H7814 H7814
Laughter (joyful or scornful); a laughingstock or object of derision; sport, amusement, diversion.
Sechoq captures the full emotional spectrum of laughter — from the joy filling the mouths of restored exiles (Ps 126:2) to the bitter mockery heaped on Jeremiah (Jer 20:7). Built from sachaq ('to laugh, play'), this noun splits almost evenly between joyful laughter and scornful derision, with one wisdom occurrence meaning 'sport.' Ecclesiastes probes the ambiguity most deeply: 'I said of laughter, it is madness' (Eccl 2:2), and 'sorrow is better than laughter' (Eccl 7:3). Spanish distinguishes risa from irrisón, and French rire from moquerie, navigating tonal range Hebrew leaves to context.
Senses
1. laughingstock, object of derision — A laughingstock or object of derision — a person mocked or ridiculed. Jeremiah laments 'I have become a laughingstock all day long' (Jer 20:7), Moab 'shall become a laughingstock' (Jer 48:26-27), and Job is 'a laughingstock to his friends' (Job 12:4). The formula hayah le-sechoq recurs in prophetic judgment. Spanish irrisón and French risée deploy dedicated mockery vocabulary. 7×
AR["سُخْرِيَةً", "لِلسُّخْرِيَّةِ", "لِلضَّحِكِ"]·ben["-হাসির-পাত্র", "উপহাস", "উপহাসের", "উপহাসের-জন্য", "হাসির-পাত্র"]·DE["Lachen", "[השחק]", "[לשחוק]", "[לשחק]"]·EN["a-laughingstock", "laughingstock"]·FR["[השחק]", "[לשחוק]", "[לשחק]", "[שחק]", "rire"]·heb["ה-שחוק", "ל-שחוק", "שחוק"]·HI["के-लिए-ठट्ठे", "को-हँसी", "ठट्ठा", "ठठ्ठा"]·ID["Bahan-tertawaan", "bahan-tertawaan"]·IT["derisione", "riso"]·jav["gegujeng", "geguyon", "panggègès"]·KO["에게-웃음거리에게", "웃음-으로", "웃음-이-", "조롱거리가", "조롱거리로-"]·PT["Riso", "escarnecço", "o-riso", "para-riso", "riso"]·RU["на-посмешище", "посмешище", "посмешищем"]·ES["Irrisón", "burla", "irrisón", "para-burla", "para-risa"]·SW["kichekesho"]·TR["-için-alay-konusu", "alay", "alay-konusu", "için-gülüş"]·urd["ٹھٹھ", "ہنسی", "ہنسی-کا", "ہنسی-کا-موضوع"]
2. laughter — Laughter as an emotional response — joyful, incredulous, or hollow. God will 'fill your mouth with laughter' (Job 8:21), the exiles' mouths were 'filled with laughter' (Ps 126:2), and Ecclesiastes probes: 'I said of laughter, it is madness' (Eccl 2:2; 7:3). Proverbs 14:13 notes 'even in laughter the heart may ache.' Spanish risa and French rire converge here. 7×
AR["ضَحِكًا", "ضِحْكُ", "في-الضَّحِكِ", "لِ-سِحُوق", "لِلضَّحِكِ", "مِنَ-"]·ben["হাসি", "হাসিতে", "হাসির-চেয়ে", "হাসির-জন্য", "হাসির-প্রতি"]·DE["Lachen", "laughter"]·EN["for-laughter", "in-laughter", "laughter", "laughter-of", "of-laughter", "than-laughter"]·FR["dans-rire", "de-rire", "rire", "à-rire"]·heb["ב-שחוק", "ל-שחוק", "מ-שחוק", "שחוק"]·HI["हँसी", "हँसी-के-लिए", "हँसी-के-विषय-में", "हँसी-में", "हँसी-से"]·ID["Tentang-tertawa", "Untuk-tertawa", "dalam-tertawa", "daripada-tertawa", "tawa"]·IT["[שחוק]", "da-riso", "in-riso", "per-riso", "riso"]·jav["gujeng", "ing-geguyon", "tinimbang-gujeng", "tumrap-geguyon"]·KO["보다-웃음", "웃음", "웃음-에", "웃음-에서", "웃음-으로", "웃음-을-위해", "웃음을"]·PT["Ao-riso", "Para-riso", "de-riso", "no-riso", "que-riso", "riso", "é-riso-de"]·RU["Для-смеха", "О-смехе", "в-смехе", "нежели-смех,", "смех", "смехом"]·ES["A-la-risa", "de-risa", "en-la-risa", "para-risa", "que-risa", "risa", "risa-de"]·SW["Kwa-furaha", "Kwa-kicheko", "katika-kicheko", "kicheko", "kicheko-cha", "kuliko-kicheko"]·TR["gulmek-icin", "gulmekten", "gulmeye", "gulususu", "gülüşle", "gülüşte", "kahkahayla"]·urd["سے-ہنسی", "کے-لیے-خوشی", "ہنسی", "ہنسی-سے", "ہنسی-میں", "ہنسی-کو"]
3. sport, amusement — Sport, amusement, or diversion — activity done for entertainment rather than emotional expression. A single occurrence in Proverbs 10:23: 'Doing wickedness is like sport to a fool.' Spanish diversión, French amusement, and the root sachaq ('to play') make the ludic coloring transparent, distinguishing this from both joyful laughter and derisive mockery. 1×
AR["كَالضَّحِكِ"]·ben["যেমন-হাসি"]·DE["Lachen"]·EN["like-sport"]·FR["comme-rire"]·heb["כ-שחוק"]·HI["जैसे-हँसी"]·ID["Seperti-permainan"]·IT["come-riso"]·jav["kados-dolanan"]·KO["웃음-같다"]·PT["Como-riso"]·RU["как-забава"]·ES["como-risa"]·SW["kama-mchezo"]·TR["gibi-şaka"]·urd["کھیل-کی-طرح"]
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
† שְׂחֹק, שְׂחוֹק n.[m.] laughter, derision, sport (proposes inf. cstr.);—abs. שְׂחֹק Je 48:26 + 5 times; cstr. Ec 7:6; abs. שְׂחוֹק Je 20:7 + 7 times;— 1. laughter (joyous) Jb 8:21 (‖ תְּרוּעָה), ψ 126:2 (‖ רִנָּה), Ec 2:2 (‖ שִׂמְחָה), 10:19 (‖ שִׂמֵּחַ); as hollow Pr 14:13 (opp. כָּאַב), Ec 7:3 (opp. כַּעַס), cf. שׂ׳ הַכְּסִיל v 6. 2. (object of) derision, הָיָה לִשׂ׳, Je 20:7; 48:26, 27 (read…