Definition of joy
(n) Bing Dictionary
1. great happiness: feelings of great
happiness or pleasure,
especially of an elevated or spiritual kind
2. something that brings happiness:
a
pleasurable aspect of something or source of happiness
3. enjoy something: to delight in something
Synonyms: happiness, delight, pleasure, enjoyment, bliss, ecstasy, elation, joyfulness, thrill, gladness,
exultation, rapture
Sequoianoir:
the two Greek words used -- chairein and chaironton -- are both forms of the same Greek word:
chairo. It means 'to rejoice, be glad, full of joy.' The first is a Present
Active Infinitive, the second is a Present Active Participle (genitive case,
masculine, plural). This word is related to charis which means 'grace.' In its
broader meaning it is a form of greeting, such as 'be well' or 'thrive1.'
Yaarbiriah: Hebrew has several words for joy, each with
different shades of meaning.
'Simcha' (ch is a soft gutteral, between h and the ch of 'Bach') means happiness in the most full sense.
'Gila' is a stronger sensation of joy but more transient and worldly (related to 'gal' = wave.)
'rina' is a joy related to singing and shouting.
'ditza' is joy related to dancing.
'hanaah' enjoyment (of something specific2.)
'Simcha' (ch is a soft gutteral, between h and the ch of 'Bach') means happiness in the most full sense.
'Gila' is a stronger sensation of joy but more transient and worldly (related to 'gal' = wave.)
'rina' is a joy related to singing and shouting.
'ditza' is joy related to dancing.
'hanaah' enjoyment (of something specific2.)
The Greek word makarios reveals much about
some of the major sources of Biblical joy which means blessed. If we look at
Beatitudes of the Sermon on the Mount in Matt 5:3; it says, “Blessed are the
poor in Spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.” Spiros Zodhiates' Complete Word Study Dictionary (p.
937) gives a more
comprehensive definition: Blessed,
possessing the favour of God, that state of being marked by fullness from God.
It indicates the state of the believer in Christ, . . . said of one who becomes
a partaker of God's nature through faith in Christ. The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit because of Christ and as a
result should be fully satisfied no matter the circumstances. Makarios
differs from the word "happy"
in that the person is happy who has good luck (from the root hap meaning luck as a favourable
circumstance). To be makarios, blessed, is equivalent to
having God's kingdom within one's heart. Aristotle contrasts makarios to endees, the needy one. Makarios
is the one who is in the world yet independent of the world. His satisfaction
comes from God and not from favourable circumstances3.
The Amplified Bible translates Matthew 5:3 as: Blessed (happy, to be envied, and
spiritually prosperous—with life-joy and satisfaction in God's favour and
salvation, regardless of their outward conditions) are the poor in spirit (the
humble, who rate themselves insignificant), for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Verse 5 reads, "Blessed (happy, blithesome, joyous, spiritually
prosperous) . . ." and verse 9, "Blessed (enjoying enviable
happiness, spiritually prosperous). . . ."It is clear that for us to
experience biblical joy, the fruit of God's Spirit; we need godly inner
qualities that we do not possess by nature.
The book of Psalms is full of joyful
statements, often created amid difficult circumstances. Happiness and joy can
present at the same time, but happiness is conditional on circumstances whereas
joy is from God and that runs deeper. It can be present in a believer’s life in
spite of the situations even if it is overwhelming. A good example is seen in
Psalm 30, which is a Psalm and song at the dedication of the house of David.
“1I
will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And
have not let my foes rejoice over me. 2 O
Lord my God, I cried out to You, And
You healed me. 3 O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.[a] 4 Sing
praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give
thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.[b] 5 For
His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is
for life; Weeping
may endure for a night, But joy comes
in the morning. 6 Now in my
prosperity I said, “I shall never be moved.”
7 Lord, by
Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face, and
I was troubled. 8 I cried out to
You, O Lord; And to the Lord I made supplication: 9 “What profit is there in my blood, When I go
down to the pit? Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth? 10 Hear, O Lord,
and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper! 11 You have turned for me my mourning into
dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and
clothed me with gladness, 12 To
the end that my glory may sing
praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever”Psa:30.
The above psalm expresses
freely that remembrance of God should go from generation to generation and in
some measure we are all partakers of His holiness. Partaking in His holiness
does not come naturally to a fallen man and it is a process and very often we
learn a lot and get closer to God when we are in a valley. Please refer to my
writing on valleys and this will give deeper understanding in this perspective.
V.5; says that though we deserve God’s anger continuously, it lasts for a brief
time and He is a loving and compassionate God. Book of Romans reminds us that
God loved us even when we hated Him. V.6,
7, goes on to explain how David in his prosperity thought he will never be
removed, and he even thought his prosperity is fixed like a mountain which can
not be shaken! His prosperity was his health of body and God has given him
freedom from his enemies and David thought this will last for ever. When he thought he was stable, suddenly he
fell into trouble to the extent “his
mountain” was shaking and he lost his
so called stability. What did David do when
his mountain was shaken? He lifted his eyes to the Lord and cried out. The
Lord heard his prayer and turned his mourning into dancing and David was
rejoicing in the goodness of the Lord.
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and
clothed me with gladness, 12 To
the end that my glory may sing
praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever”.Psa:30:11-12. We observe that in due time God has
delivered the Psalmist from all his troubles, and he starts to praise God more
than ever.
What
was David’s response to turmoil? How did he handle his emotional conflicts?
Does he whine, or complain, miserable or did he blame God? When everything
around us is crashing how do we respond? We observe that David is quickly
turning his situation to God and crying out for help and he knows that only God
is able to change his circumstances.
A
good observation would be that all of us should be beware of carnal security
and try to hold things loose in this part of eternity. David, knew that the joy
he is experiencing is very temporal and very soon he will be in a place where
the joy is eternal. The prosperity and the inward peace we experience in this
part of eternity are temporal too and we have to set our focus heavenward where
it becomes continuous. Surely the Lord has set believer’s safety and security
as deep as the depth of the oceans and everlasting, but trials, temptations and
afflictions are part of the process to get to that eternal joy. The Lord is
able to turn our mourning into joy for His glory and can we trust Him to do
that?
End Notes:
What are the Hebrew or Greek words for joy
and rejoice - trivia question /questions answer / answers
3 Spiros Zodhiates' Complete Word Study Dictionary (p.
937) gives a more comprehensive definition
Website References:
Joy, the second fruit
of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22, is more than just happiness. There is a
joy that God gives that far exceeds mere human c
The book of Psalms is full of joyful statements, often created amid difficult
circumstances. Although happiness and joy can be present at
the same time, happiness is ...
joy (joi) n. 1. a.
Intense and especially ecstatic or exultant happiness. b. The expression or
manifestation of such feeling. 2. A source or an object of pleasure or ...
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2. R.T. Kendall. Understanding Theology, Developing a Healthy
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Theology of Christian Counseling, More than Redemption. Grand Rapids
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Handbook of Evangelical Theology, Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey
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Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1986, p.527-544.
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Basic Theology. Chicago
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Publishers, Inc.
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