Lexical Summary
simchah: Joy, gladness, mirth, rejoicing
Original Word:שִׂמְחָה
Part of Speech:Noun Feminine
Transliteration:simchah
Pronunciation:sim-KHAH
Phonetic Spelling:(sim-khaw')
KJV: X exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing)
NASB:joy, gladness, pleasure, rejoicing, delight, exceeding joy, festival
Word Origin:[fromH8056 (שָׂמֵַח - joyful)]
1. blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
exceedingly, gladness, joyfulness, mirth, pleasure, rejoicing
Fromsameach; blithesomeness or glee, (religious or festival) -- X exceeding(-ly), gladness, joy(-fulness), mirth, pleasure, rejoice(-ing).
see HEBREWsameach
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
samachDefinitionjoy, gladness, mirth
NASB Translationdelight (1), exceeding joy (1), extremely* (1), festival (1), gladness (34), happiness (1), joy (38), mirth (1), pleasure (6), rejoice (1), rejoiced (1), rejoicing (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
93 ; — absolute
Genesis 31:37 +, construct
Isaiah 9:2 +; suffix
Psalm 137:6, etc.; plural
Psalm 16:11, -
Psalm 45:16; —
mirth, gladness, e.g. in festivity,Genesis 31:27 (E),Psalm 137:3;Psalm 137:6,1 Kings 1:40;1 Samuel 18:6;Isaiah 9:2 (twice in verse);Isaiah 16:10;Psalm 45:16;Esther 9:17,18,22 compare ( omitted)Esther 9:19 (+ ),Esther 9:22 ("" ), + 5 t., +Jeremiah 7:34 =Jeremiah 16:9 =Jeremiah 25:10 =Jeremiah 33:11;joy of heartProverbs 14:10,13;Ecclesiastes 5:19;Songs 3:11, compare (of inward joy)Jonah 4:6;Proverbs 15:23;Proverbs 21:15; =gaiety, pleasureIsaiah 22:13;Ecclesiastes 2:1,2,10;Ecclesiastes 8:15;Ecclesiastes 9:7,Ecclesiastes 7:4;Job 20:5, of foolishProverbs 15:21;Proverbs 21:17; malicious joyEzekiel 35:15 ( of thing), soEzekiel 36:5.
46 (especially Psalms Chronicles) religious:2 Samuel 6:12 ""1 Chronicles 15:16,25;Joel 1:16 +;Numbers 10:10 (P); i.e. make a (sacred) festivity 2 Chronicles 30:23;Nehemiah 8:12;Nehemiah 12:27;Isaiah 35:10 =Isaiah 51:11;Isaiah 61:7; with personNehemiah 12:44;joy of heartIsaiah 30:29;Jeremiah 15:16; as gift ofPsalm 4:8;Psalm 21:7 7t. + (in mockery)Isaiah 66:5.
joy ofZephaniah 3:17.
glad result, gleeful issuePsalm 106:5 ("" ),Proverbs 10:28;Proverbs 12:20 (Gr , Toy ; opposed to ).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewשִׂמְחָה (simchah) denotes the joy, gladness, or mirth that arises when the people of God experience His presence, provision, and promises. Spanning Genesis through Esther, Job through the Prophets, the term appears about ninety-three times and forms a thread that ties together Israel’s history, worship, and eschatological hope.
Semantic Range and Related Terms
Simchah describes an inner emotion expressed outwardly. It encompasses spontaneous elation (1 Samuel 18:6), communal festivity (Nehemiah 12:43), and solemn yet exuberant worship (2 Chronicles 30:26). It overlaps with gil (“rejoicing”), chedvah (“joy”), and sason (“exultation”), yet simchah often highlights celebration rooted in covenant fellowship.
Joy in Covenant Celebration
From the outset, joy marks salvation history. Following the Red Sea deliverance, Moses’ sister led Israel in song, and “Miriam the prophetess… sang to them” (Exodus 15:20-21). When the Law is renewed, “You shall rejoice before the LORD” (Deuteronomy 12:12). Covenant feasts—Passover, Weeks, Booths—were legislated seasons of simchah (Deuteronomy 16:14-15), ensuring that remembrance of redemption remained experiential, not merely intellectual.
Triumphal and Royal Joy
Royal enthronements and victories evoke simchah. When Solomon is crowned, “All the people went up after him… rejoicing with great joy, so that the earth shook with the sound” (1 Kings 1:40). Victory psalms echo the same theme: “We will shout for joy in Your victory” (Psalm 20:5). Joy thus becomes a public testimony that the LORD reigns through His chosen king.
Joy in Harvest and Provision
Agricultural abundance triggers gladness. Isaiah links simchah to reaping grain “as men rejoice when they divide the spoil” (Isaiah 9:3). The Feast of Tabernacles, occurring after ingathering, epitomizes this: “You will be completely joyful” (Deuteronomy 16:15). God’s material gifts are to be received with spiritual rejoicing that acknowledges the Giver.
Marriage and Familial Joy
Simchah saturates nuptial language. Jeremiah foresees restoration when “the voice of joy and gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride” will be heard again in Judah (Jeremiah 33:11). Family celebration mirrors the covenant relationship between God and His people.
Joy in Worship and Temple Service
Dedications of sacred space are accompanied by unprecedented joy. At the first Temple’s consecration, “on the eighth day they held a solemn assembly, for they had observed the dedication of the altar seven days and the feast seven days with joy” (2 Chronicles 7:9). Centuries later, post-exilic Jerusalem resounds: “God had given them great joy” (Nehemiah 12:43). True worship transforms duty into delight.
