'Little' in the Bible

Better is a little with the [reverent, worshipful] fear of the LordThan great treasure and trouble with it.

Better is a little with righteousnessThan great income [gained] with injustice.

“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],”

There are four things that are small on the earth,But they are exceedingly wise:

The sleep of a working man is sweet, whether he eats little or much; but the full stomach (greed) of the rich [who hungers for even more] will not let him sleep.

There was a little city with few men in it and a great king came against it and besieged it and built great battlements against it.

Dead flies make the oil of the perfumer give off a foul odor; so a little foolishness [in one who is esteemed] outweighs wisdom and honor.

Furthermore, they are afraid of a high place and of dangers on the road; the almond tree (hair) blossoms [white], and the grasshopper (a little thing) is a burden, and the caperberry (desire, appetite) fails. For man goes to his eternal home and the mourners go about the streets and market places.

“I am the rose [of the plain] of Sharon,The lily of the valleys [that grows in deep places].”

(The Chorus)“Catch the foxes for us,The little foxes that spoil and ruin the vineyards [of love],While our vineyards are in blossom.”

“Scarcely had I passed themWhen I found him whom my soul loves.I held on to him and would not let him goUntil I had brought him to my mother’s house,And into the chamber of her who conceived me.”

(The Chorus)“Return, return, O Shulammite;Return, return, that we may gaze at you.”

(The Chorus)“We have a little sisterAnd she has no breasts.What shall we do for our sisterOn the day when she is spoken for [in marriage]?

For yet a very little while and My indignation [against you] will be fulfilled and My anger will be directed toward the destruction of the Assyrian.”

And the wolf will dwell with the lamb,And the leopard will lie down with the young goat,And the calf and the young lion and the fatted steer together;And a little child will lead them.

Come, my people, enter your chambersAnd shut your doors behind you;Hide for a little whileUntil the [Lord’s] wrath is past.

“For He says,‘Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,Here a little, there a little.’”

Therefore the word of the Lord to them will be [merely monotonous repetitions]:“Precept upon precept, precept upon precept,Rule upon rule, rule upon rule,Here a little, there a little.”That they may go and stumble backward, and be broken, ensnared, and taken captive.

Is it not yet a very little whileUntil Lebanon will be turned into a fertile field,And the fertile field regarded as a forest?

In little more than a yearYou will tremble [with anxiety], you unsuspecting and complacent women;For the vintage has ended,And the harvest will not come.

“Therefore their inhabitants had little power,They were terrorized and shamed;They were like the grass of the field and the green vegetation,Like grass on the housetops and like a field [of grain] scorched before it is grown.

In fact, the nations are like a drop from a bucket,And are regarded as a speck of dust on the scales;Now look, He lifts up the islands like fine dust.

“In an outburst of wrathI hid My face from you for a moment,But with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you,”Says the Lord your Redeemer.

Your holy people possessed Your sanctuary for [only] a little while;Our adversaries have trampled it down.

Because of the thoughtlessness of Israel’s prostitution [her immorality mattered little to her], she desecrated the land and committed adultery with [idols of] stones and trees.

“Their nobles have sent their servants for water;They have come to the cisterns and found no water.They have returned with empty vessels;They have been shamed and humiliated,And they cover their heads.

“Moab is destroyed;Her little ones have called out a cry of distress [to be heard as far as Zoar].

Therefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has devised against Edom, and [hear] what He has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: surely they will be dragged away, even the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their dwelling place desolate because of them.

Therefore hear the plan of the Lord which He has devised against Babylon, and hear what He has purposed against [the inhabitants of the land of] the Chaldeans: surely they will be dragged away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely He will make their habitation desolate because of them.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel:“The Daughter of Babylon is like a threshing floorAt the time it is being trampled and prepared;Yet in a little while the time of harvest will come for her.”

Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Though I had removed Israel far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary for them for a little while in the countries to which they had gone.”’

“Moreover, you took your sons and your daughters whom you had borne to Me, and you destroyed them as sacrifices [to your man-made gods]. Were your gross immoralities so small a matter?

Is it too little a thing for you that you [unrighteous ones who are well-fed] feed in the best pasture, yet you must trample down with your feet [of wickedness] the rest of your pastures? Or that you drink clear [still] water, yet you must muddy with your feet [of wickedness] the rest [of the water]?

While I was considering the horns, behold, there came up among them another horn, a little one, and three of the first horns were pulled up by the roots before it; and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth boasting of great things.

Now when they fall they will receive a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy.

And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet in a little while I will avenge the blood [that was shed in the Valley] of Jezreel and inflict the punishment for it on the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.

Yes, even though [with presents] they hire allies among the nations,Now I will gather them up;And [in a little while] they will begin to grow weak and diminishBecause of the burden imposed by the king of princes [the king of Assyria].

For behold, the Lord is going to command that the great house be smashed to pieces and the small house to fragments.

Then I said,“O Lord God, please stop!How can Jacob stand,For he is so small [that he cannot endure this]?”

“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Too little to be among the clans of Judah;From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel,His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago,From ancient days.”

You have planted much, but you harvest little; you eat, but you do not have enough; you drink, but you do not have enough to be intoxicated; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm enough; and he who earns wages earns them just to put them in a bag with holes in it [because God has withheld His blessing].”

