H5965 H5965
To rejoice, delight; expressing joy through words or celebratory action
This rare verb appears only three times, always expressing joyful delight or exultant celebration. Job 20:18 says the wicked man 'will not rejoice' in ill-gotten gain, using it parallel to other verbs of joy. Job 39:13 describes the ostrich's wing 'flapping joyously,' a vivid image of exuberant movement. Most provocatively, Proverbs 7:18 has the adulteress inviting 'let us delight ourselves with love,' a perverse celebration of illicit pleasure. The root appears in rabbinic Hebrew meaning 'rejoicing' and shares semantic space with other Hebrew verbs of jubilation. The three contexts show joy's range—economic satisfaction, natural exuberance, and sensual delight.
Senses
1. sense 1 — Three occurrences showing verbal forms in Qal, Niphal, and Hithpael. Job 20:18 denies the wicked true rejoicing in their gains. Job 39:13's image of joyously flapping wings captures natural, unself-conscious exultation. Proverbs 7:18's use in the seduction speech shows the word's semantic neutrality—it can describe legitimate or illegitimate joy depending on context. The multilingual evidence shows varied handling: some preserve transliteration, others attempt semantic glosses. The verb's rarity makes its precise nuance harder to establish than more common synonyms. 3×
AR["نَتَلَذَّذُ", "يَرْفَرِفُ", "يَفْرَحُ"]·ben["আনন্দে-ফড়ফড়-করে", "আমরা-আনন্দ-করি", "সে-উল্লাস-করবে"]·DE["[יעלס]", "[נעלסה]", "[נתעלסה]"]·EN["flaps-joyously", "he-rejoices", "let-us-delight-ourselves"]·FR["יעלס", "נעלסה", "נתעלסה"]·heb["יעלוס", "נעלסה", "נתעלסה"]·HI["आनन्द-से-फड़फड़ाता-है", "आनन्दित-हों", "वह-आनंदित-होगा"]·ID["bersorak", "ia-bersukacita", "mari-kita-saling-memeluk"]·IT["egli-rejoices", "flaps-joyously", "let-noi-delight-ourselves"]·jav["bingah-bingah", "piyambakipun-bingah", "seneng-seneng"]·KO["기뮰하지-못하리라", "즐겨움으로-펌다", "즐기자"]·PT["deleitemo-nos", "exulta;", "se-alegrará"]·RU["возрадуется", "ликует", "насладимся"]·ES["bate-gozosa", "deleitémonos", "se-regocijará."]·SW["hatafurahi", "tufurahiane", "yanafurahi"]·TR["eğlenelim", "sevinir", "sevinçle-çırpar"]·urd["خوش ہوگا", "خوشی-سے-پھڑپھڑاتا-ہے", "مزے-کریں"]
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
† [עָלַס] vb. rejoice (‖ with עָלַז, עָלַץ, q.v.; NH עֲלִיסָה rejoicing (once LevyNHWB iii. 657));— Qal Impf. 3 ms. יַעֲלֹס Jb 20:18 he shall not rejoice. Niph. Pf. 3 fs. נֶעֱלָסָה Jb 39:13 (of ostrich’s wing) = flap joyously. Hithp. Impf. 1 pl. cohort. נִתְעַלְּסָה Pr 7:18 let us delight ourselves in (ב) love.