Ridicule is not enough

If you want to sort out the concordance in a set of synonyms and decide when one text is alluding to another and reflect this allusion in your translation, then you have to find all the texts that might interact. So where are they?

First I am glad to know that there is a difference between gladness and laughter. Gladness is in the psalms 68 times by my count, laughter only 7 times. And laughter is associated with derision or ridicule only some of the time.  It is, as Alice says, a curious procession of laughs. (RWB's Alice with my daughter-in-law dancing Alice, was here last night at the Royal theatre). Notice that שׂחק 'laugh' does not occur in psalm 22. Also the other word קלס for derision, ridicule, scorn, or whatever in psalms 44 and 79 (see prior post) is only used twice - and these verses are a pair and so the translation must reflect that. (Looks like Jeremiah 20:7 reflects this verse as well but there's no way you could tell from the King James translation).

Stem		Hebrew	Psalm verse	English
שׂחק	derisive laughter	יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק יְהוָה יִלְעַג-לָמוֹ	2.4	The one sitting in the heavens, he laughs יְהוָה derides them
שׂחק	derisive?? or is that wicked one to be recreated?	אֲדֹנָי יִשְׂחַק לוֹ כִּי רָאָה כִּי יָבֹא יוֹמוֹ	37.13	my Lord laughs at him for he sees that his day is coming
שׂחק	laughter following fear - curiouser and curiouser	וְיִרְאוּ צַדִּיקִים וְיִירָאוּ וְעָלָיו יִשְׂחָקוּ	52.8	And the many righteous will see and fear and they will laugh at him
שׂחק	clearly alluding to psalm 2 - right? - so cross out ridicule and insert derision in psalm 2 or vice versa	וְאַתָּה יְהוָה תִּשְׂחַק לָמוֹ תִּלְעַג לְכָל גּוֹיִם	59.9	But you יְהוָה will laugh at them you will deride all the nations
שׂחק	hey - hold on - this is too good - Job gets a place in the economy of the world - my dear Leviathan, my own Levity!	שָׁם אֳנִיּוֹת יְהַלֵּכוּן לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ	104.26	there go the ships Leviathan that you formed to play there
שׂחק	More laughter at the root of the promise!	אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת אֶת אַבְרָהָם וּשְׁבוּעָתוֹ לְיִשְׂחָק	105.9	which he cut with Abraham and his oath to Isaac
שׂחק	And here laughter that is not derision but a prelude to joy - part of the psalms of ascent.	אָז יִמָּלֵא שְׂחוֹק פִּינוּ וּלְשׁוֹנֵנוּ רִנָּה אָז יֹאמְרוּ בַגּוֹיִם הִגְדִּיל יְהוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת עִם אֵלֶּה	126.2	then our mouth filled with laughter and our lips a cry of joy then they said among the nations יְהוָה acted greatly among them

Now let's see if we can contain the buzz of contempt: 

Stem		Hebrew	Psalm verse	English
בוז	hmm - lips carries us to psalm 52 and its tongue of deceit	תֵּאָלַמְנָה שִׂפְתֵי שָׁקֶר הַדֹּבְרוֹת עַל צַדִּיק עָתָק בְּגַאֲוָה וָבוּז	31.19	let lips of deceit be bound speaking of the righteous arrogance of pride and contempt
בוז	contempt is part of the wider human experience reflected in psalm 107	שֹׁפֵךְ בּוּז עַל נְדִיבִים וַיַּתְעֵם בְּתֹהוּ לֹא דָרֶךְ	107.40	pouring contempt on nobles he makes them wander in disorder without a way
בוז	Oh no - another word in parallel - ignominy - wonder what that is - no no - that's reproach again and this is the only place I did not use 'reproach' - tsk tsk! (Except in winter - joke - see psalm 74 later)	גַּל מֵעָלַי חֶרְפָּה וָבוּז כִּי עֵדֹתֶיךָ נָצָרְתִּי	119.22	Get from me ignominy and contempt for I have observed your testimonies
בוז	We've seen these already	חָנֵּנוּ יְהוָה חָנֵּנוּ כִּי רַב שָׂבַעְנוּ בוּז	123.3	have mercy on us יְהוָה have mercy on us for greatly are we filled with contempt
בוז	this is the only psalm where contempt is used as a frame - and we've seen this scorn but translated otherwise.	רַבַּת שָׂבְעָה לָּהּ נַפְשֵׁנוּ הַלַּעַג הַשַּׁאֲנַנִּים הַבּוּז לִגְאֵיוֹנִים	123.4	exceeding filled her very being, our life the scorn of those at ease the contempt of the proud