Little
Little
“little, small” (the opposite of megas, “great”), is used (a) of persons, with regard to (1) station, or age, in the singular, Mar 15:40, of James “the less” (RV marg., “little”), possibly referring to age; Luk 19:3; in the plural, “little” ones, Mat 18:6, Mat 18:10, Mat 18:14; Mar 9:42; (2) rank or influence, e.g., Mat 10:42 (see context); Act 8:10; Act 26:22, “small,” as in Rev 11:18; Rev 13:16; Rev 19:5, Rev 19:18; Rev 20:12; (b) of things, with regard to (1) size, e.g., Jam 3:5 (some mss. have No. 2 here); (2) quantity, Luk 12:32; 1Co 5:6; Gal 5:9; Rev 3:8; (3) time, Joh 7:33; Joh 12:35; Rev 6:11; Rev 20:3. See B, No. 1. See LEAST, SMALL.
“little, few” (the opposite of polus, “much”), is translated “short” in Rev 12:12; in the neut. sing., e.g., 2Co 8:15. For Jam 3:5, see No. 1. See FEW, SHORT, SMALL.
“short,” is used to some extent adverbially of (a) time, with the preposition meta, “after,” Luk 22:58, “(after) a little while;” in Act 5:34, without a preposition, RV, “a little while” (AV, “a little space”); in Heb 2:7, Heb 2:9, “a little” (AV marg. in Heb 2:7, and RV marg., in both, “a little while”), where the writer transfers to time what the Sept. in Psa 8:5 says of rank; (b) of quantity, Joh 6:7; in Heb 13:22, preceded by the preposition dia, “by means of,” and with logon, “words” (genitive plural) understood, “(in) few words;” (c) of distance, Act 27:28, RV, “a little space” (AV, “a little further”). See FEW, FURTHER, SPACE.
which serves as the superlative of No. 1, is translated “a very little” in Luk 19:17. See LEAST.
Note: For mikroteros, “but little,” see LEAST, No. 4.
the neuter of A, No. 1, is used adverbially (a) of distance, Mat 26:39; Mar 14:35; (b) of quantity, 2Co 11:1, 2Co 11:16; (c) of time, Mat 26:73, “a while;” Mar 14:70; Joh 13:33, “a little while;” Joh 14:19; Joh 16:16-19; Heb 10:37, with the repeated hoson, “how very,” lit., “a little while, how little, how little!” See WHILE.
the neuter of A, No. 2, is used adverbially of (a) time, Mar 6:31, “a while;” 1Pe 1:6, RV, “a little while” (AV, “a season”); 1Pe 5:10, RV, “a little while” (AV, “a while”); Rev 17:10, RV, “a little while” (AV, “a short space”); (b) space, Mar 1:19; Luk 5:3; (c) extent, with the preposition pros, “for,” in 1Ti 4:8, RV, “(for) a little” (AV, and RV marg., “little”), where, while the phrase might refer to duration (as AV marg.), yet the antithesis “for all things” clearly indicates extent, i.e., “physical training is profitable towards few objects in life.” See BRIEFLY, FEW, SEASON, C, Note.
moderately, occurs in Act 20:12, “a little.”