Noah Webster's Dictionary (n.) A movement (usually involuntary) of the muscles of the face, particularly of the lips, with a peculiar expression of the eyes, indicating merriment, satisfaction, or derision, and usually attended by a sonorous and interrupted expulsion of air from the lungs. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia LAUGHTER laf'-ter (chaq, tsachaq, "to laugh," sechoq, "laughter"; gelao, katagelao): (1) Laughter as the expression of gladness, pleasurable surprise, is the translation of tsachaq (Genesis 17:17; Genesis 18:12, 13, 15; Genesis 21:6), which, however, should perhaps be "laugh at me," not "with me," as the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) (so Delitzsch and others; see also Hastings in HDB), not in the sense of derision, but of surprise and pleasure. In the same verse for "God hath made me to laugh," the Revised Version (British and American) gives in margin, "hath prepared laughter for me," and this gave his name to the son, the promise of whose birth evoked the laughter (Yitschaq, Isaac); gelao (Luke 6:21, 25) has the same meaning of gladness and rejoicing; sechoq, "laughter," has also this sense (Job 8:21 Psalm 126:2). It is, however, "laughed to scorn" in Job 12:4; the Revised Version (British and American) "laughing-stock"; so Jeremiah 20:7; compare 48:26, 27, 39; Lamentations 3:14, "derision." (2) Sachaq is used (except Job 29:24 Ecclesiastes 3:4) in the sense of the laughter of defiance, or derision (Job 5:22; Job 41:29); in Piel it is often translated "play," "playing," "merry" (3) La`agh is "to scorn" "to laugh to scorn" (2 Kings 19:21 Nehemiah 2:19); sachaq has also this sense (2 Chronicles 30:10); tsechoq (Ezekiel 23:32); sechoq (Job 12:4); katagelao (Matthew 9:24 Mark 5:40 Luke 8:53); the simple gelao occurs only in Luke 6:21, 25; see above. Katagelao is found in Judith 12:12, "laugh to scorn" (Ecclesiasticus 7:11; 20:17; 1 Maccabees 10:70, the Revised Version (British and American) "derision"). For "laugh" (Job 9:23) the Revised Version (British and American) has "mock"; for "mocked of his neighbor" and "laughed to scorn" (Job 12:4) "laughing-stock"; for "shall rejoice in time to come" (Proverbs 31:25), "laugheth at the time to come"; "laughter" for "laughing" (Job 8:21). W. L. Walker

Multi-Version Concordance Laughter (14 Occurrences) James 4:9 Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. (WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Genesis 21:6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh. Every one that heareth will laugh with me. (See JPS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Job 8:21 He will still fill your mouth with laughter, your lips with shouting. (WEB JPS ASV YLT NAS RSV NIV) Job 12:4 A laughter to his friend I am: 'He calleth to God, and He answereth him,' A laughter 'is' the perfect righteous one. (YLT) Psalms 126:2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Then they said among the nations, "Yahweh has done great things for them." (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Proverbs 14:13 Even in laughter the heart may be sorrowful, and mirth may end in heaviness. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Ecclesiastes 2:2 I said of laughter, "It is foolishness;" and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?" (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Ecclesiastes 7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the face the heart is made good. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Ecclesiastes 7:6 For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. This also is vanity. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV) Ecclesiastes 10:19 A feast is made for laughter, and wine makes the life glad; and money is the answer for all things. (WEB KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV NIV) Jeremiah 20:7 Thou hast persuaded me, O Jehovah, and I am persuaded; Thou hast hardened me, and dost prevail, I have been for a laughter all the day, Every one is mocking at me, (YLT) Jeremiah 51:39 When they are heated, I will make their feast, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says Yahweh. (See NIV) Ezekiel 23:32 Thus said the Lord Jehovah: The cup of thy sister thou dost drink, The deep and the wide one, (Thou art for laughter and for scorn,) Abundant to contain. (YLT) Habakkuk 1:10 And at kings it doth scoff, And princes 'are' a laughter to it, At every fenced place it doth laugh, And it heapeth up dust, and captureth it. (YLT)