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.
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"]
▼ 2 more senses below
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"]
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…