You look for much [harvest], but it comes to little; and even when you bring that home, I blow it away. Why?” says the Lord of hosts. “Because of My house, which lies in ruins while each of you runs to his own house [eager to enjoy it].

For thus says the Lord of hosts, ‘Once more, in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land.

But I am very angry with the nations who are at ease and feel secure; for while I was only a little angry, they furthered the disaster [against the people of Israel].”

“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd,And against the Man, My Associate,”Declares the Lord of hosts.“Strike the Shepherd so that the sheep [of the flock] may be scattered;And I will turn My hand and stretch it out against the little ones [of the flock].

In that day there will be written on the little bells on the horses, “HOLY TO The Lord.” And the cooking pots in the Lord’s house will be [holy to the Lord] like the bowls before the altar.

For I assure you and most solemnly say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke [of the pen] will pass from the Law until all things [which it foreshadows] are accomplished.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive and green today and tomorrow is [cut and] thrown [as fuel] into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith!

He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness].

Are not two little sparrows sold for a copper coin? And yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.

And whoever gives to one of these little ones [these who are humble in rank or influence] even a cup of cold water to drink because he is my disciple, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.”

“But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like little children sitting in the market places, who call to the others,

yet he has no [substantial] root in himself, but is only temporary, and when pressure or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he stumbles and falls away [abandoning the One who is the source of salvation].

His head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother [Herodias].

Immediately Jesus extended His hand and caught him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

And He replied, “It is not good (appropriate, fair) to take the children’s bread and throw it to the pet dogs.”

She said, “Yes, Lord; but even the pet dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their [young] masters’ table.”

But Jesus, aware of this, said, “You men of little faith, why are you discussing among yourselves that you have no bread?

He called a little child and set him before them,

and said, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless you repent [that is, change your inner self—your old way of thinking, live changed lives] and become like children [trusting, humble, and forgiving], you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Whoever receives and welcomes one child like this in My name receives Me;

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble and sin [by leading him away from My teaching], it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

“See that you do not despise or think less of one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven [are in the presence of and] continually look upon the face of My Father who is in heaven.

So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones be lost.

Then children were brought to Jesus so that He might place His hands on them [for a blessing] and pray; but the disciples reprimanded them.

But He said, “Leave the children alone, and do not forbid them from coming to Me; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful and trustworthy over a little, I will put you in charge of many things; share in the joy of your master.’

And after going a little farther, He fell face down and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible [that is, consistent with Your will], let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you are one of them too; for even your [Galilean] accent gives you away.”

When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was gripped with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,

Going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, who were also in the boat mending and cleaning the nets.

And He told His disciples to have a small boat stand ready for Him because of the many people, so that they would not crowd Him;

and they have no real root in themselves, so they endure only for a little while; then, when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately they [are offended and displeased at being associated with Me and] stumble and fall away.

and begged anxiously with Him, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; [please] come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will be healed and live.”

When He had gone in, He said to them, “Why make a commotion and weep? The child has not died, but is sleeping.”

They began laughing [scornfully] at Him [because they knew the child was dead]. But He made them all go outside, and took along the child’s father and mother and His own [three] companions, and entered the room where the child was.

Taking the child’s hand, He said [tenderly] to her, “Talitha kum!”—which translated [from Aramaic] means, “Little girl, I say to you, get up!”

Instead, after hearing about Him, a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit immediately came and fell at His feet.

Now the woman was a Gentile (Greek), a Syrophoenician by nationality. And she kept pleading with Him to drive the demon out of her daughter.

He was saying to her, “First let the children [of Israel] be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the pet dogs (non-Jews).”

But she replied, “Yes, Lord, but even the pet dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he answered, “Since childhood.

Taking a child, He set him before them; and taking him in His arms, He said to them,

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe and trust in Me to stumble [that is, to sin or lose faith], it would be better for him if a heavy millstone [one requiring a donkey’s strength to turn it] were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.

I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whoever does not receive and welcome the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

After going a little farther, He fell to the ground [distressed by the weight of His spiritual burden] and began to pray that if it were possible [in the Father’s will], the hour [of suffering and death for the sins of mankind] might pass from Him.

All who heard these things kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this little boy turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him [to bring about his birth].

“And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;For you will go on before the Lord (the Messiah) to prepare His ways;

The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel [as John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah].

Prompted by the Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him the custom required by the Law,

He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little distance from the shore. And He sat down and began teaching the crowds from the boat.

They are like children sitting in the market place and calling to one another, and saying, ‘We played the flute for you [pretending to be at a wedding], and you did not dance; we sang a dirge [pretending to be at a funeral], and you did not weep [so nothing we did appealed to you].’

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

But Jesus, knowing what they were thinking in their heart, took a child and had him stand beside Him,

“But woe (judgment is coming) to you Pharisees, because you [self-righteously] tithe mint and rue and every [little] garden herb [tending to all the minutiae], and yet disregard and neglect justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done, without neglecting the others.

So if you are not even able to do a very little thing [such as that], why are you worried about the rest?

But if this is how God clothes the grass which is in the field today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You of little faith!

Do not be afraid and anxious, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.