Bible Dictionaries
Lack, Lacking

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

denotes (a) "that which is lacking," "deficiency, shortcoming" (akin to hustereo, "to be behind, in want"), 1 Corinthians 16:17; Philippians 2:30; Colossians 1:24 , RV, "that which is lacking" [AV, "that which is behind" (of the afflictions of Christ)], where the reference is not to the vicarious sufferings of Christ, but to those which He endured previously, and those which must be endured by His faithful servants; 1 Thessalonians 3:10 , where "that which is lacking" means that which Paul had not been able to impart to them, owing to the interruption of his spiritual instruction among them; (b) "need, want, poverty," Luke 21:4 , RV, "want" (AV, "penury"); 2 Corinthians 8:14 (twice) "want;" 2 Corinthians 9:12 , "wants" (AV, "want"); 2 Corinthians 11:9 , RV, "(the measure of my) want" [AV, "that which was lacking (to me)"]. See BEHIND , PENURY , WANT.

Note: In 1 Thessalonians 4:12 , AV, chreia, "need," is translated "lack" (RV, "need"). See NEED.

from endeo, "to lack," signifies "needy, in want," translated "that lacked" in Acts 4:34 .

akin to A, "to come or be behind," is used in the sense of "lacking" certain things, Matthew 19:20; Mark 10:21 ("one thing;" cp. No. 3 in Luke 18:22 ); Luke 22:35; in the sense of being inferior, 1 Corinthians 12:24 (Middle Voice). Elsewhere it is translated in various ways; see BEHIND , B, No. 1, COME, No. 39, DESTITUTE, FAIL, Note (2), NEED, WANT, WORSE.

"to be less" (from elatton, "less"), is translated "had no lack," 2 Corinthians 8:15 (quoted from the Sept. of Exodus 16:18 ), the circumstance of the gathering of the manna being applied to the equalizing nature of cause and effect in the matter of supplying the wants of the needy.

"to leave," denotes (a) transitively, in the Passive Voice, "to be left behind, to lack," James 1:4 , "ye may be lacking in (nothing)," RV (AV, "wanting"); James 1:5 , "lacketh" (AV, "lack"); James 2:15 , RV, "be ... in lack" (AV, "be ... destitute"); (b) intransitively, Active Voice, Luke 18:22 , "(one thing thou) lackest," is, lit., "(one thing) is lacking (to thee);" Titus 1:5 , "(the things) that were wanting;" Titus 3:13 , "(that nothing) be wanting." See DESTITUTE , WANTING.

Note: In 2 Peter 1:9 , "he that lacketh" translates a phrase the lit. rendering of which is "(he to whom these things) are not present" (paraeimi, "to be present").