. Zuck. (Var. קְטַנֵּי) children of the wicked of the land that died in childhood; Snh. 110ᵇ; Y. Shebi. IV, end, 35ᶜ ק׳ ישראל children of Israelites (that died); ק׳ גוים of gentiles. Keth. II, 3 ק׳ היינו we were minors (when we signed as witnesses). Ib. VII, 9 מומין הק׳ minor physical blemishes. Sot. 48ᵇ ק׳ אמנה, v. אֲמָנָה. Ib. 49ᵇ מק׳ חסידים of the youngest (last) of the pious men (v. next w.); a. fr.—Euphem. קְטַנִּים (sub. נקבים) the minor functions of the body, urinating. Ber. 23ᵇ; a. fr.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 63 distinct written forms H6996 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 3 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H6996, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Derived from this word
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 99 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 100 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:16
- Exodus 18:22
- Numbers 22:18
- Deuteronomy 1:17
- Judges 1:13
- 1 Samuel 2:19
- 2 Samuel 9:12
- 1 Kings 2:20
- 2 Kings 2:23
- 1 Chronicles 12:14
- 2 Chronicles 15:13
- Esther 1:5
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
