Hebrew word · H8191

שַׁעֲשֻׁעִים

sha'ashu'im

delight

Delight, joy, something you take great pleasure in. The doubled root and the plural make it intense. Used of the law as the psalmist's delight (Ps 119:24, 77, 92, 143, 174), of Judah as God's "plant of delight" (Isa 5:7), and of Ephraim as God's "child of delights" (yeled šaʿăšuʿîm, Jer 31:20).

Appears 9 times in 9 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) delight, enjoyment

1a) delight

1b) object of delight

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 Proverbs 8:30

Range of meaning

Delight, joy, something you take great pleasure in. The doubled root and the plural make it intense. Used of the law as the psalmist's delight (Ps 119:24, 77, 92, 143, 174), of Judah as God's "plant of delight" (Isa 5:7), and of Ephraim as God's "child of delights" (yeled šaʿăšuʿîm, Jer 31:20). A related verb describes a nursing child playing over a snake's hole (Isa 11:8, šiʿăšaʿ) and being dandled on the knees (Isa 66:12).

Against the English

Most versions add "his" ("his delight"), making Wisdom the object of God's joy. Others make her the one who feels it ("filled with delight"). The Hebrew has neither "his" nor "my": literally "I was delights."

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint takes it as God's joy in her: egō ēmēn hē prosechairen, "I was the one in whom he rejoiced." In v. 31 the same word has a suffix: šaʿăšuʿay, "my delights (were with the sons of men)," which is Wisdom's own delight.

From the study of Proverbs 8:31

Range of meaning

Delight, joy, the object of fond pleasure. It comes from a root used for a child playing and for a parent fondling or dandling a child: the nursing infant "plays" over the cobra's hole (Isa 11:8), and restored Jerusalem's children are "dandled" on her knees (Isa 66:12). Ephraim is God's "child of delights" (Jer 31:20). Israel is the LORD's "plant of delight" (Isa 5:7). The psalmist calls God's instruction "my delight" again and again (Ps 119:24, 77, 92, 143, 174).

Against the English

"Delight" is a good rendering. English loses the plural, which shows intensity, and the hint of playful affection between parent and child that the root carries.

Used elsewhere in the period

Found in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalm 119 and Proverbs 8:30–31. The Vulgate has deliciae ("delights, darling"), and its phrase deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum became a well-known line in later Latin devotion.

From the study of Jeremiah 31:20

Range of meaning

Delight, delightful play, a source of pleasure. From šaʿaʿ (doubled form): to play, fondle, dandle, take delight.

Against the English

'Pleasant child' (KJV) is flat in modern English. 'Darling' or 'delightful child' (WEB, BSB) comes closer. YLT's 'child of delights' keeps the Hebrew plural, which intensifies the word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isaiah 11:8: the nursing infant 'plays' (šiʿaʿ) over the cobra's hole. Isaiah 66:12: Jerusalem's children will be 'dandled' on the knees. Proverbs 8:30–31: Wisdom was God's 'delight' daily, 'playing' before him. Psalm 119:24, 77 and elsewhere: 'your law is my delight'.

Where it appears

Psalms · 5

  1. Psalm 119:24 שַׁעֲשֻׁעָ֗י [are] delight<s> my

    Your testimonies are indeed my delight; they are my counselors.

    Here: A plural, intensive word for what one takes deep pleasure in. Elsewhere it is used of a cherished child or of play. The psalmist does not just put up with the testimonies. They are his joy.

  2. Psalm 119:77 שַֽׁעֲשֻׁעָֽי׃ [is] delight<s> my

    May Your compassion come to me, that I may live, for Your law is my delight.

    Here: "My delights": the plural strengthens the idea (utter delight). The root is used for a toddler at play and for a cherished, doted-on child. The torah is what the speaker enjoys, fondly and gladly, not a duty he tolerates. There is no "is" in the Hebrew; the clause simply sets the two nouns side by side: "your instruction, my delights."

  3. Psalm 119:92 שַׁעֲשֻׁעָ֑י [had been] delight<s> my

    If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction.

    Here: 'My delights', plural in Hebrew for intensity: total, absorbing pleasure. The root is used of a child at play and of a parent's fondness for a beloved child, so this is warm affection, not dutiful approval.

  4. Psalm 119:143 שַׁעֲשֻׁעָֽי׃ [are] delight<s> my

    Trouble and distress have found me, but Your commandments are my delight.

    Here: A plural noun of intense delight, used elsewhere for a cherished child and for the joy of play. With no verb, the line simply equates the two: your commandments are my delight.

  5. Psalm 119:174 שַׁעֲשֻׁעָֽי׃ [is] delight<s> my

    I long for Your salvation, O LORD, and Your law is my delight.

    Here: "My delights." The plural strengthens the meaning: my great joy. The word comes from a root linked to play and fond affection. Elsewhere it describes a parent's darling child, and Wisdom delighting before God. It is not grudging approval.

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 8:30 שַׁ֭עֲשֻׁעִים delight<s>

    Then I was a skilled craftsman at His side, and His delight day by day, rejoicing always in His presence.

    Here: A plural of a doubled word, which makes it intense: sheer delight, a source of joy. The Hebrew has no "his." It may mean she was God's delight (so most English versions) or that she was full of delight herself. Verse 31 uses the same word for her own delight ("my delights were with the sons of men").

  2. Proverbs 8:31 וְ֝שַׁעֲשֻׁעַ֗י and delight<s> my

    I was rejoicing in His whole world, delighting together in the sons of men.

    Here: "And my delights": the plural makes the delight intense and complete, not several separate delights. The word belongs to fond, playful pleasure, the kind a parent takes in a child or a child takes in a game. Verse 30 used it of Wisdom in relation to God. Here she uses it of her own pleasure.

Isaiah · 1

  1. Isaiah 5:7 שַׁעֲשׁוּעָ֑יו delight<s> his

    For the vineyard of the LORD of Hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the plant of His delight. He looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard a cry of distress.

    Here: 'His delights.' The plural strengthens the idea: his great delight, the thing he loves to tend and enjoy. The same word is used of a darling child (Jeremiah 31:20) and of Wisdom as God's daily delight (Proverbs 8:30).

Jeremiah · 1

  1. Jeremiah 31:20 שַׁעֲשֻׁעִ֔ים delight<s>

    Is not Ephraim a precious son to Me, a delightful child? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore My heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the LORD.

    Here: 'Delights.' It comes from a root meaning to play with, fondle, take pleasure in. A 'child of delights' is the toddler a parent plays with and dandles on the knee.

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