לִיץ

Genesis 42:23 הַמֵּלִ֖יץ the interpreter

They did not realize that Joseph understood them, since there was an interpreter between them.

2 Chronicles 32:31 בִּמְלִיצֵ֣י׀ in [the] envoys of

And so when ambassadors of the rulers of Babylon were sent to him to inquire about the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone to test him, that He might know all that was in Hezekiah’s heart.

Here: "In [the case of] the envoys of." The form is a participle meaning people who speak on behalf of others: interpreters, spokesmen, diplomatic intermediaries. The preposition "in" here means "in the matter of."

Job 16:20 מְלִיצַ֥י [are] scoffing at me

My friends are my scoffers as my eyes pour out tears to God.

Job 33:23 מֵלִ֗יץ a mediator

Yet if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him,

Here: A causative participle: 'one who makes speech pass between,' a go-between. Joseph's interpreter in Genesis 42:23 has this title. Here he speaks for the man before God and explains God's purpose to the man. The supplied gloss 'to mock' belongs to a different use of the same root and does not apply in this verse.

Psalm 1:1 לֵ֝צִ֗ים mockers

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.

Here: 'Scoffers'. In Proverbs these are the people who sneer at wisdom and moral instruction and will not accept correction (Prov 9:7–8; 21:24). They are the arrogant cynics, not just people who make jokes.

Psalm 119:51 הֱלִיצֻ֣נִי they have mocked me

The arrogant utterly deride me, but I do not turn from Your law.

Here: 'They have held me in scorn.' The same family of words as the 'scoffer' of Proverbs and Psalm 1:1. This is public, spoken ridicule, meant to shame, from people who will not take correction themselves.

Proverbs 1:22 וְלֵצִ֗ים and mockers

“How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge?

Here: 'And mockers.' The speech now talks about them rather than to them. These are the arrogant cynics of Proverbs who sneer at correction and at anyone who gives it (9:7–8; 21:24).

Proverbs 3:34 לַלֵּצִ֥ים יָלִ֑יץ <to the> mockers, he mocks

He mocks the mockers, but gives grace to the humble.

Here: 'To/at the scoffers'. In Proverbs the lēṣ is a fixed character type: the arrogant cynic who sneers at correction and cannot be taught (9:7–8; 13:1; 21:24). He is not just someone who jokes around.

Proverbs 9:7 לֵ֗ץ a mocker

He who corrects a mocker brings shame on himself; he who rebukes a wicked man taints himself.

Here: Not a joker but a set character type in Proverbs: the arrogant person who holds correction and wisdom in contempt and sneers at whoever offers it (13:1; 15:12; 21:24).

Proverbs 9:8 לֵ֭ץ a mocker

Do not rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.

Here: In Proverbs, the person whose settled attitude is contempt for correction and for wisdom itself. It means someone who sneers at instruction, not someone who jokes around.

Proverbs 9:12 וְ֝לַ֗צְתָּ and you mock

If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage; but if you scoff, you alone will bear the consequences.

Here: "And [if] you have scoffed": if you have taken the stance of the lēṣ, the scoffer, who treats correction with contempt (9:7–8). It does not mean light teasing. It means refusing to be taught, out of arrogance.

Proverbs 13:1 וְ֝לֵ֗ץ and a mocker

A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.

Here: 'And' (here contrastive: 'but') plus lēṣ, the scoffer: the arrogant person who treats wisdom and correction with contempt. He is the hardest case in Proverbs' line-up of fools, set here where one would expect simply 'a foolish son'.

Proverbs 14:6 לֵ֣ץ a mocker

A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none, but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

Here: In Proverbs this is the person who treats instruction, correction and moral order with arrogant contempt (21:24: 'proud, haughty, scoffer is his name'). He is a cynic who will not be taught, not just someone who likes jokes.

Proverbs 14:9 יָלִ֣יץ he mocks

Fools mock the making of amends, but goodwill is found among the upright.

Here: 'He scoffs', describing what habitually happens rather than a single incident. Most readers take it as 'each one of them scoffs'. This is the same contempt Proverbs assigns to its 'mocker', who rejects correction.

Proverbs 15:12 לֵ֭ץ a mocker

A mocker does not love to be reproved, nor will he consult the wise.

