Bible Encyclopedias
Laughter

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

laf´tẽr ( צחק , cāḥaḳ , שׂחק , sāḥaḳ , "to laugh," שׂחוק , seḥōḳ , "laughter"; γελάω , geláō , καταγελάω , katageláō ): (1) Laughter as the expression of gladness, pleasurable surprise, is the translation of cāḥaḳ ( Genesis 17:17; Genesis 18:12 , Genesis 18:13 , Genesis 18:15; Genesis 21:6 ), which, however, should perhaps be "laugh at me," not "with me," as the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) (so Delitzsch and others; see also Hastings in HDB ), not in the sense of derision, but of surprise and pleasure. In the same verse for "God hath made me to laugh," the Revised Version (British and American) gives in margin, "hath prepared laughter for me," and this gave his name to the son, the promise of whose birth evoked the laughter (Yicḥāḳ , Isaac); geláō (Luke 6:21 , Luke 6:25 ) has the same meaning of gladness and rejoicing; seḥōḳ , "laughter," has also this sense (Job 8:21; Psalm 126:2 ). It is, however, "laughed to scorn" in Job 12:4; the Revised Version (British and American) "laughing-stock"; so Jeremiah 20:7; compare Jeremiah 48:26 , Jeremiah 48:27 , Jeremiah 48:39; Lamentations 3:14 , "derision." (2) Sāḥaḳ is used (except Job 29:24; Ecclesiastes 3:4 ) in the sense of the laughter of defiance , or derision ( Job 5:22; Job 41:29 ); in Piel it is often translated "play," "playing," "merry" (3) Lā‛agh is "to scorn" "to laugh to scorn" (2 Kings 19:21; Nehemiah 2:19 ); sāḥaḳ has also this sense (2 Chronicles 30:10 ); ceḥoḳ (Ezekiel 23:32 ); seḥoḳ (Job 12:4 ); katagelaō (Matthew 9:24; Mark 5:40; Luke 8:53 ); the simple gelaō occurs only in Luke 6:21 , Luke 6:25; see above. Katagelaō is found in Judith 12:12, "laugh to scorn" (Ecclesiasticus 7:11; 20:17; 1 Macc 10:70, the Revised Version (British and American) "derision").

For "laugh" (Job 9:23 ) the Revised Version (British and American) has "mock"; for "mocked of his neighbor" and "laughed to scorn" (Job 12:4 ) "laughing-stock"; for "shall rejoice in time to come" (Proverbs 31:25 ), "laugheth at the time to come"; "laughter" for "laughing" (Job 8:21 ).