Laughter in the Bible?
Introduction
This post is in response to the question that had been raised concerning whether or not God has a sense of humor? This teacher has written before on God’s employment of irony, but this post refers specifically to “laughter” in the Bible, and how we can find it being applied by God.
There are several different words in the original Hebrew language from the Old Testament that have been translated into English as “laughter”, and each has a slightly different connotation as follows, but while being somewhat different, they all still seem to have some type of a negative association.
- שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq)H7814, which the King James translators interpreted this word variously in the following manner:laughter (6x), derision (5x), laughing (1x), mock (1x), laugh to scorn (1x), sport (1x). This word’s connotations are best thought of as meaning laughter either in merriment or defiance:—translated variously as “joyful laughter”, “laughing stock”, “mocking”, or “derision”.
- שָׂחַק (śāḥaq)H7832, which the King James translators interpreted this word variously in the following manner: play (10x), laugh (10x), rejoice (3x), scorn (3x), sport (3x), merry (2x), mock (2x), deride (1x), derision (1x), mockers (1x). This word’s connotations are best thought of as meaning laughter as a form of play:—deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mock(-er), play, rejoice, (laugh to) scorn, be in (make) sport. However, the reader should be aware that this is the only word for “laughter” in original Hebrew that is used with regard to the reaction from God, which is more appropriately understood in these cases to mean “to laugh at, usually in contempt, derision“.
- צָחַק (ṣāḥaq)H6711, which the King James translators interpreted this word variously in the following manner: laugh (6x), mock (4x), sport (2x), play (1x). This word’s connotations are best thought of as meaning laughter to laugh outright (in merriment or scorn); by implication, to sport:—laugh, mock, play, make sport.
- לָעַג (lāʿaḡ)H3932, which the King James translators interpreted this word variously in the following manner: mock (8x), scorn (3x), laugh (3x), have in derision (2x), laugh to scorn (1x), stammering (1x). This word’s connotations are best thought of as meaning laughter have in derision, to “mock”, “deride”, “ridicule“.
What Does God Tell Us About Laughter in the Bible?
Psalm 126:2, “Then was our mouth filled with laughter (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The LORD hath done great things for them.” This verse tells us that the Saints, the Believers, will be filled with joy and happiness because of the Salvation wrought in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ.
But then we are reminded in Proverbs 14:13, that, “Even in laughter (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814 the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth [is] heaviness.” If we stop to think of it many of the things that make us laugh are satire. We laugh at them because they are true, but the reality is that they are also sad because they happen to also be true.
Ecclesiastes 2:2, “I said of laughter (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814, [It is] mad: and of mirth, What doeth it?” From a human perspective, laughter is “fun”, but from an eternal perspective it is vanity.
Ecclesiastes 7:3&4, “Sorrow [is] better than laughter (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814, for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better. The heart of the wise [is] in the house of mourning; but the heart of fools [is] in the house of mirth (שִׂמְחָה (śimḥâ))H8057.” This would seem to be teaching us that in sorrow, the wise (the elect/saved) are retrospective and introspective, which draws them to God for our salvation from their sins, as opposed to being as fools (the nonelect/unsaved) who happily wander off and never contemplate the Judgment and oblivion in Hell to come for their sins. This also brings to mind both Luke 6:21, “Blessed [are ye] that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are ye] that weep now: for ye shall laugh (γελάω (gelaō))G1070.“and Luke 6:25, “Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh (γελάω (gelaō))G1070 now! for ye shall mourn and weep.“
James 4:9, “Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and [your] joy to heaviness.” This would seem to be another way of saying what was interpreted above with respect to Ecclesiastes 7:3.
The Laughter of the Unsaved is Vanity
Ecclesiastes 7:6, “For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so [is] the laughter (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814 of the fool: this also is vanity.“
Ecclesiastes 10:19, “A feast is made for laughter (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814, and wine maketh merry: but money answereth all [things].‘
Being Merry?
James 5:13, “Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms.” If a person is saved, that person should be singing hymns and psalms of Praise to God for God’s gracious salvation.
