Word study
Rejoice
11 Hebrew and 5 Greek words behind this English word
The original-language words that the Berean Standard Bible translates with one of these: rejoice, rejoiced, rejoicing, rejoices. English often uses one word where Hebrew or Greek has several, each with its own shade of meaning. Under each word are verses where it is translated this way; choose the word itself for its full study: every verse, how else it is translated, the forms it takes and what the dictionaries say.
At a glance
How often each original word is translated “rejoice” or one of its forms.
Compare the Hebrew words side by side Compare the Greek words side by side
Hebrew and Aramaic words (Old Testament)
- שָׂמַח sâmachrejoice, be gladtranslated this way 79 times of its 152 uses · Strong’s H8055Verb · Translated: rejoice 50, glad 27, rejoiced 20, gloat 6Full study and all 147 verses →
Leviticus 23:40 On the first day you are to gather the fruit of majestic trees, the branches of palm trees, and the boughs of leafy trees and of willows of the brook. And you are to rejoice before the LORD your God for seven days.
Deuteronomy 12:7 There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your households shall eat and rejoice in all you do, because the LORD your God has blessed you.
- גִּיל gîlrejoicetranslated this way 38 times of its 43 uses · Strong’s H1523Verb · Translated: rejoice 35, glad 2, exult 2Full study and all 43 verses →
1 Chronicles 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and the earth rejoice. Let them say among the nations, ‘The LORD reigns!’
Psalm 2:11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.
- שׂוּשׂ sûsexult, rejoicetranslated this way 14 times of its 27 uses · Strong’s H7797Verb · Translated: rejoice 10, glad 3, exult 2, rejoice greatly 2Full study and all 24 verses →
Job 39:21 He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength; he charges into battle.
Psalm 19:5 Like a bridegroom emerging from his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course,
- שִׂמְחָה simchâhjoy, gladness, mirthtranslated this way 12 times of its 91 uses · Strong’s H8057Noun · Translated: joy 48, gladness 14, rejoicing 6, pleasure 5Full study and all 87 verses →
Judges 16:23 Now the lords of the Philistines gathered together to offer a great sacrifice to their god Dagon. They rejoiced and said, “Our god has delivered Samson our enemy into our hands.”
2 Samuel 6:12 Now it was reported to King David, “The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, because of the ark of God.” So David went and had the ark of God brought up from the house of Obed-edom into the City of David with rejoicing.
- שָׂמֵחַ sâmêachglad, joyful, merrytranslated this way 7 times of its 21 uses · Strong’s H8056Adjective · Translated: rejoicing 5, joyful 5, enjoy 2, rejoice 2Full study and all 21 verses →
1 Kings 1:40 All the people followed him, playing flutes and rejoicing with such a great joy that the earth was split by the sound.
2 Kings 11:14 And she looked out and saw the king standing by the pillar, according to the custom. The officers and trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets. Then Athaliah tore her clothes and screamed, “Treason! Treason!”
- עָלַז âlazexulttranslated this way 6 times of its 16 uses · Strong’s H5937Verb · Translated: exult 5, rejoice 5, triumph 2Full study and all 16 verses →
Psalm 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
Proverbs 23:16 My inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
- עָלַץ âlatsrejoice, exulttranslated this way 5 times of its 8 uses · Strong’s H5970Verb · Translated: rejoice 3, rejoices 2, exult 2, triumph 1Full study and all 8 verses →
1 Samuel 2:1 At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.
Psalm 5:11 But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.
- מָשׂוֹשׂ mâsôsid.translated this way 3 times of its 16 uses · Strong’s H4885Noun · Translated: joy 6, joyful 2, delight 2Full study and all 15 verses →
Isaiah 8:6 “Because this people has rejected the gently flowing waters of Shiloah and rejoiced in Rezin and the son of Remaliah,
Isaiah 24:11 In the streets they cry out for wine. All joy turns to gloom; rejoicing is exiled from the land.
