Quick Definition
ὑστερέω v. I am lacking, fall short, suffer need
Strong's Definition
from 5306; to be later, i.e. (by implication) to be inferior; generally, to fall short (be deficient)
KJV Usage: come behind (short), be destitute, fail, lack, suffer need, (be in) want, be the worse
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
verb | ἀφυστερέω · ὑστέρημα · ὑστέρησις · ὕστερον · ὕστερος
57.37 · Possess, Transfer, Exchange · Need, Lack
to lack, to be in need of, to be in want to be lacking in what is essential or needed
LUK 15:14 · LUK 22:35 · JHN 2:3 · 1CO 1:7 · 2CO 11:9 · PHP 4:12 · HEB 11:37
65.51 · Value · Advantageous, Not Advantageous
to lack benefits, to lack an advantage to be lacking in any special benefit or advantage
87.65 · Status · Low Status or Rank [including persons of low status]
to be inferior, to lack honor to be in a state of low status
1 As will be readily noted, the terms ὑστερέω[a] (57.37), ὑστέρησις (57.37), and ὑστέρημα[a] (57.38) occur in contexts implying various degrees of lack, so that in certain contexts one may appropriately translate these terms as in dire need, to be poor, or even to be poverty stricken, but there seems to be no semantically justifiable means by which one may clearly distinguish degrees of lack.
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ὑστερέω, -@; 1 aor. ὑστέρησα; pf. ὑστέρηκα; Pass., pres. ὑστεροῦμαι; 1 aor. ptep. ὑστερηθείς; (ὕστερος); 1. Act. to be ὕστερος i. 6. behind ; i. 6. a. to come late or too tardily (so in prof. auth. fr. Hdt. down): Heb. iv. 1; to be left behind in the race and so fail to reach the goal, to fall short of the end; with ἀπό and the gen. indicating the end, metaph. fail to become a partaker : ἀπὸ τῆς χάριτος, Heb. xii. 15 [al. render here fall back (i.e. away) from; cf. W.§ 30,6 b.; B. 322 (276) sq. ef. § 132, 5] (Eccl. vi. 2). b. to be inferior, in power, influence, rank, 1 Co. xii. 24 (where LT Tr WH pass. toreρουμένῳ) ; in virtue, τί ἔτι ὑστερῶ ; in what am I still deficient [ A.V. what lack I yet (cf. B. § 131, 10)], Mt. xix. 20 (Sir. li. 24; ἵνα γνῶ τί ὑστερῶ ἐγώ, Ps. xxxviii. (xxxix.) 5; μηδ᾽ ἐν ἄλλῳ μηδενὶ μέρει ἀρετῆς ὑστεροῦντας, Plat. de rep. 6 p.484d.); μηδέν or οὐδέν foll. by a gen. (depending on the idea of comparison contained in the verb [B. § 132, 22]) of the person, to be inferior to [A.V. to be behind] another in nothing, 2 Co. xi. 5; xii. 11. Ὁ: to fail, be wanting, (Diose. 5, 86): Jn. ii. 3 [not Tdf.] ; ἕν co [T WH Trire. ce (cf. B. ἃ. s.)] ὑστερεῖ, Mk. x. 21. d. to be in want of, lack: with a gen. of the thing [W. § 30, 6], Lk. xxii. 35 (Joseph. antt.2,2,1). 2. Pass. to suffer want [W. 260 (244)]: Lk. xv. 14; 2 Co. xi. 9 (8); Heb. xi. 37, (Sir. xi. 11) ; opp. to περισσεύειν, to abound, Phil. iv. 12; τινός, to be devoid [R. V. fall short] of, Ro. iii. 28 (Diod. 18, 71; Joseph. antt. 15, 6, 7); ἔν τινι, to suffer want in any respect, 1 Co. i. 7, opp. to πλουτίζεσθαι ἔν τινι, ibid. 5; to lack (be inferior) in excellence, worth, opp. to περισσεύειν, [ A. V. lo be the worse ... the better], 1 Co. viii. 8. [Comp.: adp-votepéw.]
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ὑστερέω hystereō 16x
to be behind in place or time, to be in the rear; to fall short of, be inferior to, 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:11; to fail of, fail to attain, Heb. 4:1; to be in want of, lack, Lk. 22:35; to be wanting, Mk. 10:21; absol. to be defective, in default, Mt. 19:20; 1 Cor. 12:24; to run short, Jn. 2:3; mid. to come short of a privilege or standard, to miss, Rom. 3:23; absol. to come short, be below standard, 1 Cor. 1:7; to come short of sufficiency, to be in need, want, Lk. 15:14; 2 Cor. 11:9; Phil. 4:12; Heb. 11:37; to be a loser, suffer detriment, 1 Cor. 8:8; in NT ὑστερεῖν ἀπό, to be backwards with respect to, to slight, Heb. 12:15*
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ὑστερέω, -ῶ
(< ὕστερος), [in LXX for חָסֵר, חָדַל etc. ;]
to come late, be behind (opp. to προτερέω, φθάνω; c. gen. rei, for; c. gen. pers., later than).
Metaph.,
of persons,
absol., to come short, fail: He 4:1; seq. ἀπό, 12:15.;
c. gen. pers., to come short of, be inferior to: II Co 11:5; οὐδέν (in nothing, in no respect), ib. 12:11;
with reference to things, to come short (of), be in want (of): c. acc rei, Mt 19:20 (Si 51:24); c. gen. rei, Lk 22:35; so mid. (Diod., FlJ), Ro 3:23; absol., to be in want, suffer want, Lk 15:14, I Co 8:8, II Co 11:8, He 11:37 (Si 11:11); opp. to περισσεύειν, Phl 4:12; seq. ἐν, I Co 1:7.
