H4890 H4890
laughingstock; object of scorn and ridicule
Habakkuk uses this word to describe how the Babylonian invaders treat strongholds—they mock fortifications, regarding mighty defenses as objects of derision. The term captures contemptuous laughter, the scorn of an overwhelmingly superior force that finds the resistance of others amusing. It's part of the prophet's troubling vision of Babylon's seemingly unstoppable military power, where even the strongest defenses become mere entertainment for the conquerors.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Describes fortresses and strongholds as objects of mockery and derision to the Babylonian forces in Habakkuk 1:10. The Chaldeans are depicted as so militarily dominant that they laugh at defensive structures, treating serious fortifications as though they were jokes. Spanish 'risa' (laughter) and French 'risée' (laughingstock) both emphasize the element of contemptuous amusement, showing how the term conveys not just defeat but humiliation—being reduced to something that provokes scornful laughter. 1×
AR["سُخريَةٌ"]·ben["পরিহাস-"]·DE["[משחק]"]·EN["a-laughingstock"]·FR["risée"]·heb["משחק"]·HI["हँसी"]·ID["tertawaan"]·IT["[משחק]"]·jav["gegujegan"]·KO["웃음거리-라"]·PT["riso"]·RU["смех"]·ES["son-risa"]·SW["mzaha"]·TR["gülünç"]·urd["ہنسی"]
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† מִשְׂחָק n.[m.] object of derision, Hb 1:10.