Lexical Summary
luts: To scoff, to mock, to deride
Original Word:לוּץ
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:luwts
Pronunciation:loots
Phonetic Spelling:(loots)
KJV: ambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn(-er, -ful), teacher
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to make mouths at, i.e. to scoff
2. (hence, from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to interpret
3. (generally) intercede
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
ambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker
A primitive root; properly, to make mouths at, i.e. To scoff; hence (from the effort to pronounce a foreign language) to interpret, or (generally) intercede -- ambassador, have in derision, interpreter, make a mock, mocker, scorn(-er, -ful), teacher.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originthe same as
lits, q.v.
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (Late Hebrew
id.; verb not in cognates; compare Phoenician
interpreter CIS
22; CIS
44; CIS
88; Arabic
is
turn aside (intransitive); hence perhaps properly
speak indirectly or
obliquely, Fl
De Pr.1, 6); —
Perfect3masculineProverbs 9:12;ImperfectProverbs 3:34 2t.;ParticipleProverbs 9:7 11t.; pluralPsalm 1:1 3t.; —scorn,Proverbs 9:12if thou scornest thou alone shalt bear it (opposed to ), with accusativeProverbs 14:9;Proverbs 19:28; with ,scorners he (God)scornethProverbs 3:34; the scorner is proud and haughtyProverbs 21:24, delights in scorningProverbs 1:22, is incapable of disciplineProverbs 9:7, reproofProverbs 9:8; isProverbs 15:12, or rebuke isProverbs 13:1, cannot find wisdomProverbs 14:6; is an abominationProverbs 24:9, should be avoidedPsalm 1:1; smitten and punished for the benefit of the simpleProverbs 19:25;Proverbs 21:11 and banished for the removal of contentionProverbs 22:10; judgment is prepared for himProverbs 19:29; ""Isaiah 29:20; wine is a scornerProverbs 20:1. —
Perfect3masculine plural suffixPsalm 119:51;ParticipleGenesis 42:23;Job 33:23; plural construct 2Chronicles 32:31; suffixJob 16:20;Isaiah 43:27; —
derideJob 16:20;Psalm 119:51.
interpreterGenesis 42:23 (E); figurative of intermediaries between God and man,Job 33:28;Isaiah 43:27;ambassador2Chronicles 32:31.
Participle plural ( dropped Köii. 479)scornersHosea 7:5.
Imperfectact as a scorner, shew oneself a mocker,Isaiah 28:22.
Topical Lexicon
Meaning and Essence of the TermThe verb לוּץ (Strong’s H3887) describes the activity of the “scoffer,” one who turns truth and righteousness into an object of derision. It depicts verbal contempt, but also a settled attitude that resists correction, undermines authority, and fosters rebellion against the covenant purposes of God.
Distribution in the Old Testament
Approximately twenty-seven passages employ the word. The highest concentration is in Proverbs, where it appears fourteen times. Wisdom literature uses the term programmatically; historical books, psalms, and prophets apply it narratively and polemically.
Character Profile of the Scoffer
1. Intellectually unteachable: “A mocker does not listen to rebuke” (Proverbs 13:1).
2. Morally reckless: “An ungodly witness mocks justice” (Proverbs 19:28).
3. Socially disruptive: “Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man” (Proverbs 21:24).
4. Spiritually hardened: “The arrogant utterly deride me, yet I do not turn from Your law” (Psalm 119:51).
Contrasts and Antitheses
– Scoffer versus Wise: “Correct a wise man and he will love you; rebuke a mocker and he will hate you” (compareProverbs 9:8).
– Scoffer versus Humble: “He mocks those who mock, but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34).
– Scoffer versus Righteous: the blessed man ofPsalm 1 deliberately avoids the “seat of mockers.”
Consequences of Scoffing
Personal—“If you mock, you alone shall bear the consequences” (Proverbs 9:12).
Judicial—Divine judgment falls: “For the ruthless will vanish, the mocker will disappear” (Isaiah 29:20).
National—“They mocked the messengers of God… until the wrath of the LORD arose against His people, and there was no remedy” (2 Chronicles 36:16).
