4485. manginah

Lexical Summary

manginah: Melody, Music, Song

Original Word: מַנְגִּינָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: mangiynah
Pronunciation: man-ghee-NAH
Phonetic Spelling: (man-ghee-naw')
KJV: music
NASB: mocking song
Word Origin: [from H5059 (נָגַן - play)]

1. a satire

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

music

From nagan; a satire -- music.

see HEBREW nagan

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from nagan
Definition
(mocking, derisive) song
NASB Translation
mocking song (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[מַנְגִּינָה] noun feminine (mocking, derisive) song (compare foregoing); — מַנְגִּינָתָם Lamentations 3:63, i.e. subject of their mocking song.

Topical Lexicon

Meaning and Imagery

The word מַנְגִּינָה conveys the idea of a derisive tune, a taunt sung or chanted to mock someone who is suffering or defeated. The term draws irony from its musical root: something intended for beauty is twisted into ridicule. It thus evokes the bitterness of hearing one’s pain turned into entertainment for others.

Scriptural Usage

Lamentations 3:63 places the word on the lips of the prophet as he surveys the destruction of Jerusalem: “Look at their sitting and their rising; I am the object of their mocking songs.” (Berean Standard Bible). The solitary occurrence intensifies the moment—Jeremiah is not merely ignored; he is serenaded with scorn. The verse follows a catalogue of persecutions (3:52-62) and precedes the prophet’s appeal for divine retribution (3:64-66), underscoring how ridicule can deepen affliction.

Historical and Cultural Background

1. Post-siege environment: After 586 B.C., survivors faced famine, exile, and shame. Mocking songs likely circulated among nations rejoicing over Judah’s fall (compare Obadiah 1:12-13).
2. Near-Eastern practice: Travelers’ accounts and Assyrian inscriptions reveal public taunts sung in marketplaces and battle camps. A defeated king might hear minstrels parody his former boasts.
3. Liturgical contrast: Israel’s temple music celebrated the LORD’s victories (2 Chronicles 5:13). The switch from sacred praise to scornful tune marks covenant reversal—blessing to curse (Deuteronomy 28:37).

Intertextual Echoes

Though מַנְגִּינָה itself appears only once, other passages portray similar mockery:
• Psalm 69:12, “Those who sit at the gate mock me, and I am the song of drunkards.”
• Job 30:9, “And now I am their song; I have become a byword to them.”

The shared imagery shows that God’s servants in every era may become subjects of contempt, yet their lament can be transfigured into prayer.

Theological Implications

1. Human depravity: Turning pain into entertainment reveals a heart hardened against compassion (Proverbs 24:17-18).
2. Divine solidarity: The Man of Sorrows experienced derision (Matthew 27:30-31). Lamentations anticipates Christ, whose suffering absorbed human scorn that believers might receive divine favor.
3. Eschatological reversal: Scripture promises that mockery will not have the final word; God “lifts the needy from the trash heap” (Psalm 113:7) and will silence every taunting tongue (Isaiah 25:8).

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Comfort for the ridiculed: Believers who are targets of contempt can identify with Jeremiah and Jesus, finding refuge in the God who hears wounded hearts.
• Worship integrity: Worship leaders should guard music’s purpose—adoration, not derision.
• Prophetic caution: Faithful proclamation may invite ridicule; ministries must prepare disciples to bear scorn with perseverance (2 Timothy 3:12).

Related Terms and Concepts

• שִׁיר (song) – neutral or positive song.
• מָשָׁל (taunt-proverb) – structured poetic taunt (Isaiah 14:4).
• לַעַג (mockery) – verbal ridicule often paired with laughter (Psalm 44:13). These words together map the spectrum from benign melody to malicious satire, highlighting the moral weight Scripture assigns to speech.

Forms and Transliterations

מַנְגִּינָתָֽם׃ מנגינתם׃ man·gî·nā·ṯām manginaTam mangînāṯām

Englishman's Concordance

Lamentations 3:63
HEB: הַבִּ֔יטָה אֲנִ֖י מַנְגִּינָתָֽם׃ ס
NAS: and their rising; I am their mocking song.
KJV: and their rising up; I [am] their musick.
INT: Look I am their mocking

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 4485
1 Occurrence

man·gî·nā·ṯām — 1 Occ.