In the wilderness, each Israelite gathered manna according to need — "he who gathered little (maat) had no lack" (Exodus 16:18). This divine economy rebukes hoarding and trust in abundance. Jesus echoes this in the feeding of the multitudes. Theologically, maat underscores that God works through the small and the few — Gideon's reduced army, the mustard seed, the widow's mite.
Maat means to be or become few, small, or diminished. It describes reduction in number, the gathering of small quantities (as with manna, Exodus 16:17), and the humbling of pride. Antonymically paired with rabbah (be many/great).