Original Word: שָׂחַק
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sachaq
Pronunciation: sah-khak'
Phonetic Spelling: (saw-khak')
KJV: deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mock(-er), play, rejoice, (laugh to) scorn, be in (make) sport
NASB: laugh, laughs, celebrating, celebrate, merrymakers, play, rejoicing
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to laugh (in pleasure or detraction)
2. (by implication) to play

deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mocker, play, rejoice, laugh to scorn,

A primitive root; to laugh (in pleasure or detraction); by implication, to play -- deride, have in derision, laugh, make merry, mock(-er), play, rejoice, (laugh to) scorn, be in (make) sport.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to laugh
NASB Translation
amuse (1), amusing (1), celebrate (2), celebrating (3), hold a contest (1), joking (1), laugh (6), laughed them to scorn (1), laughs (6), merrymakers (2), mock (1), mocked (1), play (2), played (1), playing (1), rejoicing (2), scorns (1), smiled (1), smiles (1), sport (1).

שָׂחַק verb laugh ("" צהק, q. v.; Late Hebrew שָׂחַק, סָחַק; Ethiopic ); —

QalPerfect3masculine singular ׳וְשׂ consecutive Proverbs 29:9; 3plural שָֽׂחֲקוּ Lamentations 1:7; Job 30:1; Imperfect3masculine singular יִשְׂחַק Job 39:7 +, etc.; Infinitive construct שְׂחוֺק Judges 16:24; Ecclesiastes 3:4; —

1. a. laugh at, usually in contempt, derision, with עַל person Job 30:1; Psalm 52:8; עַל of thing Lamentations 1:7 with ל person God subject Psalm 37:13; Psalm 59:9 ("" לָעַג); with ל of thing or person= have no fear of, Habakkuk 1:10; Job 5:22; Proverbs 31:25 also, figurative, of noble animals Job 39:7,18,22; Job 41:21; absolute, Proverbs 29:9 (opposed to רָגַז), of ׳י Psalm 2:4 ("" לָעֵג), of wisdom Proverbs 1:26 (ב temporal; "" id.).

b. with אֶל person, apparently of friendly laugh Job 29:24; in General Ecclesiastes 3:4 (opposed to בָּכָה).

2 sport, play, Judges 16:27.

Pi`el Perfect1singular וְשִׂחַקְתִּ֫י 1 Samuel 6:21; Imperfect3masculine singular וַיְשַׂחֶקֿ Judges 16:25, etc.; Infinitive construct לְשֵׂחֶקֿ Psalm 104:26; Participle מְשַׂחֵק Proverbs 26:19; 1 Chronicles 15:29, feminine מְשֵׂחֶ֫קֶת Proverbs 8:30,31; plural מְשַׂחֲקִים 2 Samuel 6:5 +, מְשַׂחֲקוֺת 1 Samuel 18:7; —

1 make sport, Judges 16:25 (ל person) 2 Samuel 2:14 (לִפְנֵי person; in tournament), Proverbs 8:30 (לִפְנֵי), Proverbs 8:31 ב loc).

2 jest, Proverbs 26:19.

3 play: including instrumental music, singing and dancing 1 Samuel 18:7, c ׳לִפְנֵי י. 2 Samuel 6:5 (ב instrumental), = 1 Chronicles 13:8; 2 Samuel 6:21; 1 Chronicles 15:29 ( + מְרַקֵּד); of merry-making Jeremiah 15:17 ("" עָלַז), Jeremiah 30:19; Jeremiah 31:4; of children's sport Zechariah 8:5; of beasts Job 40:20; Psalm 104:25; of man, play with (ב) crocod, Job 40:29.

Hiph`il (declar.) Participle. plural מַשְׂחִיקִים2Chronicles 30:10 they uttered mockery עֲלֵיהֶם ("" מַלְעִנִים).

