Living Language: Laughter in the Bible
When we think of laughter, we usually associate it with joy and delight. We laugh in wonder at a surprise. We laugh in amusement at a good joke or pun. We laugh when we are having fun and enjoying ourselves. We laugh when something good suddenly comes into our lives. We laugh at the thrill of an unexpected friend arriving for a visit.
To laugh is to make a noise expressing merriment and delight. It is a spontaneous sound, often accompanied by certain instinctive facial expressions and body gestures. Laughter can be contagious.
But there are other forms of laughter. There is a laugh that is condescending and derisive, showing contempt or scorn for another person or a situation. There is laughter that ridicules another person. There is also laughter that expresses disbelief at what one has experienced or heard and laughter that shows power or triumph over a situation. Sometimes laughter comes out of nervousness.
Of course, to be a laughingstock is no laughing matter. In this case, one is the subject of ridicule and mockery, being made fun of for perceived incompetence or a certain action considered amusing to others but not to the one being laughed at.
The use of laughter in the Bible is interesting. When God laughs in the Bible, it is usually showing scorn or derision for a group of people, usually named as the “evildoers,” “the wicked,” or “the nations.” Consider Psalm 2:4, Psalm 37:13, and Psalm 59:8. God’s laughter reinforces the power of God.
When people laugh in the Bible, it is usually about joy and delight. In Psalm 126, the people returning from exile declare that their mouths are filled with laughter and their tongues with shouts of joy. In Luke 6:21, those who are weeping now are promised times of laughter and joy ahead, while those who laugh now can anticipate times of grief. In Proverbs 31:25, the woman managing her household laughs with power, strength, and dignity at whatever may come her way in the future.
And Sarah laughs in disbelief, having overheard the three visitors tell Abraham that she will bear a son in her old age. Yet, once the child is born, she names him Isaac, meaning “laughter” (Genesis 18 and 21).
As we read scripture, we can consider how laughter is being used in a specific verse. Who is laughing? Who is being laughed at? Or are they being laughed with? Is the laughter an act of joy and delight, an expression of disbelief or wonder, or a way of showing power over another person?
While Ecclesiastes 3:4 declares that there is a time to weep and a time to laugh, in the stories of scripture we may want to consider the experience of the one laughing and the one laughing at or with that person. We might also hold in mind the wisdom of Proverbs 14:13 that even when someone is laughing, their heart can be sad. However, we might not want to be quite as cynical as the writer in declaring that all joy ends in grief.
While reflecting on the use of laughter in the Bible, we might also reflect on laughter in our worship. Are there times for weeping and for laughing? Does our worship ever set up others to be laughed at? Do we acknowledge the sadness that may be present even as we share times of laughter and joy? What is the role of laughter in our faith and worship?
Susan Lukey, Editor