Here: A recognised character type in Proverbs: the arrogant person who treats wisdom and correction with contempt. The sneering is the symptom and the self-importance is the cause. He is more than someone who makes jokes.

Proverbs 19:25 לֵ֣ץ a mocker

Strike a mocker, and the simple will beware; rebuke the discerning man, and he will gain knowledge.

Here: Placed first for emphasis: "a scoffer". In Proverbs this is the arrogant person who scorns wisdom and hates being corrected (9:7–8; 13:1; 15:12). He is the hardest case of all, not simply someone who teases.

Proverbs 19:28 יָלִ֣יץ he mocks

A corrupt witness mocks justice, and a wicked mouth swallows iniquity.

Proverbs 19:29 לַלֵּצִ֣ים for <the> mockers

Judgments are prepared for mockers, and beatings for the backs of fools.

Here: 'For the scoffers.' In Proverbs the scoffer is the arrogant cynic who sneers at correction and at what is right. It is the most hardened of the types who reject wisdom. It echoes v. 28, where the corrupt witness 'scoffs at' (yalits) justice.

Proverbs 20:1 לֵ֣ץ [is] a mocker

Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by them is not wise.

Here: Placed first for emphasis. It is a set character type in Proverbs: the arrogant, sneering big-talker who refuses correction and can't become wise. Calling wine a lēṣ makes wine a person, and the kind of person it turns its drinker into.

Proverbs 21:11 לֵ֭ץ a mocker

When a mocker is punished, the simple gain wisdom; and when a wise man is instructed, he acquires knowledge.

Here: The scoffer: the arrogant person who treats correction with contempt. In Proverbs he is the one who will not learn (9:7–8; 13:1; 15:12). He is the person punished here, but he is not the one who learns from it.

Proverbs 21:24 לֵ֣ץ [is] mocker

Mocker is the name of the proud and arrogant man—of him who acts with excessive pride.

Here: In Proverbs this is the worst kind of fool. He sneers at instruction and hates being corrected. This is the 'name' the verse gives the insolent man: the label that sums up who he is.

Proverbs 22:10 לֵ֭ץ a mocker

Drive out the mocker, and conflict will depart; even quarreling and insults will cease.

Here: In Proverbs a stock figure: the arrogant person who treats correction, wisdom and other people with contempt and cannot be taught. No article, so "a scoffer": anyone of this type.

Proverbs 24:9 לֵֽץ׃ a mocker

A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men.

Here: A participle (a verb form used as a noun) meaning 'one who scoffs'. In Proverbs this is the hardened cynic who sneers at wisdom and rebuke and stirs up strife. It is held back to the end of the line for emphasis: '...and detestable to people is the scoffer.'

Isaiah 28:22 תִּתְלוֹצָ֔צוּ you show yourself a mocker

So now, do not mock, or your shackles will become heavier. Indeed, I have heard from the Lord GOD of Hosts a decree of destruction against the whole land.

Here: A rare, intensive-reflexive form: 'act the scoffer, put on the scoffer's attitude, keep on scoffing'. It points back to the 'men of scoffing' who rule Jerusalem (v. 14), who mimicked Isaiah's message as baby talk (vv. 9–10).

Isaiah 29:20 לֵ֑ץ [the] mocker

For the ruthless will vanish, the mockers will disappear, and all who look for evil will be cut down—

Here: In Proverbs this is a fixed character: the arrogant person who sneers at correction and at what is right. In Isaiah 28:14 the 'men of scoffing' are Jerusalem's own rulers. So this is not a joker but a contemptuous person with power.

Isaiah 43:27 וּמְלִיצֶ֖יךָ and spokesmen your

Your first father sinned, and your spokesmen rebelled against Me.

Here: "And your go-betweens." These were the people who stood between God and the nation and spoke for one to the other: prophets, priests and leaders. They should have carried God's word faithfully and spoken for the people before God.

Hosea 7:5 לֹצְצִֽים׃ scorners

The princes are inflamed with wine on the day of our king; so he joins hands with those who mock him.

Here: An unusual form found only here. It means 'scoffers': arrogant men who sneer at moral restraint and at God. In Proverbs they are the type who will not take correction. The ending puts the king among the wrong crowd at the very moment he is most exposed.