לָעַג (la.ag)
la.ag
to mock
H:VQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 14 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:V
Word Overview
The Hebrew verb la‘ag means to mock or ridicule someone, treating them with scornful amusement. It appears fourteen times in the Old Testament, with significant usage in Job, Proverbs, and Isaiah. In its basic form, it describes a person who laughs at another’s misfortune or folly, turning serious matters into objects of derision.
While often translated simply as "mock," the word carries a sharp edge of contempt. It is not merely playful teasing but a hostile dismissal of dignity. For instance, in Job 21:29, the speaker asks if his listeners have never questioned the proud, implying that such people are often mocked by their peers when they fall. In Proverbs, it frequently warns against the folly of those who ridicule wisdom or correction.
Interestingly, the lexicon notes a rare Niphal form meaning "to stammer." This connection suggests that mocking might be seen as a kind of speech disorder—a failure to speak clearly or seriously, reduced instead to broken, derisive sounds. Translators usually render it as "mock" or "deride," capturing the active cruelty of the act rather than just internal disdain.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
Mocking often feels like a shield against vulnerability, yet Scripture consistently reveals it as a failure of empathy. When we ridicule others, especially those in distress or poverty, we strike at the dignity God has placed within them. The wisdom literature warns that this scorn is not just rude; it is an offense against the Creator who made the person being mocked. To laugh at another’s pain is to ignore the shared human condition and the inherent worth of every soul.
There is comfort, however, in knowing that God sees these interactions clearly. While human critics may sneer or dismiss the faithful, as Jeremiah experienced, the Lord remains sovereign and just. His perspective does not align with fleeting ridicule but with enduring truth. We are invited to respond to hostility not with counter-mockery, but with a quiet confidence that comes from trusting in God’s ultimate justice and care for the vulnerable.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 14 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- he mocks3×
- she has mocked2×
- you will mock1×
- stammering of1×
- and/ they mocked1×
- and/ mocking1×
- and/ have you mocked?1×
- [which] it mocks1×
- [one who] mocks1×
- [is] mocking1×
- I will mock1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לָעֲגָ֣ה2×
- יִלְעַג\־2×
- תִּֽלְעַ֣ג1×
- תַלְעִֽיג\׃1×
- נִלְעַ֥ג1×
- לֹעֵ֥ג1×
- לֹעֵ֣ג1×
- יִלְעָֽג\׃1×
- וּ/מַלְעִגִ֖ים1×
- וַ֝/תִּלְעַ֗ג1×
- וַ/יַּלְעִ֣גוּ1×
- אֶ֝לְעַ֗ג1×
Key Verses
-
Proverbs 17:5
Whoever mocks the poor reproaches his Maker. He who is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
This verse connects mocking the poor directly to reproaching their Maker, showing that contempt for others is ultimately an offense against God.
-
Jeremiah 20:7
Yahweh, you have persuaded me, and I was persuaded. You are stronger than I, and have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day. Everyone mocks me.
Here the prophet describes being made a 'laughingstock,' illustrating how mockery can be a painful reality for those who speak truth in difficult times.
-
Job 9:23
If the scourge kills suddenly, he will mock at the trial of the innocent.
Job observes that the wicked may mock even the innocent during trials, highlighting the injustice and cruelty inherent in such derision.