Psalm 2/Notes/Phrasal.v. 12.93951

The adverbial phrase כִּמְעַט is translated variously as "but a little" (KJV; cf. NJPS: "in the mere flash of his anger;" so DCH : "and you die along the way when his anger hardly blazes, i.e. at the very onset of his anger"), "easily" (cf. ELB, ZÜR [leicht]; so Jenni 1994, #94; SDBH), "quickly" (ESV, NRSV, GNT, NET, HFA, NGÜ, GNB, LXX trans. NETS [ἐν τάχει]; cf. NIV, NLT), "soon" (NASB; cf. CSB, LUT; cf. Rashi: כי ברגע מועט יבער אפוב עליכם פתאום). Thus we have the following three options (the second and third of the above translations resulting in the same meaning):

• "when his wrath has only just been ignited" ( = his anger is extremely powerful)
• "for/when his anger quickly/easily ignites" (= it does not take much for him to get angry, so tread lightly!)
• "for his anger will soon ignite" (= the time of his wrath is immanent, so hurry and submit to him!)

The second of these options ("quickly/easily") seems the most likely, given the context and the use of the phrase elsewhere (e.g., Ps 81:15—"How quickly I would then subdue their enemies!" [NIV, cf. NLT]; Job 32:22—"otherwise, my Maker would remove me in an instant." In spoken English, we might paraphrase: "'cause his anger ignites like that (snap fingers)." The clause is explaining why it is that they will perish in the way if they refuse to submit to the son; it is because his anger ignites quickly/easily. The clause is reminiscent of YHWHs' warning to Moses in Exod 33:3—"But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way (פֶּן אֲכֶלְךָ בַּדָּרֶךְ)" (Exod 33:3).