Isaac means “He Laughs”
The anglicized name “Isaac” is a transliteration of the Hebrew name יִצְחָק (Yiṣḥāq)H3327 which literally means “He laughs” and is derived from the root word צָחַק (ṣāḥaq)H6711, which as described above can mean to “laugh”, “mock”, “sport”, or “play”.
Genesis 18:13, “And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh (צָחַק (ṣāḥaq))H6711, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?”
Genesis 18:15, “Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed (צָחַק (ṣāḥaq))H6711 not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh (צָחַק (ṣāḥaq))H6711.”
Genesis 21:6, “And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh (צָחַק (ṣāḥaq))H6712 , [so that] all that hear will laugh (צָחַק (ṣāḥaq))H6711 with me.“
Job 5:15-27 Describes God’s Protection of His Saints
Job 5:22, “At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.” Because of God’s protection, the believer has nothing to fear and can laugh in the face of terrors.
Job 8:21, “Till he fill thy mouth with laughing (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814, and thy lips with rejoicing.“
Jesus Was Laughed At (Mocked)
However, in these Messianic statements, we see the prophetic in Job 9:23, “If the scourge slay suddenly, he will laugh (לָעַג (lāʿaḡ))H3932 at the trial of the innocent.” and in Job 12:4, “I am as one mocked (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814 of his neighbour, who calleth upon God, and he answereth him: the just upright [man is] laughed to scorn (שְׂחוֹק (śᵊḥôq))H7814. The judges of the earth, under the rule of the devil, mocked Jesus during His Passion and Atonement for the sins of God’s elect. We see this prophesied also in Psalm 22:7, “All they that see me laugh (לָעַג (lāʿaḡ))H3932 me to scorn (לָעַג (lāʿaḡ))H3932: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the LORD [that] he would deliver him: let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.” Note again that from the original Hebrew word, לָעַג (lāʿaḡ)H3932, which, as was described earlier, can also be translated as to “mock”, “deride”, “ridicule“.
Note how perfectly this points us to what is recorded in Matthew 27:39-43, “¶And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest [it] in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. ¶Likewise also the chief priests mocking [him], with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.“
Note how the above is exactly what Jesus said would happen to Him in Mark 10:34 (and Matthew 20:19), “And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.“
God Will Have the Last Laugh!
Every unsaved sinner thinks that he or she can fool God, and can somehow hide their sins from Him, rather than having to be held to account and pay the price, which will be an eternity in Hell come Judgment Day. Keeping secrets from God is impossible. Even those so-called “secret sins” will be exposed in His light as we read in Psalm 90:8, “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret [sins] in the light of thy countenance.” Luke 8:17, “For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither [any thing] hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.” And, as a result, we are told of God’s reaction to their folly…
Psalm 2:4, “He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.“
Psalm 37:13, “The Lord shall laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832 at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.” And that “day” is Judgment Day.
Psalm 59:8, “But thou, O LORD, shalt laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832 at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.“
Proverbs 1:26, “I also will laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832 at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;“
Other References to Laughter and Mocking
Ecclesiastes 3:4, “A time to weep, and a time to laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;”
Job 22:19, “The righteous see [it], and are glad: and the innocent laugh (לָעַג (lāʿaḡ))H3932 them to scorn.“
Psalm 52:6, “The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832 at him:” The believers will be present with Jesus as Judge on Judgment Day and will see the punishment meted out to the unsaved sinner (the “him“). The believers also “fear” (have “reverential awe” of) God. Please see “The Believers (The “Saints”) Will Be With Jesus in Bringing Judgment on Judgment Day!”
Psalm 80:6, “Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh (לָעַג (lāʿaḡ))H3932 among themselves.“
Proverbs 29:9, “[If] a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh (שָׂחַק (śāḥaq))H7832, [there is] no rest.“
Proverbs 14:9, “Fools make a mock לוּץ (lûṣ)H3887 at sin: but among the righteous [there is] favour.“
Then, in the New Testament, which is translated from the Original Greek, we have:
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Tags: Bible, faith, God, Jesus, laughter
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