H4118a H4118a
hastening, swift; speedy (adjective)
An adjective describing swiftness, appearing in Zephaniah 1:14 to characterize 'the great day of the LORD' as 'near and hastening.' The day rushes toward its arrival like a runner at full speed. The word is technically a Piel participle functioning as an adjective, capturing the active, urgent quality of approaching judgment. Time itself accelerates as the day of YHWH draws close.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Zephaniah 1:14 intensifies the nearness of the day of the LORD by calling it 'hastening'—not just coming, but speeding. The Spanish 'apresurado' (hurried, rushed) and French 'vite' (quick) capture the temporal urgency. This is eschatological rhetoric: the day doesn't dawdle; it races toward its target. The domain (Time) reflects the word's function as a temporal modifier, accelerating the prophetic clock. 1×
AR["وَ-مُسْرِعٌ"]·ben["এবং-দ্রুত"]·DE["[ומהר]"]·EN["and-hastening"]·FR["et-vite"]·heb["ו-מהר"]·HI["और-जल्दी-आने-वाला"]·ID["dan-cepat"]·IT["e-da-monte"]·jav["lan-rikat"]·KO["그리고-빠르다"]·PT["e-apressando"]·RU["и-спешащий"]·ES["y-apresurado"]·SW["na-inakuja-haraka"]·TR["ve-acele-eder"]·urd["اور-جلد"]
Related Senses
H3117 1. day, specific time (2231×)H5704 1. until, unto, as far as (1238×)H8141 1. year, unit of time (880×)H6258 1. and now (421×)G2250 1. day (388×)H5750 1. again, more, further (288×)H5769 1. forever, to eternity (280×)H6256 1. time, period (264×)H2320 1. month, calendar period (260×)H0310a 2. after (temporal) (258×)H3915 1. night, period of darkness (234×)H1242 1. morning (214×)H5750 2. still, yet (continuative) (166×)G5119 1. then (160×)G3568 1. now (147×)G2193 1. until (143×)G3825 1. (141×)G3752 1. (123×)H6153 1. evening, time of day (123×)H0227a 1. then (122×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. מַהֵר adj. hastening, speedy, swift (strictly Pi. Pt. for מְמַהֵר v. sub מהר);—of יוֹם י׳, קָרוֹב וּמ׳ מְאֹד Zp 1:14; read also f. הַמְּהֵרָה (רַגְלוֹ) 1 S 23:22 his swift foot (for MT ר׳ מִי רָאָהוּ) Th We Dr Bu; deeper corruption assumed by HPS.