Original Word: ὑστερέω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hustereó
Pronunciation: hoos-ter-eh'-o
Phonetic Spelling: (hoos-ter-eh'-o)
KJV: come behind (short), be destitute, fail, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse
NASB: inferior, lack, am lacking, come short, comes short, destitute, fall short
Word Origin: [from G5306 (ὕστερος - finally)]

1. to be later
2. (by implication) to be inferior
3. (generally) to fall short (be deficient)

to lack, need

From husteros; to be later, i.e. (by implication) to be inferior; generally, to fall short (be deficient) -- come behind (short), be destitute, fail, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse.

see GREEK husteros

5302 hysteréō (from 5306 /hýsteros, "last") – properly, at "the end," i.e. coming behind (to "be posterior, late"); (figuratively) coming behind and therefore left out; left wanting (falling short).

5302 /hysteréō ("failing to fulfill a goal") means to be in lack and hence, unable to meet the need at hand because depleted ("all run out"). This state of lack (insufficiency, privation) naturally results when a person misses out on what is vital.

Word Origin
from husteros
Definition
to come late, be behind, come short
NASB Translation
am...lacking (1), come short (1), comes short (1), destitute (1), fall short (1), impoverished (1), inferior (2), lack (2), lacked (1), lacking (1), need (1), ran (1), suffering need (1), worse (1).

STRONGS NT 5302: ὑστερέω

ὑστερέω, ὑστερῶ; 1 aorist ὑστέρησα; perfect ὑστέρηκα; passive, present ὑστεροῦμαι; 1 aorist participle ὑστερηθείς; (ὕστερος);

1. Active, "to be ὕστερος i. e. behind; i. e.

a. to come late or too tardily" (so in secular authors from Herodotus down): Hebrews 4:1; to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end; with ἀπό and the genitive indicating the end, metaphorically, fail to become a partaker: ἀπό τῆς χάριτος, Hebrews 12:15 (others render here fall back (i. e. away) from; cf. Winers Grammar, § 30, 6 b.; Buttmann, 322f (276f) cf. § 132, 5) (Ecclesiastes 6:2).

b. to be inferior, in power, influence, rank, 1 Corinthians 12:24 (where L T Tr WH passive, ὑστερουμένῳ); in virtue, τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ; in what am I still deficient (A. V. what lack I yet (cf. Buttmann, § 131, 10)), Matthew 19:20 (Sir. 51:24; ἵνα γνῷ τί ὑστερῶ ἐγώ, Psalm 38:5 (); μηδ' ἐν ἄλλῳ μηδενί μέρει ἀρετῆς ὑστερουντας, Plato, de rep. 6, p. 484 d.); μηδέν or οὐδέν followed by a genitive (depending on the idea of comparison contained in the verb (Buttmann, § 132, 22)) of the person, to be inferior to (A. V. to be behind) another in nothing, 2 Corinthians 11:5; 2 Corinthians 12:11.

c. to fail, be lacking (Dioscorides (?) 5, 86): John 2:3 (not Tdf.); ἕν σοι (T WH Tr marginal reading σε (cf. Buttmann, as above)) ὑστερεῖ, Mark 10:21.

d. to be in want of, lack: with a genitive of the thing (Winer's Grammar, § 30, 6), Luke 22:35 (Josephus, Antiquities 2, 2, 1).

2. Passive to suffer want (Winer's Grammar, 260 (244)): Luke 15:14; 2 Corinthians 11:9 (8); Hebrews 11:37 (Sir. 11:11); opposed to περισσεύειν, to abound, Philippians 4:12; τίνος, to be devoid (R. V. fall short) of, Romans 3:23 (Diodorus 18, 71; Josephus, Antiquities 15, 6, 7); ἐν τίνι, to suffer want in any respect, 1 Corinthians 1:7, opposed to πλουτίζεσθαι ἐν τίνι, 1 Corinthians 1:5; to lack (be inferior) in excellence, worth, opposed to περισσεύειν (A. V. to be the worse ... the better), 1 Corinthians 8:8. (Compare: ἀφυστερέω.)

Conceptual Overview

The verb ὑστερέω (Strong’s Greek 5302) traces a movement from adequacy to insufficiency. It may describe material want, spiritual deficiency, or perceived inferiority. Within the New Testament it serves as a diagnostic term, uncovering the gap between human condition and divine fullness.

Old Testament Background

Though the precise Greek term does not appear in the Hebrew Scriptures, the Septuagint often renders Hebrew ideas of lack or want (for example, Proverbs 13:25; Habakkuk 2:7) with cognate words. This establishes a canonical backdrop in which covenant blessing equates to sufficiency, while covenant infidelity breeds lack.

New Testament Usage

1. Personal Need
• John 2:3 records the first sign in Cana: “When the wine ran out”. Material lack provides the stage upon which Christ manifests glory, turning deficiency into abundance.
• Luke 22:35 recalls Jesus’ question to the disciples, “‘When I sent you without purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?’ ‘Nothing,’ they answered.” Their experience of provision in mission contrasts with ordinary insecurity.

2. Discipleship Diagnosis
• Mark 10:21 and Matthew 19:20: to the rich young ruler, “One thing you lack.” Prosperity can mask a spiritual void that only surrender can fill.
• Philippians 4:12: Paul knows “how to live in need and how to abound,” illustrating contentment independent of circumstance.

3. Ecclesial Balance
• 1 Corinthians 12:24 speaks of less honored members of Christ’s body as “the parts that lacked,” yet God blends the body so that the deficient receive greater honor. The term grounds mutual care and unity.
• 2 Corinthians 11:9 links the apostle’s material lack with Macedonian generosity, modeling partnership in Gospel ministry.

4. Soteriological Weight
• Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Universal moral shortfall underscores the necessity of justification by grace.
• Hebrews 4:1 warns that hearers may “be deemed to have fallen short” of entering God’s rest; Hebrews 12:15 adds the peril of “falling short of the grace of God.” Lack here is eschatological, urging persevering faith.

5. Eschatological Sufficiency
• 1 Corinthians 1:7 assures believers they “do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Present equipping counters any fear of inadequacy until consummation.

Theological Threads

• Universality of Need: Whether physical, relational, or moral, lack is common to humanity.
• Divine Provision: God’s response ranges from miraculous supply (John 2) to communal generosity (2 Corinthians 11) to redemptive grace (Romans 3).
• Accountability and Perseverance: Warnings in Hebrews reveal that professing believers must guard against drifting into deficiency regarding faith and obedience.
• Complementarity in the Church: No member is self-sufficient; apparent deficits invite the ministry of others, preserving unity and displaying God’s varied grace.

Pastoral and Homiletical Reflection

Ὑστερέω exposes idols of self-reliance. By acknowledging lack, believers are driven to Christ, who alone is “full of grace and truth.” Preaching on these texts encourages:

• Honest confession of personal and corporate shortfalls.
• Confidence in God’s ability to transform insufficiency into testimony.
• Compassionate ministry that supplies what others lack, fulfilling the law of love.

In the narrative arc of Scripture, human lack becomes the canvas upon which God paints redemption. Where ὑστερέω surfaces, grace is poised to abound.

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