Lack, Lacking

New Testament

Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words

Definition

A-1husteremaNounG5303

denotes (a) "that which is lacking," "deficiency, shortcoming" (akin to hustereo, "to be behind, in want"), 1Co 16:17, Phi 2:30, Col 1:24, RV, "that which is lacking" [AV, "that which is behind" (of the afflictions of Christ)], where the reference is not to the vicarious sufferings of Christ, but to those which He endured previously, and those which must be endured by His faithful servants; 1Th 3:10, where "that which is lacking" means that which Paul had not been able to impart to them, owing to the interruption of his spiritual instruction among them; (b) "need, want, poverty," Luk 21:4, RV, "want" (AV, "penury"); 2Co 8:14 (twice) "want;" 2Co 9:12, "wants" (AV, "want"); 2Co 11:9, RV, "(the measure of my) want" [AV, "that which was lacking (to me)"]. See BEHIND, PENURY, WANT.

Note: In 1Th 4:12, AV, chreia, "need," is translated "lack" (RV, "need"). See NEED.

B-1endeesAdjectiveG1729

from endeo, "to lack," signifies "needy, in want," translated "that lacked" in Act 4:34.

C-1hustereoVerbG5302

akin to A, "to come or be behind," is used in the sense of "lacking" certain things, Mat 19:20, Mar 10:21 ("one thing;" cp. No. 3 in Luk 18:22); Luk 22:35; in the sense of being inferior, 1Co 12:24 (Middle Voice). Elsewhere it is translated in various ways; see BEHIND, B, No. 1, COME, No. 39, DESTITUTE, FAIL, Note (2), NEED, WANT, WORSE.

C-2elattoneoVerbG1641

"to be less" (from elatton, "less"), is translated "had no lack," 2Co 8:15 (quoted from the Sept. of Exo 16:18), the circumstance of the gathering of the manna being applied to the equalizing nature of cause and effect in the matter of supplying the wants of the needy.

C-3leipoVerbG3007

"to leave," denotes (a) transitively, in the Passive Voice, "to be left behind, to lack," Jam 1:4, "ye may be lacking in (nothing)," RV (AV, "wanting"); Jam 1:5, "lacketh" (AV, "lack"); Jam 2:15, RV, "be ... in lack" (AV, "be ... destitute"); (b) intransitively, Active Voice, Luk 18:22, "(one thing thou) lackest," is, lit., "(one thing) is lacking (to thee);" Tit 1:5, "(the things) that were wanting;" Tit 3:13, "(that nothing) be wanting." See DESTITUTE, WANTING.

Note: In 2Pe 1:9, "he that lacketh" translates a phrase the lit. rendering of which is "(he to whom these things) are not present" (paraeimi, "to be present").