Why is "rega`" translated "peace" in Job 21:13?

Question

Job 21:7-13 (ESV)

Why do the wicked live,
    reach old age, and grow mighty in power?
Their offspring are established in their presence,
    and their descendants before their eyes.
Their houses are safe from fear,
    and no rod of God is upon them.
Their bull breeds without fail;
    their cow calves and does not miscarry.
They send out their little boys like a flock,
    and their children dance.
They sing to the tambourine and the lyre
    and rejoice to the sound of the pipe.
They spend their days in prosperity,
    and in peace they go down to Sheol.

Reading the passage in English, I was curious why Job would say the wicked have shalom in Sheol. But the Hebrew word in the verse is actually rega` <07281> meaning "in a moment". From the root word, I would prefer to translate the line:

 and in a twinkling they go down to Sheol.

Is this a reasonable translation? Why do the NRSV, NLT, NIV, and others use the word "peace"?

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I'm particularly curious about the use of "peace" here since the Hebrew word shalom means, according to Cornelius Plantinga:

The webbing together of God, humans, and all creation in justice, fulfillment, and delight is what the Hebrew prophets call shalom. We call it peace but it means far more than mere peace of mind or a cease-fire between enemies. In the Bible, shalom means universal flourishing, wholeness and delight—a rich state of affairs in which natural needs are satisfied and natural gifts fruitfully employed, a state of affairs that inspires joyful wonder as its Creator and Savior opens doors and welcomes the creatures in whom he delights. Shalom, in other words, is the way things ought to be.—Not the Way It’s Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin

Accusing God of allowing the wicked to die quickly and easily doesn't seem out of Job's character, but to say that God delights in them or that they are in a state of wholeness seems a far more radical charge. And to me, that's what using the word "peace" signifies.

Answer 1

At first glance it seemed strange to me as well. However, given that the context is the good things that occur to the wicked, and in the next verse (14) we see how the wicked take these things for granted, it makes sense that it would be a positive thing, and going down to sheol in a moment wouldn't be. The root is רגע , which aside for 'moment' can actually mean 'calm' or 'peacefulness,' at least in Modern Hebrew. I have not, however, managed to find this root mean 'calm' in other places in the Tanakh, and actually in a few places it's translated as 'to stir up' or 'agitate'

Answer 2

Maybe - and I really don't have anything to substantiate this - it refers to a quick and painless death. "They spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment (without any fading or suffering) their lives end."

Answer 3

To me this is an unsupportable translation. This is the only place the NET Bible picks "peace":

moment 8, instant 3, suddenly 2, times 2, continually 1, briefly 1, brief moment 1, peace 1, time 1, regularly 1, while 1, momentarily 1

The Authorized Version never uses "peace" for רֶגַע:

moment 18, instant 2, space 1, suddenly 1

Only four of these translations use "peace" for Job 21:13:

• "in a moment"—9
• "in peace"—4
• "suddenly"—1
• "in an instant"—1

Further, none of the commentaries Biblos.com lists mention "peace". Clarke's commentary seems a represetnative sample:

In a moment go down to the grave—They wear out their years in pleasure; grow old in their gay and giddy life; and die, as in a moment, without previous sickness; or, as Mr. Good has it, They quietly descend into the grave.

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On the other hand, the NET Bible notes:

The word רֶגַע (rega’) has been interpreted as “in a moment” or “in peace” (on the basis of Arabic raja`a, “return to rest”). Gordis thinks this is a case of talhin – both meanings present in the mind of the writer.

I found this tidbit in an article about Job's literary characteristics:

This pun is similar to the subtle device of double entendre or what Gordis designates talhin, after the Arabic rhetoricians) which sometimes occurs. The author wished to bring both meanings of a word (especially when homonyms existed) to the consciousness of the reader simultaneously.

A nearby footnote reads:

[Robert] Gordis, The Book of God and Man, pp. 167-68. He suggests that this device
also occurs in 3:6-7,22; 5:24; 9:17; 12:6; 21:13; and 22:25 (see p. 347, n. 51).

I'll need to track down a copy to investigate that angle further.

Summary

On the whole (and until I read Gordis' book), the evidence for making a special case to translate rega` to peace for this particular use of the Hebrew word seems slight. One of the other possible translations that have temporal rather than "rightness" connotation seems more appropriate.

Answer 4

Robert Alter, perhaps the single best-informed English translator (though I disagree with some of his choices) renders it:

7 Why do the wicked live,
grow rich and gather wealth?

8 Their seed is firm-founded before them,
their offspring before their eyes.

9 Their homes are safe from fear,
and God’s rod is not against them.

10 Their bull breeds and brings no miscarriage,
their cow calves and does not lose her young.

11 They send out their little ones like a flock,
and their children go dancing.

12 They carry the timbrel and lyre
and rejoice at the sound of the flute.

13 They pass their days in bounty,
and in an instant they go down to Sheol.

14 And they say to God, “Turn away from us,
we have no desire to know Your ways.

15 Who is Shaddai that we should serve Him,
and what use for us to entreat Him?”

His footnote says:

7. Why do the wicked live. The thriving of the wicked is the theme on which Job expands for the rest of this speech, in direct refutation of his three reprovers’ pat notion that the wicked always get their just deserts.

13. They pass their days in bounty, / and in an instant they go down to Sheol. After the elaborate picture of the wicked enjoying all the delights of worldly existence, rejoicing in their offspring (the greatest blessing in the biblical scale of values) and surrounded by material abundance, they are granted a quick and painless death.

15. Who is Shaddai that we should serve him. The formulation of this arrogant question may echo Pharaoh’s words to Moses and Aaron, “Who is the LORD that I should heed his voice?” (Exodus 5:2).

Robert Alter's approach is to translate with the literal meaning of a word intact because otherwise, we will lose both the poetic connotations and the literal connotations. Translators should not interpret poetry for the reader but use words that keep the multiple possibilities of the original word.

Answer 5

The root רגע has the additional meaning of restful, peaceful & relaxed & is also used in modern Hebrew in that sense. The vital fact that it means that in the Bible is cited by Gordis in Isa.34:14; Jer. 31:2; 50:34. He also believes that in these instances they may be double entendres too. HDHalpern

Answer 6

rega=blink of an eye/0.06 seconds Jewish_Temporal_Ontology

So they die (go to the grave) without agony, just after closing their eyes. I.e. peacefully.