Root Meaning and Semantic Range

שָׂחַק (sachaq) gathers ideas of laughing, playing, rejoicing, sporting, and mocking. Context alone decides whether the laughter is holy delight or unholy scorn. Related nouns and participles supply “laughter” (שְׂחוֹק), “merriment” (שֹׂחֵק), or “mocker” (שָׂחֵק).

Distribution and Literary Settings

About thirty-six occurrences are spread through Historical Books (for example 2 Chronicles 30:10), Wisdom texts (Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes), and Prophets (Jeremiah, Isaiah). No Pentateuchal uses occur; thus the term rises to prominence in Israel’s settled and exilic periods when reflection on joy, folly, and divine sovereignty intensifies.

Positive Uses: Joy, Celebration, and Holy Play

1. Creative Delight. Proverbs 8:30-31 pictures personified Wisdom “rejoicing always in His presence, rejoicing in His whole world and delighting in mankind.” Laughter here is pure delight in God’s ordered creation.
2. Creaturely Frolic. Psalm 104:26 celebrates Leviathan “which You formed to frolic there,” revealing playfulness embedded in the created order. Job 41:5 extends the image: even the fearsome sea monster can “play” under God’s reins.
3. Courage under Trial. Job 5:22 promises the righteous, “You will laugh at destruction and famine,” expressing fearless confidence.
4. Healthy Cheerfulness. Proverbs 17:22, “A merry heart is good medicine,” links sachaq to emotional and even physical well-being.

Negative Uses: Mockery, Scorn, and Empty Sport

1. Human Folly. Ecclesiastes surveys laughter stripped from wisdom (Ecclesiastes 2:2; 7:6); it crackles like thorns under a pot—flashy, noisy, useless.
2. Social Derision. Jeremiah refuses the seat “of revelers” (Jeremiah 15:17), and Job’s peers turn him into a byword of mockery (Job 12:4; 30:1).
3. National Rejection. Couriers calling Judah to Hezekiah’s Passover were “scorned and mocked” (2 Chronicles 30:10), revealing covenant hardness.
4. Sin as Sport. Proverbs 10:23 warns, “To a fool, wickedness is like sport,” showing how sachaq can trivialize sin.

Divine Laughter: A Token of Sovereign Rule

When Yahweh laughs, it is never frivolous. Psalm 2:4: “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord taunts them.” Psalm 37:13 and Psalm 59:8 echo the theme—God’s laughter is judicial, exposing the futility of rebellion. By placing divine laughter at the heart of enthronement psalms, Scripture affirms that human conspiracies cannot overturn His decree.

Wisdom Literature: The Discernment of Joy

Proverbs balances legitimate cheer (15:13; 17:22) with warnings against empty mirth (26:19; 29:9). Wisdom “laughs” at scoffers (Proverbs 1:26), meaning she vindicates truth when consequences fall. Thus sachaq serves as a moral barometer: wise laughter is responsive to God; foolish laughter defies Him.

Prophetic Oracles and Historical Narratives

Isaiah 22:13 condemns last-night parties—“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”—when national repentance was required. Lamentations 1:7 records Jerusalem’s enemies “mocking over her downfall.” Both passages use sachaq motifs to show sinful merriment on the eve of judgment.

Creation Theology: Cosmic Play

Psalm 104 and Job 41 reveal a theology of play: the universe is not merely utilitarian but also celebratory. Holy laughter is therefore an act of faith, acknowledging the goodness and abundance of the Creator.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Encourage wholesome joy. A congregation that has forgotten how to laugh in the Lord will soon forget how to worship with gladness.
• Guard against derision. Mocking authorities, covenant calls, or fellow believers imitates the scorn that Scripture censures (2 Chronicles 30:10; Proverbs 14:9).
• Offer laughter as hope. Counselors may remind suffering saints that God promises a day when righteous laughter replaces tears (compare Job 5:22 with Revelation 21:4).
• Discern public humor. Media saturated with cynical mockery forms hearts antithetical to the fear of the Lord.

