Original Word: מַחְסוֹר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: machcowr
Pronunciation: makh-sore'
Phonetic Spelling: (makh-sore')
KJV: lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want
NASB: want, poverty, lack, need, needs, poor
Word Origin: [from H2637 (חָסֵר - lacking)]

1. deficiency
2. (hence) impoverishment

lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want

Or machcor {makh-sore'}; from chacer; deficiency; hence, impoverishment -- lack, need, penury, poor, poverty, want.

see HEBREW chacer

Word Origin
from chaser
Definition
a need, thing needed, poverty
NASB Translation
lack (2), need (2), needs (1), poor (1), poverty (3), want (4).

מַחְסוֺר, מַחְסֹר noun [masculine] need, thing needed, poverty; — ׳מ absolute Proverbs 11:24 6t.; construct Judges 18:10; Judges 19:19; suffix מַחְסוֺרְךָ Judges 19:20; מַחְסרְךָ Proverbs 6:11; מַחְסֹרוֺ Deuteronomy 15:8; plural suffix מַחְסֹרֶיךָ Proverbs 24:34; —

1 need = thing needed דֵּי מַחְסֹרוֺ Deuteronomy 15:8 enough for his need (followed by אשׁר יֶחְסַר לוֺ, compare חָסֵר verb); עָלָ֑י ׳כָּלמֿ Judges 19:20 all thy need be upon me (for me to provide).

2 lack, want כָּלדָּֿבָר ׳אֵין מ Judges 18:10 no lack of anything, Judges 19:19; Psalm 34:10.

3 in General, need, poverty Proverbs 6:11 ("" רֵאשׁ) = Proverbs 24:34 ("" רֵישׁ), Proverbs 11:24; Proverbs 14:23; Proverbs 21:5; Proverbs 22:16; Proverbs 28:27; ׳אִישׁ מ Proverbs 21:17 a man of poverty.

חַף see II. חפף.

Overview of מַחְסוֹר in Scripture

The term designates material want, need, or poverty and appears thirteen times, spanning Torah, Historical Books, Psalms, and Proverbs. In every context it highlights either (1) the covenant duty to relieve shortage or (2) the moral factors that produce or avert it.

Covenantal Responsibility and Communal Provision

Deuteronomy 15:8 lies at the heart of Israel’s social ethic: “but you are to open your hand to him and freely loan him whatever he needs”. Within the Sabbatical-year legislation, מַחְסוֹר defines the economic gap God’s people must actively close. The same principle governs hospitality in the tribal period. In Judges 19:19–20 the Levite assures his host, “There is no lack of anything,” revealing how provision for travelers was a measure of covenant faithfulness. Conversely, Judges 18:10 uses the term in scouting Laish, a land seemingly without shortage, showing Israel’s awareness of abundance as divine blessing.

Wisdom Literature: Diligence versus Laziness

Proverbs links מַחְסוֹר repeatedly to sloth.
• Proverbs 6:11 warns that “poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”
• Proverbs 24:34 repeats the image, illustrating an unchanging moral principle: neglect invites scarcity.
• Proverbs 21:5 contrasts “the plans of the diligent” that lead to plenty with “haste” that ends in want, while Proverbs 14:23 states, “All hard work brings profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

These passages teach that industrious stewardship aligns with God’s design and that irresponsibility courts need.

Generosity, Greed, and Social Justice

Proverbs 11:24 observes, “One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.” Proverbs 22:16 and 28:27 add the social dimension: oppressing the poor or ignoring them invites divine reversal—explaining why greed, though seemingly profitable, ends in מַחְסוֹר. Psalm 34:9 encapsulates the promise: “Fear the LORD, you His saints, for those who fear Him lack nothing.” Reverent generosity is the antidote to scarcity.

Historical Background

Agrarian Israel depended on seasonal rains, family landholdings, and community solidarity. Sabbath-year debt release, gleaning rights, and hospitality laws formed a safety net against permanent deprivation. מַחְסוֹר thus functioned not merely as a personal misfortune but as a communal alarm bell, signaling that covenant mechanisms required activation.

Spiritual Dimension of Lack

Beyond economics, Scripture uses מַחְסוֹר to expose deeper needs. Physical want often mirrors spiritual deficiency—absence of wisdom, reverence, or justice. Conversely, trusting the LORD redirects hope from possessions to divine sufficiency, prefiguring teachings such as Matthew 6:33 and Philippians 4:19.

Ministry Application

1. Relief: Churches mirror Deuteronomy 15:8 by open-handed aid, resisting both paternalism and indifference.
2. Discipleship: Proverbs demands instruction in diligence, budgeting, and contentment alongside charitable support.
3. Advocacy: Proverbs 22:16 legitimizes confronting systems that enrich the powerful at the poor’s expense.
4. Worship: Testimony to God’s provision (Psalm 34:9) fuels gratitude and counters fear of scarcity.

Theological Significance

מַחְסוֹר reveals God’s character as Provider and Judge. He delights to satisfy legitimate need yet uses lack to discipline complacency and expose injustice. Ultimately, the term points to humanity’s deepest shortfall met fully in the Messiah, in whom “there is no lack.”

וּ֝מַחְסֹֽרְךָ֗ וּ֝מַחְסֹרֶ֗יךָ ומחסריך ומחסרך לְמַחְסֽוֹר׃ למחסור׃ מַ֝חְס֗וֹר מַ֭חְסוֹר מַחְס֑וֹר מַחְס֔וֹר מַחְס֖וֹר מַחְסֹר֔וֹ מַחְסוֹרְךָ֖ מחסור מחסורך מחסרו lə·maḥ·sō·wr lemachSor ləmaḥsōwr machSor machsorCha machsoRo maḥ·sō·rōw maḥ·sō·wr maḥ·sō·wr·ḵā maḥsōrōw maḥsōwr maḥsōwrḵā ū·maḥ·sō·re·ḵā ū·maḥ·sō·rə·ḵā umachsorecha umachsoReicha ūmaḥsōreḵā ūmaḥsōrəḵāInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts