What does לָעַג (laag) mean in the Bible?
לָעַג (laag): Derision expressed through mimicry or unintelligible speech; mocking someone's utterance or foreignness.
Hebrew · H3932
לָעַג
To deride ; by implication (as if imitating a foreigner) to speak unintelligibly
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לָעַג H3932
Pronunciation laag
What does לָעַג (laag) mean in the Bible?
לָעַג (laag): Derision expressed through mimicry or unintelligible speech; mocking someone's utterance or foreignness.
Full entry for לָעַג (H3932) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3932?
The BSB source-word alignment has 18 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include mock (3), and mocks (2), [that] mocks (1), and mocked (1), He mocks (1).
Where does לָעַג (laag) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 2 Kings 19:21. Its strongest book concentrations include Job (4), Psalms (4), Proverbs (3), Isaiah (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It mock 3× Job 22:19, Psalms 22:7, Psalms 80:6
and mocks 2× 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22
[that] mocks 1× Proverbs 30:17
and mocked 1× 2 Chronicles 30:10
He mocks 1× Job 9:23
He ridiculed 1× Nehemiah 4:1
He who mocks 1× Proverbs 17:5
I will sneer 1× Proverbs 1:26
mocks 1× Jeremiah 20:7
taunts them 1× Psalms 2:4
they mocked 1× Nehemiah 2:19
who stammer 1× Isaiah 33:19
Will you scoff 1× Job 11:3
you may go on mocking 1× Job 21:3
You scoff 1× Psalms 59:8
Show sample aligned rows
2 Kings 19:21 לָעֲגָ֣ה to and mocks Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular 2 Chronicles 30:10 וּמַלְעִגִ֖ים to and mocked Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural Nehemiah 2:19 וַיַּלְעִ֣גוּ to they mocked Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Nehemiah 4:1 וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג to He ridiculed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular Job 9:23 יִלְעָֽג׃ to He mocks Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Job 11:3 וַ֝תִּלְעַ֗ג to Will you scoff Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular Job 21:3 תַלְעִֽיג׃ to you may go on mocking Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Job 22:19 יִלְעַג־ to mock Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Psalms 2:4 יִלְעַג־ to taunts them Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular Psalms 22:7 יַלְעִ֣גוּ to mock Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 2 Kings 19:21
Aligned rows 18
Books represented 8
2 Kings 1 2 Chronicles 1 Nehemiah 2 Job 4 Psalms 4 Proverbs 3 Isaiah 2 Jeremiah 1
Source forms
יִלְעַג־ 2x yil·‘aḡ- Job 22:19, Psalms 2:4
לָעֲגָ֣ה 2x lā·‘ă·ḡāh 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22
אֶ֝לְעַ֗ג 1x ’el·‘aḡ Proverbs 1:26
וַיַּלְעֵ֖ג 1x way·yal·‘êḡ Nehemiah 4:1
וַיַּלְעִ֣גוּ 1x way·yal·‘i·ḡū Nehemiah 2:19
וּמַלְעִגִ֖ים 1x ū·mal·‘i·ḡîm 2 Chronicles 30:10
וַ֝תִּלְעַ֗ג 1x wat·til·‘aḡ Job 11:3
יִלְעָֽג׃ 1x yil·‘āḡ Job 9:23
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x Job 9:23, Job 22:19, Psalms 2:4
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular 2x Proverbs 17:5, Jeremiah 20:7
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person feminine singular 2x 2 Kings 19:21, Isaiah 37:22
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural 1x Nehemiah 2:19
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular 1x Nehemiah 4:1
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine plural 1x 2 Chronicles 30:10
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - second person masculine singular 1x Job 11:3
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular 1x Job 21:3
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Derision expressed through mimicry or unintelligible speech; mocking someone's utterance or foreignness.
Strong's H3932
Lexical occurrences 18 verses Word forms 3 forms 14 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Nehemiah 4:1-14 Source Gloss
to deride ; by implication (as if imitating a foreigner) to speak unintelligibly
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Derision expressed through mimicry or unintelligible speech; mocking someone's utterance or foreignness.
to deride; by implication (as if imitating a foreigner) to speak unintelligibly BDB: mock Usage: have in derision, laugh (to scorn), mock (on), stammering.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 3 Aligned forms 14
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 11×
Imperfect Job 9:23 · Job 22:19 · Ps 2:4 · Prov 1:26 · Prov 30:17 · Ps 59:9 · Ps 80:7 7×
Perfect 2Kgs 19:21 · Isa 37:22 2×
Participle active Jer 20:7 · Prov 17:5 2×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Participle passive Isa 33:19 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 2×
Imperfect Job 21:3 · Ps 22:8 2×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
To scorn or deride with contempt.
Showing 1 selected witness from 18 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
לָעַג is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
The term reveals that opposition targets morale and identity. Understanding this helps believers interpret ridicule as spiritual resistance rather than personal failure. Nehemiah 4:1-14
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain