4704. mitstseirah
Lexical Summary
mitstseirah: Smallness, insignificance

Original Word: מִצְּעִירָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mitsts`iyrah
Pronunciation: mits-tseh-rah
Phonetic Spelling: (mits-tseh-ee-raw')
KJV: little
Word Origin: [feminine of H4705 (מִצעָר - small)]

1. (properly) littleness
2. (concretely) diminutive

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
little

Feminine of mits'ar; properly, littleness; concretely, diminutive -- little.

see HEBREW mits'ar

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
see tsair.

Topical Lexicon
Canonical Context

Daniel 8 records the vision of the ram and the goat, culminating in the appearance of “a little horn” (Daniel 8:9). The Hebrew phrase מִצְּעִירָה highlights the horn’s insignificant origin—“from littleness” it rises. The term frames the entire development of the horn: beginning obscure, ending formidable. Within the Book of Daniel, horns symbolize rulers or powers (Daniel 7:24; Daniel 8:20-22), so the modifier underscores the improbable ascent of a seemingly inconsequential force.

Prophetic Significance

1. Progressive Expansion. The verse continues, “From one of these horns a little horn emerged and grew extensively toward the south and the east and toward the Beautiful Land” (Daniel 8:9). The movement “south… east… Beautiful Land” sketches its geographical ambition, hinting at dominion over Egypt, Persia, and Judah.
2. Contrast with Preceding Horns. Earlier horns break off, while this one grows. The text presents a pattern: empires wane, yet a fresh menace arises. מִצְּעִירָה serves as a literary hinge—transitioning from fragmentation to concentrated hostility.
3. Moral Irony. Scripture often pairs small beginnings with divine favor (Zechariah 4:10; Matthew 13:31-32). Here, smallness characterizes an enemy, emphasizing that evil too can incubate quietly before bursting forth. The nuance warns that size at inception is never a reliable measure of eventual impact.

Historical Fulfillment

Most conservative interpreters identify the “little horn” with Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.). Rising out of the fractured Seleucid Empire (“from littleness”), he marched southward toward Egypt, turned east toward Persia, and ultimately assaulted the “Beautiful Land,” desecrating the temple, halting sacrifices, and erecting an idol (Daniel 8:11-12). His meteoric rise from relative obscurity to oppressive ruler matches the imagery of growth from smallness.

Typological and Eschatological Dimensions

While Antiochus represents the immediate horizon, Daniel 8 foreshadows a final antagonist. Daniel 8:17 alerts the prophet, “the vision concerns the time of the end.” Thus מִצְּעִירָה prepares the reader for dual layers of fulfillment:
• Type—Antiochus as historical oppressor.
• Antitype—a yet-future ruler (“the man of lawlessness,” 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) who likewise begins unassuming, then persecutes the saints (Revelation 13:5-7).

The word’s stress on humble origin aligns with New Testament portraits of the last adversary who will “emerge” after a restraining influence is removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8).

Theological Themes

1. Divine Sovereignty. Daniel 8:24 clarifies that the little horn’s power is “not by his own,” reminding believers that even malevolent forces operate under God’s permissive will.
2. Cosmic Conflict. The horn “throws truth to the ground” (Daniel 8:12), illustrating the perennial clash between deception and revelation.
3. Limitation of Evil. The horn’s reign is time-bound: “for 2,300 evenings and mornings” (Daniel 8:14). מִצְּעִירָה accents its finite origin; the vision’s timetable guarantees its finite end.

Application to Ministry

• Watchfulness. Small compromises or emerging ideologies can escalate into large-scale opposition. Leaders must discern early stirrings.
• Encouragement under Persecution. The passage assures suffering believers that persecutors, however expansive, originate “from littleness” and remain under heaven’s countdown.
• Teaching Prophetic Balance. Expositors should present both the historic fulfillment in Antiochus and the future consummation in the Antichrist, maintaining confidence in Scripture’s unity.

Related Biblical Motifs

• “Little” turned “great” appears in parables (Mark 4:31-32) and judgments (Habakkuk 1:5).
• Horn imagery recurs in salvation contexts (Luke 1:69) and judgment contexts (Revelation 17:12), reinforcing God’s pattern of raising and razing powers by sovereign decree.

Meditative Reflection for Believers

The single appearance of מִצְּעִירָה in Daniel 8:9 portrays more than a lexical curiosity; it is a theological lens. God reveals how swiftly arrogant power can sprout, but also how surely it will wither when its purpose in His plan is complete. For the church, the message is clear: remain steadfast, for every “little horn” is little indeed before the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:9-10).

Forms and Transliterations
מִצְּעִירָ֑ה מצעירה miṣ·ṣə·‘î·rāh miṣṣə‘îrāh mitztzeiRah
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Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 8:9
HEB: קֶֽרֶן־ אַחַ֖ת מִצְּעִירָ֑ה וַתִּגְדַּל־ יֶ֛תֶר
KJV: of them came forth a little horn,
INT: horn of one A little grew exceedingly

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4704
1 Occurrence


miṣ·ṣə·‘î·rāh — 1 Occ.

4703
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