- רָנַן rânangive a ringing crytranslated this way 3 times of its 56 uses · Strong’s H7442Verb · Translated: shout for joy 18, sing for joy 12, sing 5, Rejoice 3Full study and all 53 verses →
Deuteronomy 32:43 Rejoice, [O heavens, with Him, and let all God’s angels worship Him.] Rejoice, O nations, with His people; for He will avenge the blood of His children. He will take vengeance on His adversaries [and repay those who hate Him]; He will cleanse His land and His people.
Psalm 33:1 Rejoice in the LORD, O righteous ones; it is fitting for the upright to praise Him.
- רִנָּה rinnâhringing crytranslated this way 2 times of its 33 uses · Strong’s H7440Noun · Translated: cry 11, shouts of joy 5, song 5, joy 4Full study and all 33 verses →
Psalm 107:22 Let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing.
Isaiah 43:14 Thus says the LORD your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “For your sake, I will send to Babylon and bring them all as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
- שָׂחַק sâchaqlaughtranslated this way 2 times of its 36 uses · Strong’s H7832Verb · Translated: laugh 5, laughs 5, celebrating 3, mock 3Full study and all 36 verses →
Proverbs 8:30 Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence.
Proverbs 8:31 I was rejoicing in His whole world, delighting together in the sons of men.
Greek words (New Testament)
- χαίρω chaírōI rejoice, am gladtranslated this way 39 times of its 71 uses · Strong’s G5463Verb · Translated: rejoice 26, rejoiced 7, Greetings 6, glad 6Full study and all 65 verses →
Matthew 2:10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight.
Luke 1:14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,
- συγχαίρω synchaírōI rejoice withtranslated this way 7 times of its 7 uses · Strong’s G4796Verb · Translated: Rejoice 4, rejoices 2, rejoiced 1Full study and all 7 verses →
Luke 1:58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
- ἀγαλλιάω agalliáōI exult, am full of joytranslated this way 7 times of its 10 uses · Strong’s G21Verb · Translated: rejoiced 3, glad 2, rejoices 2, bask 1Full study and all 10 verses →
Luke 1:47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see My day. He saw it and was glad.”
- εὐφραίνω euphraínōI cheer, am glad, make merrytranslated this way 5 times of its 14 uses · Strong’s G2165Verb · Translated: celebrate 5, Rejoice 4Full study and all 14 verses →
Acts 7:41 At that time they made a calf and offered a sacrifice to the idol, rejoicing in the works of their hands.
Romans 15:10 Again, it says: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people.”
- καυχάομαι kaucháomaiI boast, glorytranslated this way 3 times of its 38 uses · Strong’s G2744Verb · Translated: boast 23, boasting 4, rejoice 3, boasts 2Full study and all 33 verses →
Romans 5:2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
Romans 5:3 Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
How to study a word well
- Start from the verse, not the dictionary. Find which Hebrew or Greek word stands in the verse you are studying. One English word often translates several different original words.
- Read every place the word is used. A word means what its writers used it to mean. The list of verses and the count by book show its range, and who uses it most.
- Look at how it is translated. A word rendered five different ways has a wider meaning than any one English word can carry.
- Notice the form. A command is not a statement, and a passive verb is something done to the subject. The form in your verse is part of the meaning.
- See what it keeps company with. The words that appear beside it again and again show how the Bible itself connects ideas.
- Then read the dictionaries. They give the considered view of scholars, with their evidence.
- Come back to the verse. Context decides. A word does not carry every one of its meanings into every verse, and where a word came from does not settle what it means in a sentence written centuries later.
Scripture text and translation counts: Berean Standard Bible. Full entry: Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906, public domain), in the digital edition Brown-Driver-Briggs Enhanced by unfoldingWord (Joel Ruark, J. de Joode), based on data by Eliran Wong and Stephen Ku; its additions are used under CC BY 4.0. Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary: Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project, CC BY 4.0. Hebrew-to-English verse numbering: original work of the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible available at https://github.com/openscriptures/morphhb, CC BY 4.0. We reformatted the data, linked the references to this site’s Bible text and left out words in other scripts that the source holds only as images. These are historical reference works; an entry gives its authors’ view, and a word’s meaning in any verse depends on how it is used there.