מָחָא

From the study of Isaiah 55:12

Range of meaning

To strike or clap the palm. Hebrew has several 'clapping' phrases, and their meaning depends on context. They can mean acclaim of a king or victor (2 Kgs 11:12, with a different verb; Ps 47:1), or scorn and glee at someone's downfall (Lam 2:15; Nah 3:19; Ezek 25:6, with a related verb).

Against the English

'Clap their hands' is accurate. A modern reader may picture polite applause after a performance. The ancient picture is the public roar of a crowd greeting a king or celebrating a victory.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 98:8: 'Let the rivers clap (yimcha'u) a palm, let the mountains shout together (yerannenu) before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth.' This uses the same rare verb and the same pairing of clapping with shouting, in an enthronement psalm (a psalm celebrating the LORD as King). 2 Kgs 11:12: at Joash's coronation 'they clapped the palm and said, Long live the king!'

From the study of Psalm 98:8

Range of meaning

To strike or slap, especially the hands together. The Aramaic relative means 'strike' (Daniel 4:35 [Aramaic 4:32]: no one can 'strike his hand,' that is, hold it back). The Hebrew verb is rare: Isaiah 55:12 (trees clap hands for joy), Ezekiel 25:6 (Ammon claps hands in spiteful glee over Jerusalem's fall), and here.

Against the English

'Clap their hands' is accurate. What modern readers may miss is the social setting: this is less like applause after a concert and more like a crowd's acclamation when a king is enthroned or arrives.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hand-clapping as acclamation of a king: 2 Kings 11:12, where at Joash's crowning 'they clapped their hands and said, Long live the king!' (a different verb, nākāh). Psalm 47:1 [Hebrew 47:2]: 'Clap your hands, all peoples… for the LORD Most High is… a great King' (verb tāqaʿ). Ezekiel 25:6 shows clapping could also be gloating, so it is a strong, public, emotional gesture.

From the study of Ezekiel 25:6

Range of meaning

To strike, clap. In Biblical Hebrew it appears only three times: Isaiah 55:12 ('the trees of the field will clap their hands'), Psalm 98:8 ('let the rivers clap their hands') and here. The Aramaic form of the same root means 'to strike, smite' (Daniel 2:34–35, the stone that strikes the statue; Daniel 5:19).

Against the English

English 'clap' is accurate. Today it sounds like applause, and in a sense that is right: this is applause at a disaster. The Aramaic link shows a hard slap of hand against hand.

Used elsewhere in the period

Both other Hebrew uses describe creation joining in festive praise, so the verb carries plain joy. In the wider biblical world, hand-clapping could mean acclaiming a king (2 Kings 11:12, with a different verb), mocking (Lamentations 2:15; Job 27:23), or celebrating a tyrant's fall (Nahum 3:19). Ezekiel himself is told to 'strike with your hand and stamp with your foot' in grief and outrage over Israel's sins (6:11; compare 21:14, 17).