Divine Response
The Lord’s policy is measured reciprocity: “He mocks those who mock” (Proverbs 3:34). His justice eventually silences every scornful tongue (Isaiah 29:20).
Didactic Use in Wisdom Literature
Proverbs features a pedagogical strategy: punish the scoffer so the naïve learn (Proverbs 19:25; 21:11). The book treats mockery as a contagion; its presence ruins learning environments, so the teacher is instructed to “drive out the mocker, and conflict goes too” (Proverbs 22:10).
Narrative Illustrations
1. National Revival Thwarted—Couriers proclaiming Hezekiah’s Passover are “scorned and ridiculed” (2 Chronicles 30:10).
2. Civic Opposition to God’s Work—Habakkuk’s invaders “scoff at kings” (Habakkuk 1:10), illustrating the arrogant spirit that precipitates judgment.
Prophetic Rebuke
Isaiah addresses scoffers in leadership: “Hear the word of the LORD, you scoffers who rule this people in Jerusalem” (Isaiah 28:14). Their ridicule of covenant warnings accelerates the coming “overwhelming scourge.”
Corporate and Societal Impact
Mockery corrodes institutions. Justice is mocked (Proverbs 19:28), civic order is destabilized (Habakkuk 1:10), and worship is despised (2 Chronicles 30:10). Wine itself is labeled a “mocker” (Proverbs 20:1), symbolizing cultural forces that intoxicate society into ridicule of holiness.
Practical Ministry Application
1. Discipline—Church leadership must address persistent scoffing to protect the flock (Proverbs 22:10).
2. Preaching—Expect and endure ridicule; prophets were mocked before us (2 Chronicles 36:16).
3. Evangelism—Some will reject correction, yet public consequences of scoffing can awaken the simple (Proverbs 19:25).
4. Personal piety—Avoiding the “seat of mockers” (Psalm 1:1) remains foundational for spiritual growth.
Christological Foreshadowing
The ultimate scoffing fell upon the Messiah (Psalm 22:7-8), fulfilling the pattern that the righteous suffer mockery from the proud. In His resurrection the Father vindicated the One whom men derided, proving that divine justice outlasts human scorn.
New Testament Continuity
Peter warns of “scoffers who will come in the last days” (2 Peter 3:3), echoing Proverbs. Paul confronts mockers in Athens (Acts 17:32). The Old Testament portrait of לוּץ thus supplies a theological backdrop for apostolic exhortations against cynical unbelief.
See Also
Scorn; Mockery; Pride; Wine; Discipline; Humility
Forms and Transliterations
בִּמְלִיצֵ֣י ׀ במליצי הֱלִיצֻ֣נִי הַמֵּלִ֖יץ הליצני המליץ וְ֝לֵ֗ץ וְ֝לַ֗צְתָּ וְלֵצִ֗ים וּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָ ולץ ולצים ולצת ומליציך יָלִ֑יץ יָלִ֣יץ יליץ לֵ֑ץ לֵ֗ץ לֵ֝צִ֗ים לֵ֣ץ לֵ֭ץ לֵֽץ׃ לַלֵּצִ֣ים לַלֵּצִ֥ים ללצים לץ לץ׃ לצים מְלִיצַ֥י מֵלִ֗יץ מליץ מליצי תִּתְלוֹצָ֔צוּ תתלוצצו bim·lî·ṣê bimlîṣê bimliTzei ham·mê·lîṣ hammêlîṣ hammeLitz hĕ·lî·ṣu·nî hĕlîṣunî heliTzuni lal·lê·ṣîm lallêṣîm lalleTzim lê·ṣîm lêṣ lêṣîm Letz leTzim mə·lî·ṣay mê·lîṣ mêlîṣ məlîṣay meLitz meliTzai tiṯ·lō·w·ṣā·ṣū titloTzatzu tiṯlōwṣāṣū ū·mə·lî·ṣe·ḵā ūməlîṣeḵā umeliTzeicha veLatzta veLetz veleTzim wə·laṣ·tā wə·lê·ṣîm wə·lêṣ wəlaṣtā wəlêṣ wəlêṣîm yā·lîṣ yālîṣ yaLitz
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