Laughter: A Study of Laughing in the Bible

It is human to laugh. People everywhere engage in laughter. But laughing does not always have the same meaning. A person can laugh to communicate distain, happiness, or disbelief. The variety of attitudes behind a smile is reflected in the words grin, snicker, chuckle, jest, mock, smirk, or ridicule.

In order to understand the meaning of laughter, we must understand the situation in which the laughing occurred. That is what makes translating so difficult. The context is not always clear. Or, to say it differently, the reason for the laughter is not always explained. Sometimes the laughing seems cordial. At others, it appears devious. After examining each occasion of laughter in the inspired word, it is obvious laughing expresses different feelings: jest or joy, hate or happiness, fun or folly. Because laughter is mentioned in Scripture over forty times, it behooves us to sort out its meaning for then and now.

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Laughter