6712. tsechoq

Lexical Summary

tsechoq: Laughter, mocking, derision

Original Word: צְחֹק
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: tschoq
Pronunciation: tseh-khok
Phonetic Spelling: (tsekh-oke')
KJV: laugh(-ed to scorn)
NASB: laughed, laughter
Word Origin: [from H6711 (צָּחַק - laugh)]

1. laughter (in pleasure or derision)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

laughed to scorn

From tsachaq; laughter (in pleasure or derision) -- laugh(-ed to scorn).

see HEBREW tsachaq

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from tsachaq
Definition
laughter
NASB Translation
laughed (1), laughter (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

צְחֹק noun [masculine] laughter; — ׳צְחֹק עָשָׂה לִי א Genesis 21:6 (E) laughter hath God caused for me; = laughing-stock, וּלְלַעַג ׳תִּהְיֶה לְצ Ezekiel 23:32 (strike out ᵐ5^B Hi Co Berthol Siegf Krae; not Toy).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

צְחֹק (Strong’s 6712) denotes overt laughter that can range from jubilant delight to derisive scorn. Though it appears only twice, the term serves as a lens through which Scripture reveals both the gracious reversal of human impossibility and the chilling spectacle of hardened rebellion.

Narrative Celebration: Sarah’s Testimony of Impossible Joy (Genesis 21:6)

• Setting. After decades of barrenness, Sarah declares, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me” (Berean Standard Bible).
• Communal contagion. Sarah’s personal hilarity is not private; it anticipates a ripple effect—others will “laugh with” her, sharing in covenant joy.
• Naming theology. Isaac (“he laughs”) embodies perpetual remembrance that God transforms cynicism into celebration. In every mention of his name, Israel heard an echo of צְחֹק, a reminder that faith’s reward is often sheer, disarming delight (compare Romans 4:18-21).
• Redemption pattern. The episode prefigures resurrection logic: divine promise overrides biological and situational sterility. Laughter becomes a sign of new life, setting precedent for later deliverances—Exodus 15:1-2, Psalm 126:1-2.

Prophetic Derision: The Bitter Cup of Shame (Ezekiel 23:32)

• Oracle context. Addressing Oholibah (Jerusalem), Ezekiel warns that the same cup of judgment poured on her sister Samaria will reach her lips: “You will be laughed to scorn and held in derision”.
• Inverted laughter. The joy once associated with covenant blessing has mutated into public mockery. צְחֹק here exposes apostasy, showing how privilege without holiness turns celebration into spectacle.
• Covenant lawsuit. Prophetic derision vindicates God’s righteousness; He is not mocked, and yet He uses mockery as an instrument of discipline (Proverbs 1:26-27).

Theological Themes

1. Reversal. צְחֹק frames God’s capacity to overturn human expectation—moving from sterile barrenness to overflowing fecundity or from chosen-city prestige to humiliating disgrace.
2. Corporate witness. Whether for blessing or judgment, laughter in both texts demands an audience; it is inherently communal. The covenant community either shares Sarah’s delight or Jerusalem’s downfall.
3. Moral polarity. Positive laughter proceeds from faith and astonishment at grace; negative laughter is imposed upon the unrepentant, an echo of divine justice (Psalm 2:4).

Christological Foreshadowing

• Annunciation parallels. Sarah’s incredulous laughter finds resonance in Mary’s Magnificat—joy birthed by impossible promise (Luke 1:46-55).
• Golgotha’s irony. The mockery of Christ (Matthew 27:29-31) embodies Ezekiel’s strand of צְחֹק, while the empty tomb signals Sarah’s strand—unspeakable joy (1 Peter 1:8).
• Eschatological fulfillment. Revelation envisions final, untainted celebration; derisive laughter is silenced, replaced by the wedding supper’s gladness (Revelation 19:6-9).

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

• Cultivating joyful memory. Encourage believers to rehearse testimonies of impossible answers to prayer, sustaining communal faith the way Isaac’s name sustained Israel.
• Warning against presumption. Proclaim the reality that privilege without obedience invites shame; churches must heed Ezekiel’s imagery to avoid becoming laughingstocks before a watching world.
• Balanced emotional theology. Laughter is not trivial; it can sanctify or indict. Pastors should redeem humor for edification while guarding against mockery that wounds or blasphemes (Ephesians 5:4).
• Evangelistic bridge. Authentic joy attracts. Sarah’s contagious laughter models how sharing personal redemption accounts can draw others into shared celebration of grace.

Summary

צְחֹק, though rare, brackets the biblical account with the extremes of human response to God—rapturous delight and humiliating ridicule. Both manifestations call the covenant community to remember the God who gives life to the dead and who will not be mocked, urging every generation toward reverent, joyous faith.

Forms and Transliterations

לִצְחֹ֛ק לצחק צְחֹ֕ק צחק liṣ·ḥōq liṣḥōq litzChok ṣə·ḥōq ṣəḥōq tzeChok

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 21:6
HEB: וַתֹּ֣אמֶר שָׂרָ֔ה צְחֹ֕ק עָ֥שָׂה לִ֖י
NAS: has made laughter for me; everyone
KJV: hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear
INT: said Sarah laughter has made God

Ezekiel 23:32
HEB: וְהָרְחָבָ֑ה תִּהְיֶ֥ה לִצְחֹ֛ק וּלְלַ֖עַג מִרְבָּ֥ה
NAS: and wide. You will be laughed at and held in derision;
KJV: and large: thou shalt be laughed to scorn and had in derision;
INT: and wide become will be laughed mock much

2 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 6712
2 Occurrences

liṣ·ḥōq — 1 Occ.
ṣə·ḥōq — 1 Occ.