Prophetic and Eschatological Joy
The prophets often juxtapose current sorrow with future simchah. Zephaniah promises that the LORD “will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Isaiah envisions ransomed pilgrims who “will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads” (Isaiah 35:10). This future-oriented joy enlarges Israel’s horizon beyond present distress.
Joy and Obedience
Simchah is inseparable from covenant faithfulness. Moses warns that curses will overtake those who “did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart” (Deuteronomy 28:47). Joyless obedience is disobedience; delight is the proper atmosphere of service.
Joyless Worship and Warnings
When idolatry prevails, joy departs. Joel foretells, “Joy and gladness are cut off from the house of our God” (Joel 1:16). The absence of simchah signals divine displeasure. Thus loss of joy functions as a prophetic alarm calling the community back to repentance.
Simchah in Personal Piety
Individual believers turn private experience into praise: “You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and new wine abound” (Psalm 4:7). Joy becomes the believer’s inner strength regardless of outward circumstances, a foretaste of promised fullness.
Psalms of Joy
The Psalter repeatedly commands joyful response: “Serve the LORD with gladness; come into His presence with joyful songs” (Psalm 100:2). These imperatives establish simchah as a moral obligation grounded in divine goodness.
Intertestamental and New Testament Continuity
Though simchah is Hebrew, its theological substance flows into the New Testament. The angels proclaim “good news of great joy” at Christ’s birth (Luke 2:10), echoing Isaiah’s announcement. The fruit of the Spirit includes joy (Galatians 5:22), and believers are exhorted to “rejoice always” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). Thus, Old Testament simchah finds fulfillment in the Messiah.
Practical Ministry Implications
1. Worship leaders should cultivate gatherings where gratitude and delight fuse, reflecting Temple precedents.
2. Preachers can trace joy from Exodus redemption to resurrection victory, underscoring its centrality.
3. Pastoral counseling may remind the afflicted that future joy is covenant-guaranteed, offering hope amid suffering.
4. Mission endeavors should radiate the gladness that authenticates the gospel message (Psalm 67:4).
Key References
Deuteronomy 16:14-15;1 Kings 1:40;2 Chronicles 30:26;Nehemiah 12:43;Psalm 16:11;Psalm 51:12;Isaiah 35:10;Joel 1:16;Zephaniah 3:17.
Simchah, therefore, is not peripheral emotion but covenantal celebration—past, present, and future—anchored in the unchanging character and saving acts of the LORD.
Forms and Transliterations
בְ֝שִׂמְחָ֗ה בְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת בְּשִׂמְחַ֤ת בְּשִׂמְחַ֥ת בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֖ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֗ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֣ה בְּשִׂמְחָ֥ה בְּשִׂמְחָֽה׃ בְּשִׂמְחָה֙ בְשִׂמְחַתְכֶ֖ם בְשִׂמְחָ֖ה בְשִׂמְחָ֣ה בְשִׂמְחָֽה׃ בִּשְׂמָחֹ֣ת בשמחה בשמחה׃ בשמחת בשמחתכם הַשִּׂמְחָ֑ה הַשִּׂמְחָ֔ה השמחה וְשִׂמְחַ֖ת וְשִׂמְחַ֣ת וְשִׂמְחַ֥ת וְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וְשִׂמְחָ֗ה וְשִׂמְחָֽה׃ וְשִׂמְחָה֙ וּ֝בְשִׂמְחָת֗וֹ וּלְשִׂמְחַ֣ת וּלְשִׂמְחָ֑ה וּלְשִׂמְחָ֔ה וּלְשִׂמְחָ֖ה ובשמחתו ולשמחה ולשמחת ושמחה ושמחה׃ ושמחת כְּשִׂמְחַ֣ת כְּשִׂמְחָ֨תְךָ֜ כשמחת כשמחתך לְשִׂמְחָ֔ה לְשִׂמְחָֽה׃ לשמחה לשמחה׃ מחות שְׂ֭מָחוֹת שִׂמְחַ֣ת שִׂמְחַ֥ת שִׂמְחַ֪ת שִׂמְחַתְכֶ֥ם שִׂמְחָ֑ה שִׂמְחָ֔ה שִׂמְחָ֖ה שִׂמְחָ֗ה שִׂמְחָ֣ה שִׂמְחָ֤ה שִׂמְחָ֥ה שִׂמְחָֽה־ שִׂמְחָֽה׃ שִׂמְחָתִֽי׃ שמחה שמחה־ שמחה׃ שמחת שמחתי׃ שמחתכם bə·śim·ḥāh ḇə·śim·ḥāh bə·śim·ḥaṯ ḇə·śim·ḥaṯ·ḵem besimChah besimChat bəśimḥāh ḇəśimḥāh bəśimḥaṯ ḇəśimḥaṯḵem biś·mā·ḥōṯ bismaChot biśmāḥōṯ haś·śim·ḥāh hassimChah haśśimḥāh kə·śim·ḥā·ṯə·ḵā kə·śim·ḥaṯ kesimChat kesimChatecha kəśimḥaṯ kəśimḥāṯəḵā lə·śim·ḥāh lesimChah ləśimḥāh mā·ḥō·wṯ machot māḥōwṯ śim·ḥā·ṯî śim·ḥāh śim·ḥāh- śim·ḥaṯ śim·ḥaṯ·ḵem simChah simChat simchatChem simchaTi śimḥāh śimḥāh- śimḥaṯ śimḥāṯî śimḥaṯḵem ū·ḇə·śim·ḥā·ṯōw ū·lə·śim·ḥāh ū·lə·śim·ḥaṯ ūḇəśimḥāṯōw ulesimChah ulesimChat ūləśimḥāh ūləśimḥaṯ uvesimchaTo vesimChah vesimChat vesimchatChem wə·śim·ḥāh wə·śim·ḥaṯ wəśimḥāh wəśimḥaṯ
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