לָצוֹן

From the study of Isaiah 28:14

Range of meaning

An abstract noun, "scorn, mockery, scoffing," from the root l-y-ṣ / l-w-ṣ. That root also gives lēṣ, "scoffer," a fixed character type in Proverbs. The lēṣ is arrogant (Prov 21:24: "proud, haughty, 'scoffer' is his name"), will not take rebuke (9:7–8; 13:1; 15:12), and stirs up strife (22:10). The root also covers mocking or ridiculing speech (Ps 1:1; Job 16:20; Hos 7:5). Its causative forms carry the sense of acting as a go-between or interpreter (Gen 42:23; 2 Chr 32:31), which is why some see a basic idea of "talking big" or "twisting speech" behind it (HALOT; BDB).

Against the English

"Scoffers" (BSB, WEB, and most modern versions) and "scornful men" (KJV) are accurate. But to a modern ear, English "scoffer" can suggest a mere skeptic or someone who makes sarcastic remarks. The Hebrew type is morally heavier: a person whose arrogance has closed him to instruction, and whose contempt is dangerous to the community.

How it drifted

The English is not wrong, only lighter. "Scoff" has come to mean dismissive laughter rather than a settled, arrogant refusal of correction.

Used elsewhere in the period

The exact phrase ʾanshê lāṣôn, "men of scoffing," occurs only here and in Prov 29:8: "Men of scoffing set a city ablaze, but the wise turn away wrath." Prov 1:22 has Wisdom asking, "How long will scoffers delight in scoffing?" The lēṣ appears in Ps 1:1 among those the righteous avoid. At Qumran, the Damascus Document (CD 1:14; 20:11) speaks of "the Man of Mockery" (ʾîsh ha-lāṣôn), an opponent of the community. The title clearly draws on this verse and Prov 29:8.

From the study of Proverbs 29:8

Range of meaning

From the root lyts, "to scoff, deride, talk arrogantly." The noun lātsôn means scorn or insolent speech. Its agent, the lēts, is one of the stock types in Proverbs: the person who will not take correction and hates whoever rebukes him (9:7–8; 13:1; 15:12). Others cannot teach him (14:6; 19:25). He is defined as "proud, haughty: scoffer is his name" (21:24), and he stirs up strife (22:10: "drive out the scoffer, and contention goes out"). He sits in Psalm 1:1's "seat of scoffers."

Against the English

"Mockers" (BSB, WEB, NIV) can sound like teasers or jokers. "Scornful men" (KJV) and "scoffers" (ESV) are closer. None fully carries the sense of a settled, arrogant contempt for wisdom and accountability that spreads to others.

How it drifted

In modern English "mock" usually means ridicule or teasing. The Hebrew lēts is a moral and social category, the cynic who despises correction, not merely someone sarcastic.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 28:14 addresses "men of scoffing (ʾanshê lātsôn) who rule this people in Jerusalem," the identical phrase, used of leaders who mock the prophet's warnings. The Greek translation of Proverbs (LXX) often renders lēts as loimos, "pestilent man, plague." Psalm 1:1 LXX does the same ("seat of the pestilent"). Ancient readers saw the scoffer as a contagion in the community.