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מָשׂוֹשׂ

𐤌𐤔𐤅𐤔

mâsôws

H4885 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׂוּשׂ to rejoice, to exult, to be glad

Definition

A state or experience of joy, gladness, or exultation; also, the cause or object that brings about such delight. Used both for subjective, inward feelings of happiness and for outward expressions of communal or personal celebration and rejoicing. The word encompasses both a person's internal emotion of joy and the external events, circumstances, or objects that evoke this experience.

Semantic Range

joy, gladness, exultation, rejoicing (state or act), object or cause of joy, mirth, celebration, emotional delight

Root / Etymology

From the root שׂוּשׂ, which means 'to rejoice' or 'be glad.' מָשׂוֹשׂ is a noun formation denoting the state or condition of rejoicing, or the thing which brings about such joy. The pattern מָקֹם (maqom), with mem as the prefix, often creates nouns signifying place, instrument, or result, so מָשׂוֹשׂ is 'that which is/causes rejoicing.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, מָשׂוֹשׂ is often found in both individual and communal contexts. It describes the joy of restored fortune, spiritual salvation, return from exile, or the celebration of sacred events. Prophetic texts may use it as a vision of future restoration, contrasting the current situation with anticipated joy. It is distinct from synonymous terms such as שִׂמְחָה (simḥah, 'joy, gladness') in that מָשׂוֹשׂ often emphasizes the act or state of rejoicing, sometimes with a more exuberant or public dimension. In later translations, including the Septuagint and English versions, מָשׂוֹשׂ is sometimes rendered as 'joy,' 'exultation,' or 'mirth.' However, the sense of active or communal rejoicing is sometimes underrepresented in these translations. The term is especially prominent in poetic and prophetic literature, where it may be paired with mourning or lament to signal reversal or restoration. Its use persists with little semantic shift from monarchic through post-exilic periods, but the contexts may move from celebration of tangible events (harvest, victory) to more eschatological or spiritualized hopes in late biblical texts.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שׂוּשׂ; delight, concretely (the cause or object) or abstractly (the feeling); joy, mirth, rejoice.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שוש (š-w-š) — to rejoice, to exult, to be glad

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H7797 שׂוּשׂ I will exult
H7800 שׁוּשַׁן in Shushan

Word Forms

5 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4885-02 מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ mesos HNcmsc the joy rejoicing-of 9
H4885-01 מָשׂ֔וֹשׂ masos HNcmsa of joy rejoicing-delight 4
H4885-05 וּ/מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ umesos HC/Vqc and-joy and rejoicing 2
H4885-04 מְשׂוֹשִֽׂ/י mesosi HNcmsc/Sp1cs of my joy my rejoicing 1
H4885-03 מְשׂוֹשָׂ֔/הּ mesosah HNcmsc/Sp3fs her joy her rejoicing 1

Occurrences in Scripture

17 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4885-05 Isaiah 8:6 וּ/מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ umesos HC/Vqc and rejoice and rejoicing
H4885-02 Isaiah 24:8 מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ mesos HNcmsc the mirth rejoicing-of
H4885-02 Isaiah 24:8 מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ mesos-2 HNcmsc the joy rejoicing-of
H4885-02 Isaiah 24:11 מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ mesos HNcmsc gladness rejoicing-of
H4885-01 Isaiah 32:13 מָשׂ֔וֹשׂ masos HNcmsa of joy rejoicing-delight
H4885-02 Isaiah 32:14 מְשׂ֥וֹשׂ mesos HNcmsc joy rejoicing-of
H4885-02 Isaiah 60:15 מְשׂ֖וֹשׂ mesos HNcmsc a joy rejoicing-of
H4885-05 Isaiah 62:5 וּ/מְשׂ֤וֹשׂ umesos HC/Ncmsc and-joy and rejoicing
H4885-01 Isaiah 65:18 מָשֽׂוֹשׂ masos HNcmsa joy rejoicing-delight
H4885-01 Isaiah 66:10 מָשׂ֔וֹשׂ masos HNcmsa for joy rejoicing-delight
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