Psalm 6/Notes/Lexical.v. 11.345679

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  • The noun moment (רָֽגַע) describes "a very short length of time" (SDBH). Most English translations render it as "suddenly" (KJV, NIV, NLT, CSB, NET; cf. NJPS: "in an instant," ESV: "in a moment"). The Septuagint uses a phrase (διὰ τάχους) that "expresses not the unexpectedness but the speed of the enemies’ demise" (Pietersma). This is an appropriate translation, because, poetically, v. 11b corresponds to v. 4b, and the phrase "in a moment" (רָֽגַע, v. 11b) answers the question "how long?" (v. 4b).