Joy is a colorful word in Scripture. Its meaning has many different applications ranging from describing emotions to physical responses to states of mind.
Between the Old Testament and the New Testament, the concept of joy has some similarities and some differences.
Let’s dig in!
The biblical definition of joy
Often, the description of biblical joy is narrowed to what Jesus said in the New Testament contrasting worldly joy with divinely given joy. But the Old Testament gives us a broader idea.
In the Bible, joy describes the mood, attitude or emotions that humans have or show as they experience certain things in life.
Joy is a response of the heart and mind to something positive.
It is a feeling or attitude of brightness and cheerfulness.
It could be an experience that an individual person has or it could be a communal experience.
First, let’s examine joy in the Old Testament.
What is the meaning of joy in Hebrew
In the Old Testament, there are more than 20 Hebrew words that convey the idea of joy and their meanings sometimes cannot be separated.
I will limit this study to the two most common of those words.
Joy in the Old Testament
The most commonly used Hebrew word for joy is simchah.
The word gladness is the most popular English synonym in Scripture for simchah. It also means mirth or pleasure.
Simchah refers to that feeling of excitement, happiness, glee and delight in response to something good. This good thing might be expected or unexpected.
Simchah is used in contexts such as victory in battle, communal feasts and religious celebrations like the Passover.
It is also linked to fellowshiping with and worshiping and serving God.
Let’s look at some examples.
In this first example, Moses reminds the people of Israel that when they come for a feast or festival, they will be experiencing joy.
They were instructed to blow the trumpet as a reminder of who their God was:
On the day of your gladness [simchah] also, and at your appointed feasts and at the beginnings of your months, you shall blow the trumpets over your burnt offerings and over the sacrifices of your peace offerings. They shall be a reminder of you before your God: I am the Lord your God.” (Numbers 10:10 ESV)
When three nations came against Jehoshaphat, God caused them to turn against each other in the battle.
The Israelites didn’t have to lift a finger. God gave the victory.
The Bible says the Israelites responded with joy:
Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat at their head, returning to Jerusalem with joy [simchah] for the LORD had made them rejoice over their enemies. 2 Chronicles 20:27 ESV
Notice that their emotional response was linked to the victory that God gave them. Simchah refers to the emotion itself as well as the expression of the emotion.
In Scripture, expressing simchah happens through music, singing and dancing.
When David rose up as a mighty warrior, leading Israel to many victories against the enemies of Israel, the people were overjoyed:
As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy [simchah], and with musical instruments. (1 Samuel 18:6 ESV)
When Solomon was anointed as king in Israel, the people were filled with joy:
And all the people went up after him, playing on pipes, and rejoicing with great joy [simchah] , so that the earth was split by their noise. 1 King 1:40 ESV
In celebrating his confident relationship with God, David declares:
You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy [simchah]; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 ESV
In this verse we see that sometimes simchah is quite personal, expressed in the heart and is not always expressed outwardly.
Simchah is a gift from God and can be experienced in the midst of trouble.
Psalm 4 is a prayer of David when he was on the run because his son, Absalom, was trying to kill and dethrone him.
In the middle of this crisis, David sang:
You have put more joy [simchah] in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. (Psalm 4:7 ESV)
Joy in the Old Testament
The second most common Hebrew word for joy is sason. Another word that is commonly used for sason in Scripture is exult.
This word refers to heartfelt joy that is deeply emotional and is shared within a community.
Sason is often used in the context of celebration and focuses on being expressive by making sounds.
It conveys the idea of outward expression of actively celebrating in a communal setting.
Sason would apply to weddings, harvest time, religious festivals and ceremonies.
Sason happens through feasts, music, dancing and singing.
In the life of the Israelites, joy was an important part of their cultural and religious practices.
They had plenty of built-in opportunities for celebrating through the several feast days they had every year.
Let’s look at some examples.
Because of Esther’s God-inspired efforts, her king-husband rolled back the law that would have led to the death of the entire Jewish nation.
This was most certainly a victory that called for jubilation. The biblical record says:
The Jews had light and gladness [simchah] and joy [sason] and honor. And in every province and in every city, wherever the king’s command and his edict reached, there was gladness [sason] and joy [simchah] among the Jews, a feast and a holiday. (Esther 8:6-7a ESV)
This event was commemorated each year in what is known as the Festival of Purim.
Here we see a festival being created for yearly remembrance of this wonderful event.
The people of God designed this holiday so that they could plan some joy into their year.
Another example…
In Isaiah 35, the prophet foretells what life would be like for the Jews after returning from the 70 year exile in Babylon.
Joy was an important part of that experience. He said:
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy [simchah] shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness [sason] and joy [simchah], and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10 ESV)
It is always in God’s will for us to serve Him freely, without being burdened by sorrow.
One final example…
God is pictured as experiencing joy.
The Psalmist who penned Psalm 105 was reflecting on the faithfulness of God to the nation of Israel from the time God called Abraham.
Their story included several miracles including the Red Sea crossing, protection in the wilderness, and winning many battles to occupy Canaan.
So he brought his people out with joy [sason], his chosen ones with singing. Psalm 105:43 ESV
Notice, it is God who is expressing joy.
This tells us that God experiences delight when He gets to do wonderful things in our lives.
He gets to shower us with his love and we get to be assured of his loving presence with us.
Definition of joy in Greek
The most commonly used Greek word for joy is chara. It describes a feeling of great pleasure, happiness, gladness, and delight.
Similar to the Old Testament, joy in the New Testament is usually in response to some good thing.
Joy is first seen in the New Testament when the wise men saw the star that led to Jesus:
When they saw the star, they rejoiced [chairo] exceedingly with great joy [chara]. Matthew 2:10 ESV
Jesus is all the goodness we could possibly hope for or need in this life.
From the very beginning of his journey on earth, He brought joy to the human race.
In the parables of the lost coin and the lost sheep, Jesus says there is joy in heaven when sinners come to repentance.
Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy [chara] in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:7 ESV
Biblical joy
In the New Testament, joy is not just an emotion. It’s more than a feeling.
Joy is a choice. It’s a mental state that a person chooses to be in. It’s an attitude of the mind.
Because of this, experiencing joy has little to do with the circumstances in which a person finds themselves.
Someone can still experience joy regardless of what is happening around them.
Count it all joy [chara], my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds… James 1:2 ESV
Joy as fruit of the Spirit
Joy is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). This means that joy is a Christian quality that is developed in us over the course of our Christian walk through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy [chara], peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,… Galatians 5:22 ESV
Therefore for believers, joy is one attribute of the Christian who remains under the influence of the Holy Spirit.
When Jesus spoke of our relationship with Him, he pointed out that joy comes only as we remain connected to him as a branch to a vine:
These things I have spoken to you, that my joy [chara] may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 ESV
Final words on the meaning of joy in the Bible
I hope you agree with me that joy is a colorful word.
Joy is absolutely in God’s will for us to experience. Whether to celebrate at an event like a party or a wedding.
Perhaps to respond to the wonderful miracles of God. Or, even to persevere through trial.
Whatever the case, God has placed joy in our experiences because it pleases Him to do so.
It serves the purpose of bonding us to each other and to God.
I pray that you will experience true joy in the Lord.
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