Of things,
to fail, be lacking: Jo 2:3; c. acc pers. (v. Swete, in l.; Mozley, Ps., 42), Mk 10:21;
to be inferior: mid., I Co 12:24 (cf. ἀφ-υστερέω).†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ὑστερέω, (1) ‘come late,” ““διὴ late” (Heb 41), cf. P Oxy L 118 verso®® (late iii/A.D.) οὐδὲν yap ὄφελος ὑστερησάντων τῶν χρειωδῶν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ, ‘‘it is no use if a person comes too late for what required his presence” (Edd.); (2) ‘‘come short,” (a) c. acc.: P Hib I. 437 (B.c. 261) ἵνα οὖν μηθὲν ὑστερῆ: τὰ ἐ[λ]αιουργῖα φρόντισον, “take care then that the oil-presses do not fall short” (Edd.), 16. 6555 (c. B.C. 265) ἵνα μη[θὲ]ν [εἰς ἐϊμὲ ὑφστερήσηι, “in order that there may be no arrears against me” (Edd.), P Oxy X. 129324 (A.D. 117-38) ἐπειδὴ ὑστερῶ τέταρτα δύο, ‘since I want two quarters (?),” and BGU IV. 1074" (A.D. 275) as μήτε ὑστερεῖν τι ὑμῖν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων δικαίων : (6) c. gen. : VOTEPOV P Cairo Zen II. 59270° (B.c. 251) ξύλων ἀκαγθίνων οὐχ ὑστεροῦσι, 70. 111. 593119 (B.C. 250) ἐπιμελὲ[ 5] ποιησάμενος ἵνα μὴ ὑστερήσηι τοῦ ᾿Ηρᾳκλεοδώρου τὸ μέλ[ι, P Oxy XIV. τ6785 (illiterate—iii/A.D.) ἡ [ὑστ]ερείσι (/. εἰ ὑστερήσει) τῆς πρωτοκερείας, μετὰ {v} ταῦτα εἴδη ἄλλην ἐλπείδαν οὐκ ἔχομεν, “if it misses the early season we have no other hope after this produce” (Edd.). See also PSI IV. 432° (ili/B.c.) ἵνα μὴ ὑστερῶμεν τοῖς καιροῖς, “that we may not miss the season,” with reference to certain seed-sowing operations, and P Cairo Zen III. 59307%% (B.c. 250) ὅπως ὃ κλῆρος ποτίζηται καὶ μὴ ὑστερῶμεν. MGr ὑστερῶ, “1 deprive.
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
ὑστερέω (hustereō) — to lack. ὑστερ-έω, future -ήσω[LXX]aorist ὑστέρησα (frequently with variant{ὑστέρισα}) [Refs 5th c.BC+]: perfect ὑστέρηκα [NT+1st c.BC+]: pluperfect ὑστερήκειν [Refs 5th c.BC+]:—passive, aorist ὑστερήθην [NT+1st c.AD+]: (ὕστερος):—to be behind or later, come late, opposed to προτερέω or φθάνω, ὑστέρησαν οἱ ἄγοντες [Refs 5th c.BC+]: simply, occur later, of thunder after lightning, [Refs 4th c.BC+]
II. with genitive of things, come later than, come too late for, ὑστέρησαν (variant{ὑστέρισαν}) ἡμέρῃ μιῇ τῆς συγκειμένης came one day after the appointed day, [Refs 5th c.BC+] came too late for the battle by five days, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ἐπειδὴ τῆς Μυτιλήνης ὑστερήκει had come too late to save M., [Refs 5th c.BC+]; ὑ. τῆς πατρίδος fail to assist it, [Refs 5th c.BC+]; τῶν λέμβων ὑ. miss them, [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ταύτης [τῆς ὥρας] [Refs 1st c.BC+]
II.2. with genitive person, come after him, ὑ. εἰς Ἁλίαρτον τοῦ Λυσάνδρου [Refs 5th c.BC+]: also with dative, come too late for him, [Refs 5th c.BC+]
II.3. ὑ. ἔς τι [Refs 5th c.BC+]
III. metaphorically, lag behind, be inferior to, τῶν.. ἀποστόλων [NT+5th c.BC+]; μηδ᾽ ἐν ἄλλῳ μηδενὶ μέρει ἀρετῆς ὑ.[LXX]
III.2. fall below, fail to do justice to a theme, ὑστερήσας οὐδὲν τῆς τέχνης [Refs 2nd c.AD+]
IV. fail to obtain, lack, τἀγαθοῦ [Refs 4th c.BC+]; ξύλων ἀκανθίνων οὐχ ὑστεροῦσι, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ ἔχουσιν ἱκανά [Refs 3rd c.BC+] —middle (with aorist passive), ὑστερεῖσθαί τινος [NT+1st c.BC+]; ὑστερηθεὶς τῆς ὁράσεως having lost his sight, [Refs 6th c.AD+]; δάνιον δανιεῖς αὐτῷ ὅσον ἂν ἐπιδέηται καὶ καθ᾽ ὅσον ὑστερεῖται [LXX]; in future middle, παιδὸς ὑστερήσομαι (ἐστερήσομαι corr. Reiske) [Refs 5th c.BC+]
IV.2. absolutely, fail, come to grief, [Refs 1st c.BC+]; fall short of supplies, ἵνα μηθὲν ὑστερῇ τὰ ἐλαιούργια [Refs 3rd c.BC+]:—middle, to be in want, [NT]; perfect participle ὑστερημένοι those who have failed, [Refs 1st c.BC+]
V. of things, fail, be wanting, [NT+1st c.AD+]; ἕν σε (variant σοι) ὑστερεῖ [NT+3rd c.AD+]