Greek word · G4743

στιγμή

stigmē

instant

From stizō, 'to prick, mark with a point'. So a dot or point, and of time, an instant or moment with no duration. It appears only here in the New Testament.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

στιγμή, -ῆς, ἡ

(στίζω, to prick), [in LXX: Isaiah 29:5 (פֶּתַע), 2Ma.9:11 * ;]

a prick, a point; metaphorically, σ. χρόνου, a moment: Luke 4:5.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Luke 4:5

Range of meaning

From stizō, 'to prick, mark with a point'. So a dot or point, and of time, an instant or moment with no duration. It appears only here in the New Testament.

Against the English

'In a moment' (KJV, WEB) or 'in an instant' (BSB, NIV) is accurate. 'Moment' can sound like 'a short while' in English. The Greek is sharper: a single point.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Greek version of Isaiah 29:5 compares sudden judgment to 'a point, in an instant' (hōs stigmē parachrēma). In 2 Maccabees 9:11 the dying Antiochus suffers pain 'moment by moment' (kata stigmēn). BDAG notes the idiom 'stigmē chronou' in Hellenistic writers such as Plutarch.

Where it appears

Luke · 1

  1. Luke 4:5 στιγμῇ a moment

    Then the devil led Him up to a high place and showed Him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.

    Here: Literally a 'prick' or 'dot', and so a point in time with no length at all. The whole world is shown in a flash. This points to something beyond ordinary eyesight.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.