short
qa.tser describes limitation or brevity, including few days, reduced strength, and a quick-tempered disposition.
The attested uses describe something limited in extent or capacity: inhabitants are associated with reduced strength and vegetation imagery, while human days are few. In the Proverbs examples, the term occurs in descriptions of a person’s face or spirit in contexts of folly and anger.
Senses in use
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Limited capacity or duration · dominant
The masculine plural construct form occurs with inhabitants in 2 Kings 19:26 and Isaiah 37:27; Isaiah 37:27 has the APB rendering “short of hand” before their dismay and shame and the vegetation comparisons. The masculine singular construct form in Job 14:1 qualifies the description of a human life, where the APB renders that a person “has but a few days” and is full of trouble.
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Quickness associated with folly or anger · common
In Proverbs 14:17, the masculine singular construct form appears in the clause the APB renders “Short of face he makes folly,” followed by the hatred of a man of plots. In Proverbs 14:29, the same morphology occurs in contrast with being slow to anger; the APB renders the opposing description as “a hasty spirit” that exalts folly.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the term with varying contextual wording: “short of hand” in Isaiah 37:27, “a few days” in Job 14:1, and phrases involving “Short of face” and “a hasty spirit” in Proverbs. These renderings show the clauses’ presentation rather than fixed English equivalents.