MOCKING IN THE BIBLE: PART 2

In part 1 on this subject, I discussed the two basic meanings attached to the Hebrew root htl: to mock or deceive. Now I would like to turn attention to the root shq, which possesses even more alternative understandings ranging from laugh to mock to play with. Both the positive and negative possibilities of this word tsachaq derived from this Hebrew root are brought out in the Genesis stories involving the life of Isaac.

In Genesis 18:12-15 after the angel has announced that Sarah will have a child, her “laughter seems to reflect a more reprehensible measure of doubt and disbelief” compared to her later joyous laughter at Isaac's birth (Gen 21:7). (L.C. Allen) He adds, “There is a play on the name Isaac (Yishaz).” So we see that tsachaq can either mean mock ('laugh at') or rejoice ('laugh with'), depending on the context.

Between these two appearances of shq, we also run into it at Genesis 19:14. There Lot warns his future sons-in-law that angels have informed him that they need to leave Sodom immediately. However, they don't take his words seriously (in a close parallel with Sarah's doubts as to the angel's prediction). Instead they think that Lot is merely jesting.

Then we come to a third nuance to the Hebrew word in question, also demonstrated in Isaac's life. After Sarah rejoices over Isaac's birth in Genesis 21:7 we learn two verses later that she spies Ishmael “playing with” or “sporting with” Isaac and becomes furious. I have dealt with the way several commentators have understood this cryptic episode (see the post “What did Ishmael do to Isaac?”). But it is the opinion of a number of scholars that there may have been some sort of sexual impropriety involved. Allen even goes so far as to label it “a sexual orgy.”

In any case, it is interesting that the next time shq appears in the Bible is at Genesis 26:8 when Abimelech similarly spies the supposed siblings Isaac and Rebecca in an act that indicates they are in fact married. And there are definite sexual overtones to the same word in the later narrative in Genesis 39:7-18 when Potiphar's wife twice accuses Joseph of trying to “insult” her.

Moving away from the patriarchs to Judges 16:25,27 where Samson has been captured by the Philistines, Webb says, “The text is mercifully reticent about the details, but the biting sarcasm of the single word, entertained (sahaq), says it all...While sahaq commonly has positive connotations (joy, laughter, dance, music), here the implied joy is vindictive and the laughter derisive.” By the way, this capture occurs soon after the three-fold mocking or deceiving (htl) that Samson himself carried out on Delilah.

Finally we come to the usage of shq in the poetic portions of the Old Testament. Waltke explains, “The 15 occurrences of sehoq in poetry denote an outward audible expression of inner mirth and pleasure, expressing joyful vitality and favor.” But he footnotes a proviso to this statement by saying “Sehoq can denote in derision (i.e. mirth at another's expense) when used with hayah ('to be[come],' Job 12:4; Jer. 20:7; 48:26,27,39; Lam. 3:14).” Let us consider these and other remaining references a little closer.

Job 5:22

“You shall laugh at destruction and famine and not fear any wild animals on the earth.” These are the words of Eliphaz, perhaps the most theologically correct of Job's friends. Hartley agrees with Eliphaz' sentiments: “Whoever trusts in God's power is so free from fear that when faced by such terrifying catastrophes he laughs at them. His relationship with God is actualized in his being in harmony with nature, as guaranteed by a covenant with the stones and the beasts of the field.”

Psalm 2:4

“He who sits in heaven laughs, the LORD holds them in derision” This is a reference to the nations who conspire against Him. Kselman's take on the verses is: “the wicked are like worthless, insubstantial chaff.” But Anderson has a moderating comment lest this verse seem to heartless on God's part: “The picture of the scornful God ought not to be taken as a credal statement, because it is primarily a poetic description; it is meant to show that the hostile efforts of God's enemies are simply laughable.” The same comment could be made regarding Psalm 37:13, which says “The LORD laughs at the wicked, because he knows their day is coming.”

Psalm 52:6

The first part of this verse reads, “The righteous will see and fear, and will laugh at the evildoer [the 'Mighty One' of v. 1].” In this case, God's attitude expressed above seems to be allowable for His believers as well. Again, the comments of moderating scholars are in order here:

    Baight explains that 'laugh' is “probably not malicious joy (cf. Prov 24:17) but gladness that God has vindicated the godly (cf. 54:7) and that evil has not triumphed.”

    M'Caw and Motyer note, “There is no need to read any personal vindictiveness, or mood of retaliation into this; Godly men will turn to each other and comment on the flimsiness of all life which trusts in temporal power and evil purposes.”

    “The righteous, after seeing and responding to God, react to the way of the Mighty One. Indeed, in what may seem like a cold act, they laugh (v. 6), just as God does in Psalms 2:4; 37:13; 59:8 and as Personified Wisdom does in Prov. 1:26. The effect is chilling, but just as in these other instances, the audience learns here that the reason for the laughter is that the Mighty One has trusted in the things he has acquired, instead of placing trust in God.” (Tanner)

Proverbs 1:26

This verse, mentioned above, captures the words of Wisdom to those who do not trust God: “I will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when you become panicked.” Notice the poetic parallelism between “laugh” and “mock” in this verse.

Proverbs 10:23

“Doing wrong is like sport to a fool.” C.G. Martin places this verse in the context of the literary unit Prov. 10:23-31 where it “gives the overall picture and v. 31 concludes with the usual Proverbs expectation that conduct is requited on earth.”

Waltke renders the sense of the verse as follows: “To commit villainy is like (the pleasure of) laughter to a fool, but wisdom (is like the pleasure of laughter) to an understanding person.”

Proverbs 26:18-19

“Like a madman who shoots firebrands and arrows is one who deceives [lies to] his neighbor and says, 'I am just joking.'” Buzzell states, “The berserk archer is again referred to (cf. v. 10) to picture a troublemaker. After deceiving his neighbor he tries to avoid being accused by saying he was only joking. But that is humor in bad taste. His deception, like a deadly arrow, has already done its damage.”

Jeremiah 15:17a

“I did not sit in the company of merrymakers nor did I rejoice; under the weight of your hand I sat alone.” Biddle notes, “The hand of God, often the symbol of inspiration...is here a symbol of burden.”

“The prophet now expresses the isolation which his office involved, in terms familiar in the Psalms, cf Pss. 1.1; 26.4-5.” He explains that the terms 'the company of merrymakers' and 'rejoices' “not necessarily, but as determined by the context, may have a pejorative sense 'rejoice maliciously', 'exult over'. This is probably the case here. These merrymakers are the enemies of the LORD, who mock at the prophet and deride his message.” (D.R. Jones)

Lamentations 1:7b

“The foe looked on mocking over her [Jerusalem's] downfall.” M.L. Brown explains the background of this verse: “everyone knew that Yahweh was the true God and that his city and sanctuary were inviolable! This fact also seems to make the enemy's victory all the more biting (...see also 1:5,7, etc. for references to Zion's enemies, some of whom were former friends who had now turned against her [1:2]).”

This is one of the verses that Allen cites to show “laughter may have a negative, hostile connotation of derision and ridicule, as the frequent parallelism with l'g, mock, shows...Thus it is used in lament contexts, in pitiful descriptions of the attitude of personal or national enemies to sufferers.”