---
title: צָחַק — laugh · The Tanakh dictionary
description: צָחַק (6711), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 13 times: laugh. BDB 1906: vb. laugh. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# צָחַק

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«צָחַק» in the Tanakh dictionary: **laugh** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 13 times · **Key:** 6711 · **BDB:** צָחַק

### Glosses

mock (2); I.laughed (1); \[one.who\].jests (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

laugh [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6711/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. laugh [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6711/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. laugh (Arabic ضَحِكَ, laugh, Syriac ܓܚܶܟ, cf. BaES 34; v. also שׂחק);— Pf. 3 fs. צָֽחֲקָה Gn 18:13, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִצֲחַק־ Gn 21:6, וַיִּצְחָ֑ק 17:17; 3 fs. וַתִּצְחַק 18:12;—laugh, Gn 18:12, 13, 15(×2) (J), 17:17 (P); c. ל at, concerning, 21:6. Impf. וַיְצַחֵק Ju 16:25; Inf. cstr. לְצַחֵק Ex 32:6, (בִּי) לְצַ֫חֶק בָּנוּ Gn 39:14, 17; Pt. מְצַחֵק Gn 19:14; 26:8, מְצַחֶ֑ק 21:9;— jest Gn 19:14 (J). sport, play Gn 21:9 (E); Ex 32:6 (J); make sport for Ju 16:25 (לִפְנֵי; ‖ וִישַׂחֶק־לָ֑נוּ); toy with (אֶת), of conjugal caresses Gn 26:8 (cf. DoughtyArab. Des. i. 231), make a toy of, c. ב, 39:14, 17 (all J).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 12 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (3 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (3 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «צָחַק» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1510/6711/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Genesis 21:9](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.21.9/)

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וַתֵּ֨רֶא שָׂרָ֜ה אֶֽת־בֶּן־הָגָ֧ר הַמִּצְרִ֛ית אֲשֶׁר־יָלְדָ֥ה לְאַבְרָהָ֖ם מְצַחֵֽק׃

*Word for word:* and she.saw Sarah (et) the.son of.Hagar the Egyptian whom she.had.borne to Abraham mocking

*JPS 1917:* And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne unto Abraham, making sport.

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[Genesis 18:15](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.18.15/)

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וַתְּכַחֵ֨שׁ שָׂרָ֧ה ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר לֹ֥א צָחַ֖קְתִּי כִּ֣י ׀ יָרֵ֑אָה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר ׀ לֹ֖א כִּ֥י צָחָֽקְתְּ׃

*Word for word:* and she.denied Sarah (cmp) not I.laughed (dm) she.was.afraid and he.said no (dm) you.laughed

*JPS 1917:* Then Sarah denied, saying: 'I laughed not'; for she was afraid. And He said: 'Nay; but thou didst laugh.'

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