6997. Qatan
Lexical Summary
Qatan: Small, little, insignificant, young

Original Word: קָטָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Qatan
Pronunciation: kah-TAHN
Phonetic Spelling: (kaw-tawn')
KJV: Hakkatan (including the article)
NASB: Hakkatan
Word Origin: [the same as H6996 (קָטָן קָטוֹן - Small)]

1. small
2. Katan, an Israelite

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Hakkatan including the article

The same as qatan; small; Katan, an Israelite -- Hakkatan (including the article).

see HEBREW qatan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from qaton
Definition
"the small," father of a postexilic Isr.
NASB Translation
Hakkatan (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
II. קָטָן proper name, masculine (the small); — ׳הַקּ, post-ex, name Ezra 8:12, Ακ(κ)ατά

Topical Lexicon
Canonical Placement and Form

Strong’s Hebrew 6997 קָטָן appears a single time, in Ezra 8:12, where the definite article turns the adjective “small” into the proper name “Hakkatan” (“the Small”). Textually, it is part of the genealogical list of families returning from Babylon with Ezra.

Historical Setting in Ezra 8

Ezra’s caravan (Ezra 8:1-14) catalogs family heads and numbers, highlighting the voluntary nature of the return and the variety of social standing among the exiles. “Johanan son of Hakkatan” (Ezra 8:12) reminds the reader that in God’s restoration plan even those deemed “small” or insignificant have a place. The single occurrence therefore serves as a narrative emblem of the broader restoration theme—God gathers all who are willing, regardless of former status.

‘Smallness’ as a Biblical Motif

1. Divine Choice of the Insignificant
Deuteronomy 7:7—Israel is chosen “not because you were more numerous… you were the fewest.”
1 Samuel 15:17—Saul is reminded, “Though you were once small in your own eyes…”
1 Corinthians 1:27—“God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.”

2. Encouragement to Despised Beginnings
Zechariah 4:10—“For who despises the day of small things?” The post-exilic audience, contemporaries of Ezra, is exhorted to value God’s work even in nascent form.

3. Kingdom Paradox
Matthew 13:31-32—The mustard seed, “the smallest of all seeds,” becomes a tree.
Luke 12:32—“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”

The name Hakkatan is therefore more than a genealogical footnote; it targets the theme that God advances His redemptive program through what appears modest.

Contribution to Second-Temple Identity

Within Ezra–Nehemiah, personal names often preach. “Hakkatan” complements names like “Shecaniah” (“Yahweh has dwelt”) and “Ebed” (“servant”), together proclaiming humility, divine presence, and service as hallmarks of the restored community. The exiles’ willingness to leave the comparative security of Babylon for a precarious Jerusalem underscores their faith. In ministry terms, today’s servants may find in Hakkatan a prototype of quiet faithfulness that nonetheless becomes instrumental in covenant renewal.

Intertextual Echoes with Haggai and Zechariah

Haggai calls the remnant to rebuild despite limited resources (Haggai 2:3-9). Zechariah speaks of small beginnings (Zechariah 4:10). Ezra’s list supplies the human actors who obeyed those prophetic calls. Thus קָטָן links lexically and theologically with the prophetic encouragements surrounding the temple’s reconstruction.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Valuing Every Believer: Congregational leaders should remember that membership rolls, like Ezra 8, are sacred accounts in which each “small” name matters.
• Encouraging New Works: Church plants or fledgling ministries often feel “Hakkatan.” Ezra 8:12 and Zechariah 4:10 combine to assure such efforts of divine endorsement.
• Cultivating Humility: Bearing the epithet “small” can be embraced as a virtue (Matthew 18:4—“whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest”).

Christological Perspective

Jesus Himself enters history in apparent smallness—born in an obscure Bethlehem stable (Micah 5:2; Luke 2:7) and raised in despised Nazareth (John 1:46). The solitary Old Testament instance of קָטָן thus foreshadows the Messiah’s pattern: greatness veiled in humility.

Summary

Though Strong’s 6997 occurs only once, it anchors a rich strand of biblical theology. “Hakkatan” stands as a living witness that God notices, names, and employs the least, weaving their obedience into His unfolding plan of redemption—from the return from exile to the consummation of the kingdom promised to the “little flock.”

Forms and Transliterations
הַקָּטָ֑ן הקטן hakkaTan haq·qā·ṭān haqqāṭān
Links
Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 8:12
HEB: יוֹחָנָ֖ן בֶּן־ הַקָּטָ֑ן וְעִמּ֕וֹ מֵאָ֥ה
NAS: the son of Hakkatan and 110
KJV: the son of Hakkatan, and with him an hundred
INT: Johanan the son of Hakkatan with an hundred

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 6997
1 Occurrence


haq·qā·ṭān — 1 Occ.

6996b
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