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שָׂמַח

samach · rejoice

Hebrew word · Strong’s number H8055 · appears 156 times in the Bible

What is the Strong number?Strong’s number identifies this word: use it to find the same word in other study tools.

What it means

samach (שָׂמַח) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “rejoice”.

Be glad; make glad.

How to say it

sa·mach

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

  1. To feel glad and show it, above all at the feast before YHWH.
  2. To make someone feel glad and cheered.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To rejoice, to be glad; in the causative form, to make glad. From the same root come שָׂמֵחַ, “glad”, and שִׂמְחָה, “joy” (H8057).

Historical and cultural background

Deuteronomy 16:11 commands rejoicing before YHWH at the feast together with “your son and your daughter, your male slave and your female slave, and the Levite”, the resident alien, the orphan and the widow.

How we translate it

Forms of “rejoice” (rejoice 57, rejoiced 22, rejoices 3) and of “be glad” (be glad 37, glad 31), and in the causative, “make glad” or “gladden” (“wine gladdens the heart”, Psalm 104:15). It is distinguished from עָלַץ, “exult”, beside which it appears in Hannah's song (“My heart exults in YHWH … I rejoice in your salvation”, 1 Samuel 2:1).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

  • rejoice ×57
  • be glad ×37
  • glad ×31
  • rejoiced ×22
  • rejoices ×3
  • gladdens ×2
  • Gladden ×1
  • had made them joyful ×1
  • him ×1
  • which cheers ×1

Related words

Words that come from it

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

  • Exodus 4:14

    Then the anger of YHWH burned against Moses, and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can surely speak. And look, he is also coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.

  • Leviticus 23:40

    And you shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees, and boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim seven days.

  • Deuteronomy 12:7

    And there you shall eat before YHWH your Elohim and rejoice in every undertaking of your hand, you and your households, in which YHWH your Elohim has blessed you.

  • Deuteronomy 12:12

    And you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim, you and your sons and your daughters, your male slaves and your female slaves, and the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no portion or inheritance with you.

  • Deuteronomy 12:18

    but before YHWH your Elohim you shall eat it in the place that YHWH your Elohim chooses, you and your son and your daughter, your male slave and your female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim in every undertaking of your hand.

  • Deuteronomy 14:26

    And you shall spend the silver on all that your soul desires: on oxen or on sheep, on wine or on intoxicating drink, or on anything that your soul asks of you; and you shall eat there before YHWH your Elohim and rejoice, you and your household.

  • Deuteronomy 16:11

    And you shall rejoice before YHWH your Elohim, you and your son and your daughter, your male slave and your female slave, and the Levite who is within your gates, and the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow who are among you, in the place that YHWH your Elohim chooses to make his name dwell there.

  • Deuteronomy 16:14

    And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male slave and your female slave, and the Levite, the resident alien, the orphan, and the widow who are within your gates.

  • Deuteronomy 24:5

    When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army, and nothing at all shall be laid on him. He shall be free for his house one year and shall make his wife whom he has taken glad.

  • Deuteronomy 26:11

    And you shall rejoice in all the good that YHWH your Elohim has given to you and to your house, you and the Levite and the resident alien who is in your midst.

  • Deuteronomy 27:7

    And you shall sacrifice peace offerings and eat there and rejoice before YHWH your Elohim.

  • Deuteronomy 33:18

    And of Zebulun he said, “Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar, in your tents.

  • Judges 9:13

    But the vine said to them, ‘Should I give up my new wine, which cheers Elohim and men, and go to sway over the trees?’

  • Judges 9:19

    if in truth and integrity you have acted with Jerubbaal and with his house this day, rejoice in Abimelech, and may he also rejoice in you.

  • Judges 19:3

    Then her husband arose and went after her to speak to her heart, to bring her back; and his young man was with him, and a pair of donkeys. And she brought him into her father’s house, and when the father of the young woman saw him, he rejoiced to meet him.

  • 1 Samuel 2:1

    And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in YHWH; my horn is lifted high in YHWH. My mouth opens wide over my enemies, for I rejoice in your salvation.

  • 1 Samuel 6:13

    Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping the harvest of wheat in the valley; and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark and rejoiced to see it.

  • 1 Samuel 11:9

    They said to the messengers who had come, “Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow you will have salvation, when the sun is hot.’” The messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, and they rejoiced.

  • 1 Samuel 11:15

    All the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before YHWH in Gilgal, and they sacrificed there sacrifices of peace offerings before YHWH, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

  • 1 Samuel 19:5

    He put his life in his hand and struck the Philistine, and YHWH worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by putting to death David without cause?”

  • 2 Samuel 1:20

    Do not report it in Gath, do not carry the news to the streets of Ashkelon, lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.

  • 1 Kings 5:7

    And it happened, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he rejoiced greatly and said, “Blessed be YHWH today, who has given to David a wise son over this great people.”

  • 2 Kings 11:20

    All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet; and Athaliah they had put to death with the sword at the house of the king.

  • 1 Chronicles 16:10

    Glory in his holy name; let the heart of those who seek YHWH be glad.

  • 1 Chronicles 29:9

    The people rejoiced that they had offered willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered willingly to YHWH; and also David the king rejoiced with great joy.

  • 2 Chronicles 6:41

    And now, arise, YHWH Elohim, to your rest, you and the ark of your strength. Let your priests, YHWH Elohim, be clothed with salvation, and let your faithful ones rejoice in what is good.

  • 2 Chronicles 15:15

    All Judah rejoiced over the oath, for with all their heart they had sworn, and with all their will they had sought him, and he let himself be found by them; and YHWH gave them rest all around.

  • 2 Chronicles 20:27

    All the men of Judah and Jerusalem returned, with Jehoshaphat at their head, to return to Jerusalem with joy, for YHWH had made them rejoice by delivering them from their enemies.

  • 2 Chronicles 23:21

    All the people of the land rejoiced, and the city was quiet; and Athaliah they had put to death with the sword.

  • 2 Chronicles 24:10

    All the officials and all the people rejoiced, and they brought it and threw it into the chest until they had finished.

  • 2 Chronicles 29:36

    Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced over what Elohim had prepared for the people, for the thing had happened suddenly.

  • 2 Chronicles 30:25

    All the assembly of Judah rejoiced, and the priests and the Levites, and all the assembly that came from Israel, and the resident aliens who came from the land of Israel and those who lived in Judah.

  • Ezra 6:22

    And they celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread seven days with joy, for YHWH had made them joyful and had turned the heart of the king of Assyria toward them, to strengthen their hands in the work of the house of Elohim, the Elohim of Israel.

  • Nehemiah 12:43

    And they sacrificed on that day great sacrifices, and rejoiced, for Elohim had made them rejoice with great rejoicing; and also the women and the children rejoiced. And the rejoicing of Jerusalem was heard from afar.

  • Esther 8:15

    And Mordecai went out from before the king in a royal robe of blue and white cloth, and with a great golden crown and a mantle of fine linen and purple; and the city of Susa shouted for joy and was glad.

  • Job 3:22

    to those who rejoice to the point of exultation, who are glad when they find the grave,

  • Job 21:12

    They raise their voice with the tambourine and lyre, and rejoice at the sound of the flute.

  • Job 22:19

    The righteous see it and rejoice, and the innocent mocks them:

  • Job 31:25

    if I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because my hand had found much,

  • Job 31:29

    If I rejoiced at the misfortune of the one who hated me, or exulted when evil found him

And 116 more times.