Midvash

שָׂחַקsâchaq

laugh

Pronunciation: saw-khak' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H7832

Meanings

Qal

1.

a. laugh, at, usually in contempt, derision (Job 30:1; Psalms 52:8; Lamentations 1:7)

b. apparently of friendly laugh (Job 29:24; Ecclesiastes 3:4)

2. sport, play (Judges 16:27)

Pi`el

1. make sport (Judges 16:25; 2 Samuel 2:14; Proverbs 8:30)

2. jest (Proverbs 26:19)

3. play (1 Samuel 18:7; 2 Samuel 6:5; 1 Chronicles 13:8)

Hiph`il: uttered mockery (2 Chronicles 30:10)

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 36 times in the Bible.

  • Judges 16:25 Half drunk by now, the people demanded, “Bring out Samson so he can amuse us!” So he was brought from the prison to amuse them, and they had him stand between the pillars supporting the roof.
  • Judges 16:27 Now the temple was completely filled with people. All the Philistine rulers were there, and there were about 3,000 men and women on the roof who were watching as Samson amused them.
  • 1 Samuel 18:7 This was their song: “Saul has killed his thousands, and David his ten thousands!”
  • 2 Samuel 2:14 Then Abner suggested to Joab, “Let’s have a few of our warriors fight hand to hand here in front of us.” “All right,” Joab agreed.
  • 2 Samuel 6:5 David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.
  • 2 Samuel 6:21 David retorted to Michal, “I was dancing before the Lord, who chose me above your father and all his family! He appointed me as the leader of Israel, the people of the Lord, so I celebrate before the Lord.
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).