Christological and Eschatological Trajectory

Though the root itself is Hebrew-bound, its themes converge in the New Testament. Jesus pronounces blessing on those who “weep now, for you will laugh” (Luke 6:21), promising eschatological reversal similar to Job 5:22. The mocking of Messiah (Matthew 27:29-31) fulfills the darker aspect of sachaq, yet His resurrection transforms scorn into eternal joy. Revelation closes with nations no longer raging (compare Psalm 2), for the sovereign Judge has had the final laugh.

Concluding Observations

שָׂחַק embraces two antithetical realities: the pure, life-affirming joy that flourishes under God’s reign, and the hollow laughter that ridicules His authority. Scripture invites believers to participate in the former, warns against the latter, and anchors both in the unassailable sovereignty of the Lord who laughs last and best.

אֶשְׂחַ֣ק אֶשְׂחָ֑ק אשחק בִּשְׂח֥וֹק בשחוק הַֽמְשַׂחֲק֖וֹת הַֽתְשַׂחֶק־ המשחקות התשחק־ וְ֝יִשְׂחַ֗ק וְ֝שָׂחַ֗ק וְשִׂחַקְתִּ֖י וִֽישַׂחֲק֖וּ וִישַֽׂחֶק־ וַ֝תִּשְׂחַ֗ק וּמְשַׂחֵ֔ק וישחק וישחק־ וישחקו ומשחק ושחק ושחקתי ותשחק יְשַֽׂחֲקוּ־ יִ֭שְׂחַק יִשְׂחַ֣ק יִשְׂחַק־ יִשְׂחָ֑ק יִשְׂחָ֔ק יִשְׂחָֽקוּ׃ ישחק ישחק־ ישחקו־ ישחקו׃ לְשַֽׂחֶק־ לִשְׂח֔וֹק לשחוק לשחק־ מְ֭שַׂחֶקֶת מְשַֽׂחֲקִים֙ מְשַׂחֲקִ֑ים מְשַׂחֲקִ֖ים מְשַׂחֲקִ֛ים מְשַׂחֲקִֽים׃ מְשַׂחֵ֥ק מְשַׂחֶ֖קֶת מַשְׂחִיקִ֣ים משחיקים משחק משחקים משחקים׃ משחקת שָֽׂחֲק֣וּ שָׂחֲק֖וּ שחקו תִּֽשְׂחַ֥ק תִּשְׂחַק־ תִּשְׂחָ֑ק תשחק תשחק־ ’eś·ḥaq ’eś·ḥāq ’eśḥaq ’eśḥāq biś·ḥō·wq bisChok biśḥōwq esChak ham·śa·ḥă·qō·wṯ hamsachaKot hamśaḥăqōwṯ haṯ·śa·ḥeq- hatsachek haṯśaḥeq- lə·śa·ḥeq- lesachek ləśaḥeq- liś·ḥō·wq lisChok liśḥōwq maś·ḥî·qîm maschiKim maśḥîqîm mə·śa·ḥă·qîm mə·śa·ḥe·qeṯ mə·śa·ḥêq mesachaKim mesaChek mesaCheket məśaḥăqîm məśaḥêq məśaḥeqeṯ śā·ḥă·qū sachaKu śāḥăqū tiś·ḥaq tiś·ḥāq tiś·ḥaq- tisChak tiśḥaq tiśḥāq tiśḥaq- ū·mə·śa·ḥêq umesaChek ūməśaḥêq vattisChak vesaChak vesichakTi veyisChak visachaKu visachek wat·tiś·ḥaq wattiśḥaq wə·śā·ḥaq wə·śi·ḥaq·tî wə·yiś·ḥaq wəśāḥaq wəśiḥaqtî wəyiśḥaq wî·śa·ḥă·qū wî·śa·ḥeq- wîśaḥăqū wîśaḥeq- yə·śa·ḥă·qū- yesachaku yəśaḥăqū- yiś·ḥā·qū yiś·ḥaq yiś·ḥāq yiś·ḥaq- Yischak yisChaku yiśḥaq yiśḥāq yiśḥaq- yiśḥāqūInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts