v. rejoice, enjoy
Lev 23:40 ye shall rejoice before the Lord your
1Sa 2:1 Hannah prayed and said, My heart rejoices
2Ch 6:41 and your saints rejoice in your goodness
Neh 12:43 sacrificed that day .. rejoiced
Job 21:12 leap, and rejoice to the sound of the flute
Psa 60:8; 108:9
A. Verb samaj (jm’c; , 8055), “rejoice, be joyful”. This verb also occurs in Ugaritic (with the stems shh-mh) and perhaps in Aramaic-Syriac. It is found in all periods of Hebrew and some 155 times in the Bible. Samaj generally refers to a spontaneous emotion, intense joy expressed visibly and/or externally. It is almost never a perennial emotion or a lasting feeling of well-being. They are emotions that arise during parties, such as circumcision, weddings and harvests, or in celebration of some victory over an enemy. The men of Jabez burst into joy when they received the news that they would be delivered from the Philistines (1Sa 11:9). The emotion that samaj communicates is usually visible. In Jer 50:11 the Babylonians are accused of “rejoicing” over the pillage of Israel. They act out their emotions by wallowing like a “heifer on the grass” and neighing like horses. The emotion that the verb expresses (specified in the noun simjah) sometimes bursts into dances and songs accompanied by musical instruments. This is what the story about David and the women of Jerusalem on their return from defeating the Philistines wants to communicate (1Sa 18:6). “Rejoice” is almost always described as the product of an external situation, circumstance or experience, as can be seen in Exo 4:14, the first time samaj is used. God told Moses that Aaron was coming to meet him and “when he sees you, he will rejoice in his heart.” The passage speaks of an inner feeling that manifests itself visibly. When Aaron saw Moses, he expressed his joy by kissing him (v. 27). Therefore, the verb samaj suggests three elements: (1) spontaneous and momentary feeling of joy, (2) feeling so strong that it has to be externalized, (3) feeling motivated by some external and momentary stimulus. The verb is used in the intransitive form to indicate an action that turns on the subject (cf. 1Sa 11:9). When God is the subject, He is the one who “rejoices for joy”: “May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works” (nvi). The saints are to “rejoice in the Lord and be glad and shout for joy” (cf. Psa 32:11 lba). Hence samaj expresses happiness and joy. In the place the Lord chooses, Israel is to “rejoice” in all his blessings (Deu 12:7). In this context, the verb describes a situation in which one is placed in given circumstances. By extension, the word has a technical meaning related to everything that is done when preparing a feast for God: “On the first day you will take for yourselves the fruit of a beautiful tree: palm branches, branches of leafy trees and willows from the streams; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days” (Lev 23:40 rva). In some cases the verb describes a situation of continuous rejoicing. In 1 Ki 4:20 the reign of Solomon is summarized in the following terms: “Judah and Israel were many, as the sand that is by the sea in multitude, eating, drinking and rejoicing.” B. Name simjah (hj;m]ci , 8057), “joy.” This name, which is also found in Ugaritic, occurs 94 times in Biblical Hebrew. Simjah is a technical term for the external expression of “joy” (Gen 31:27 first case in the Bible; cf. 1Sa 18:6; Jer 50:11) as well as for the feeling and abstract concept of “joy”, which is the most usual meaning (Deu 28:47). It also expresses all the festive activity before God: “So all the people went to eat and drink, to send portions and to rejoice with great joy” (Neh 8:12 rva). The noun captures the colorful specificity of the verb, as in Isa 55:12 (rva): “Surely, with joy you will go out, and in peace you will go. The mountains and hills will break into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.” C. Adjective sameaj (j’mec; , 8056), “joyful, happy”. The adjective is found 21 times in the Old Testament. The first case is in Deu 16:15 “Seven days you shall celebrate the festival to the Lord your God in the place that the Lord has chosen. For Yahweh your God will have blessed you in all your fruits and in all the work of your hands, and you will be very happy” (rva).
Source: Vine Old Testament Dictionary
1. cairo (caivrw, 5463), rejoice, be glad. It is translated “rejoiced” (Mat 2:10, KJV, KJV); “rejoices” (18.13; KJV: “rejoices”); “they will rejoice” (Luk 1:14; KJV: “they will rejoice”); “do not rejoice” (10.20; KJV: “rejoice”); ditto: “rejoice” (RV: “rejoice”); 13.17: “rejoiced” (RV: “rejoiced”); 15.32: “rejoice” (RV, “rejoice”); Joh 14:28 “you would have rejoiced” (KJV: “you would have rejoiced”); 20.20: “they rejoiced” (RV: “they rejoiced”); Act 11:23 “rejoiced” (KJV, KJV); 13.48: “they rejoiced” (RV: “they were joyful”); 15.31: “they rejoiced” (RV: “they were joyful”); 1Co 16:17 “I rejoice” (KJV: “I rejoice”); 2Co 7:7 “I rejoiced” (KJV: “I rejoiced”); Phi 4:4, “Rejoice” (KJV: “Rejoice”); ditto: “Rejoice!” (RSV: “Rejoice ye”); 2 Joh_4 “I rejoiced” (RSV: “I have enjoyed”); 3 Joh_3 “I rejoiced” (KJV: “I rejoiced”); Rev 11:10 “they will rejoice” (KJV: “they will rejoice”). See ENJOY, A, NO. 2, and also JOY, WELCOME, JOY, JOYFUL, HAIL, HEALTH. 2. agaliao (ajgalliavw, 21), exult, rejoice greatly. It is mainly used in the middle voice (active in Luk 1:47); in some ms. in Joh 5:35, be made glad; “rejoice” (RVR; RV, “rejoice”; VM: “rejoice”). In the OT it is found in abundance in the Psalms, from 2.11 to 149.2.5 (LXX). It communicates the idea of a jubilant exultation, spiritual joy (Mat 5:12 “rejoice”, RV, RVR; VM: “rejoice”), the command of the Lord to his disciples; Luk 1:47 “rejoices” (KJV: “he rejoiced”; KJV: “has leaped for joy”), in Mary’s song; 10.21: “he rejoiced” (RV: “he rejoiced”; VM, he rejoiced exceedingly”), of the exultation of Christ; see Act 2:26, my tongue rejoiced” (RVR77: “jumped for joy”; VM: “rejoiced”); Jn.56: “he rejoiced” (RVR77: “he rejoiced”; VM: “he was filled with jubilation”), from Abraham; Act 16:34 “rejoiced” (RV: “rejoiced”), of the Philippian jailer; 1Pe 1:6,8: “you rejoice” (RV, RVR, RVR77; VM: “you rejoice”); 4.13: “with great joy” (RV: “in triumph”; VM: “with extreme joy”), of believers in general; in Rev 19:7, let us rejoice” (RV, RVR, RVR77; VM: “let us sing with joy”). See JOY, ENJOY, RECREATE. 3. suncairo (sugcaivrw, 4796), see ENJOY, A, No. 3. Translated “rejoiced with” in Luk 1:58 (KJV, VM: “rejoiced with”); Phi 2:17 “rejoicing” (RSV: “I congratulate”; VM: “rejoicing”); v. 18: “rejoice †¦ with me” (RSV: “rejoice with”; VM: “you rejoice with”). See also PARABIEN (give the). 4. euphraino (eujfraivnw, 2165), to rejoice, in the active voice, to make glad (2Co 2:2 “let me be glad”; KJV: “let me be glad”). It is used in the other passages in the passive voice, meaning to be happy, to rejoice, and is translated with the verb rejoice in Luk 12:19 “rejoice” (KJV: “rejoice”); 15.24: “rejoice” (RV, RVR); Act 7:41 “rejoiced” (KJV: “rejoiced”); Gl 4.27: “Rejoice, oh barren” (RV: “Rejoice”). See JOY, A, Nº 2, and also BANQUET, ENJOY, DO BANQUET.
Source: Vine New Testament Dictionary