H4234 H4234
Dance, dancing; a communal, joyful activity associated with worship, celebration, and the reversal of mourning.
A masculine noun for dance or dancing, frequently paired with musical instruments like the timbrel (תֹּף) and presented as the antithesis of mourning. The Psalms celebrate dance as an act of praise to the LORD (Ps 149:3; 150:4), and the turning of mourning into dancing marks divine deliverance (Ps 30:11). Jeremiah prophesies the restoration of Israel's joyful dancing (Jer 31:4, 13), while Lamentations 5:15 mourns its cessation. Spanish danza and French danse consistently render the term, while the Hebrew construct form מְחוֹל appears in both worship and communal festivity contexts.
Senses
1. dance, dancing — Communal, celebratory dance associated with joy, worship, and the reversal of grief. The word appears in two primary settings: liturgical praise, where Israel is summoned to praise the LORD 'with dancing' accompanied by timbrel and lyre (Ps 149:3; 150:4), and prophetic/wisdom contexts where dance symbolizes restored joy. Psalm 30:11 declares 'You turned my mourning into dancing' (the opposite of מִסְפֵּד, lamentation), while Jeremiah 31:4, 13 promises the virgin of Israel will again go out 'in the dance of merrymakers.' Lamentations 5:15 poignantly reverses this: 'our dancing has turned to mourning.' Spanish con danza, en danza and French dans danse consistently confirm the core meaning of festive, communal movement. 6×
AR["إِلَى-رَقْصٍ", "بِالرَّقْصِ", "بِـ-رَقْصٍ", "رَقْصُنَا", "فِي-رَقْصِ", "وَ-الرَّقْصِ"]·ben["আমাদের-নাচ", "ও-নৃত্যে", "নৃত্যে", "নৃত্যে-", "নৃত্যে-সেই"]·DE["[במחול]", "[מחלנו]", "hinein-dancing", "mit-dancing", "und-Tanz"]·EN["and-dance", "in-dance", "in-dance-of", "into-dancing", "our-dancing", "with-dancing"]·FR["[במחול]", "[מחלנו]", "dans-danse", "et-de-danse", "à-danse"]·heb["ב-מחול", "ו-מחול", "ל-מחול", "מחולנו"]·HI["और-नृत्य", "नृत्य-में", "में-नाच", "में-नृत्य", "हमारा-नाच"]·ID["dalam-tarian", "dan-tarian", "dengan-tarian", "tarian-kami"]·IT["[במחול]", "[מחלנו]", "danza", "e-danza"]·jav["beksa-kita", "dados-jogedan", "ing-tari", "kanthi-joged", "lan-joged"]·KO["그-춤으로", "그리고-춤으로", "에-춤으로", "우리-춤-이", "춤-으로"]·PT["com-dança", "e-dança", "em-dança", "em-dança-de", "na-dança", "nossa-dança"]·RU["в-танец", "в-хороводе", "и-танцами", "с-танцами", "хоровод-наш"]·ES["con-danza", "en-danza", "en-danza-de", "nuestra-danza", "y-danza"]·SW["kuwa-densi", "kwa-densi", "kwa-densi-za", "kwa-kucheza", "na-kucheza", "ngoma-yetu"]·TR["dansa-", "dansla", "dansla-o", "dansımız", "ve-dansla"]·urd["-رقص-میں", "اور-رقص-سے", "بِ-رقص", "رقص-میں", "ہمارا-ناچ"]
Related Senses
H0935 1. come, arrive (Qal) (2413×)G1473 1. first person singular pronoun (2084×)H3318 1. Qal: go out, depart, come forth (891×)H7725 1. to return, come/go back (Qal) (874×)H5927 1. go up, ascend (Qal) (779×)H7971 1. to send, dispatch (Qal) (701×)G2064 1. come / arrive (physical movement toward) (588×)H5307 1. Qal: fall down physically (339×)H5375 1. Qal: to lift up, raise (330×)H5975 1. to stand, stand up (310×)H5674a 1. Qal: pass by, pass through (256×)H3381 1. Qal: to go down, descend (physical movement) (242×)G1831 1. go/come out physically (193×)H5337 1. deliver, rescue, save (Hifil) (188×)H7901 1. lie down, rest, sleep (183×)G1525 1. enter a place physically (179×)H7812 1. prostrate oneself, bow down, worship (173×)H3318 2. Hifil: bring out, lead out, take out (persons) (172×)H7725 2. to bring back, restore (Hifil) (151×)H5674a 2. Qal: cross over (134×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† I. מָחוֹל n.m. La 5:15 dance;—abs. מ׳ ψ 30:12 + 3 times; cstr. מְחוֹל Je 31:4; מְחוֹלֵנוּ La 5:15;—dance, token of joyousness ψ 30:12 (opp. מספד), Je 31:4, 13 (cf. v b), La 5:15 (opp. אֵבֶל); act of praise to י׳ ψ 149:3; 150:4; accompanied by timbrel (תֹּף) and sometimes other instruments ψ 149:3, 4 Je 31:13.