Hebrew word · H5970

עָלַץ

'alatz

to rejoice

To exult or triumph. It is the joy of someone who has been vindicated or has won. It can be used well (Hannah: 'My heart exults in the LORD… I rejoice in your salvation,' 1 Samuel 2:1) or badly, of enemies gloating (Psalm 25:2, 'do not let my enemies exult over me').

Appears 8 times in 8 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to rejoice, exult

1a) (Qal) to exult

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Psalm 68:3

Range of meaning

To exult or triumph. It is the joy of someone who has been vindicated or has won. It can be used well (Hannah: 'My heart exults in the LORD… I rejoice in your salvation,' 1 Samuel 2:1) or badly, of enemies gloating (Psalm 25:2, 'do not let my enemies exult over me').

Against the English

'Rejoice' (KJV, WEB, BSB) loses the note of victory. 'Exult' (YLT, ESV, NASB) keeps it better.

Used elsewhere in the period

1 Samuel 2:1; Psalm 5:11; Psalm 9:2; Proverbs 11:10 ('when the righteous prosper, the city exults; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy'). That proverb has nearly the same logic as Psalm 68:2–3. The related form 'alaz appears in the next verse (v. 4, 'ilzu lefanav, 'exult before him').

From the study of Psalm 9:2

Range of meaning

To exult, rejoice triumphantly. It is closely related to the roots ʿālaz and ʿālas. It often describes the joy of vindication over enemies or the joy of the righteous when they prevail.

Against the English

BSB, KJV and WEB have 'rejoice'. ESV and YLT have 'exult', which better keeps the note of triumph. 'Rejoice' after 'be glad' turns the pair into near-synonyms and loses the step up in intensity.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hannah: 'My heart exults (ʿālats) in the LORD… I rejoice in your salvation', after her vindication over her rival (1 Sam 2:1). Ps 5:11: those who love God's name 'exult in you'. Prov 28:12: 'when the righteous triumph (ba-ʿălōts), there is great glory'. The Septuagint uses agalliaomai, 'to exult, leap for joy'.

From the study of Proverbs 28:12

Range of meaning

To exult, rejoice jubilantly, triumph with joy. It is used for public, demonstrative gladness, often after deliverance or victory: Hannah's 'my heart exults in the LORD … I rejoice in your salvation' (1 Sam 2:1), and the fear that 'the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult' over Saul's defeat (2 Sam 1:20). It can also be used for gloating by enemies (Ps 25:2).

Against the English

KJV 'rejoice' and YLT 'exulting' keep the verb's own meaning. BSB, WEB, NIV, ESV, NASB 'triumph' and NLT 'succeed' give the situation behind the joy: the righteous rejoice because they have prevailed. That is a fair reading of the sense, but it swaps the emotion for the political outcome.

Used elsewhere in the period

Hebrew Bible: 1 Sam 2:1; 2 Sam 1:20; Ps 5:11; 68:3; Prov 11:10 uses the related noun rinnâ ('shout of joy') in a close parallel ('when the righteous prosper the city rejoices'). Its near-relatives ʿālas and ʿālaz cover the same field (HALOT).

Where it appears

1 Samuel · 1

  1. 1 Samuel 2:1 עָלַ֤ץ it rejoices

    At that time Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD. My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, for I rejoice in Your salvation.

    Here: A strong word of jubilant, triumphant joy, often the joy of someone who has been vindicated or has won. Stronger than "is glad"; closer to "exults" or "triumphs".

1 Chronicles · 1

  1. 1 Chronicles 16:32 יַעֲלֹ֥ץ let it exult

    Let the sea resound, and all that fills it; let the fields exult, and all that is in them.

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 5:11 וְֽיַעְלְצ֥וּ and let them exult

    But let all who take refuge in You rejoice; let them ever shout for joy. May You shelter them, that those who love Your name may rejoice in You.

    Here: The joy of someone who has been vindicated, the gladness of the rescued over the danger they escaped (as in Hannah's song, 1 Sam 2:1). The joy words build: glad, then shouting, then exulting.

  2. Psalm 9:2 וְאֶעֶלְצָ֣ה and I will exult

    I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

    Here: 'And let me exult.' A stronger, rarer word than the first. It is the jubilation of someone who has been rescued or has won. Coming just before verse 3 (enemies turning back), it carries the note of victory celebration.

  3. Psalm 25:2 יַֽעַלְצ֖וּ they exult

    in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.

    Here: A wish form: 'may they not celebrate.' Here the word means the loud, triumphant joy of a winner standing over a beaten rival.

  4. Psalm 68:3 יַֽ֭עַלְצוּ may they exult

    But the righteous will be glad and rejoice before God; they will celebrate with joy.

    Here: A stronger word: joy at being vindicated, the triumph of a winner. Here the joy is over God's victory, since his enemies have just been scattered. It comes with no 'and', right after the first verb, so the two run together quickly: 'be glad, exult!'

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 11:10 תַּעֲלֹ֣ץ it rejoices

    When the righteous thrive, the city rejoices, and when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.

    Here: An imperfect verb, the form Proverbs uses for what typically and repeatedly happens: 'a town exults'. It names lively, public, often triumphant joy, not quiet contentment. The verb comes before its subject, which puts the joy first.

  2. Proverbs 28:12 בַּעֲלֹ֣ץ when rejoice

    When the righteous triumph, there is great glory, but when the wicked rise, men hide themselves.

    Here: The preposition 'in/when' joined to a verbal noun: 'when (the righteous) exult'. The verb is loud, triumphant joy, the cheering that follows a victory, so it implies the righteous have come out on top.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.