Laughter in the Bible: A Collection of Scriptures

Laughter in the Bible is like a thread of joy woven through moments of surprise, wonder, and even disbelief. This article highlights a collection of interesting Bible verses about laughter in its variations.

Laughter in the Bible: Old Testament

The theme of laughter emerges at key moments in the Old Testament, often highlighting moments of great joy, deliverance, God’s blessings, deliverance, surprise, etc. Let’s now focus on some of these instances. 

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Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.

Psalm 126:2 

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.”

Job 8:21

He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and your lips with shouting.

Ecclesiastes 3:4

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Psalm 32:11

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Genesis 21:6

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”

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Proverbs 14:13

Even in laughter the heart may ache, and the end of joy may be grief.

Proverbs 2:4

He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision.

Psalm 37:13

But the Lord laughs at the wicked, for he sees that his day is coming.

Psalm 16:11

You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Ecclesiastes 7:6

For as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fools; this also is vanity.

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Psalm 4:7

You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.

Proverbs 15:15 

All the days of the afflicted are evil, but the cheerful of heart has a continual feast.

Proverbs 31:25 

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come.

Psalm 16:8-11

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

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Ecclesiastes 10:19 

Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.

Job 12:4

I am a laughingstock to my friends; I, who called to God and he answered me, a just and blameless man, am a laughingstock.

Ecclesiastes 2:2 

I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?”

Psalm 59:8 

But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision.

Habakkuk 1:10

At kings they scoff, and at rulers they laugh. They laugh at every fortress, for they pile up earth and take it.

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

Proverbs 15:13

A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed.

Psalm 118:2

This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

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Ecclesiastes 7:3

Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad.

Genesis 17:17

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”

Proverbs 29:9

If a wise man has an argument with a fool, the fool only rages and laughs, and there is no quiet.

Genesis 18:12-15

So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

Psalm 47:1

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

Psalm 43:4 

Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God.

Nehemiah 8:10 

Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

Habakkuk 3:18 

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

Genesis 21:6-7 

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Psalm 30:11 

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

Proverbs 1:26

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you,

Jeremiah 33:11

The voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord…

Psalm 59:7-8

There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips— for “Who,” they think, “will hear us?” But you, O Lord, laugh at them; you hold all the nations in derision.

Isaiah 55:12

“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Ecclesiastes 8:15 

And I commend joy, for man has nothing better under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.

Job 5:22 

At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.

Psalm 98:4 

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!

Ecclesiastes 3:2-4

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Proverbs 31:25-26

Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.

Jeremiah 31:13 

Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy; I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.

Psalm 65:12-13 

The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Ecclesiastes 7:1-5

A good name is better than precious ointment, and the day of death than the day of birth. It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart. Sorrow is better than laughter, for by sadness of face the heart is made glad. The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth. It is better for a man to hear the rebuke of the wise than to hear the song of fools. 

Psalm 126:2-3

Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy; then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad.

Jeremiah 51:39

While they are inflamed I will prepare them a feast and make them drunk, that they may become merry, then sleep a perpetual sleep and not wake, declares the Lord

Psalm 16:8

I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.

Laughter in the Bible: New Testament

While the New Testament may not mention laughter as frequently as the Old Testament, it is rich with moments of joy that reflect the heart of the New Covenant. Joy is a recurring theme and the Bible encourages believers to be glad and have a cheerful spirit.

Let’s explore some of the powerful moments where the gift of laughter shines through.

Luke 6:21 

“Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

Ephesians 5:4

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

Philippians 4:4

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.

Revelation 1:1-2

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

James 4:9

Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.

1 Peter 4:13

But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.

Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

Luke 1:14 

And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,

John 15:11

These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

Luke 7:34

The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

Matthew 2:10 

When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

1 Peter 1:8

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

Luke 2:10

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

Luke 7:33-34

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

Revelation 11:1-2

Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told, “Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.

Mark 5:40

And they laughed at him. But he put them all outside and took the child’s father and mother and those who were with him and went in where the child was.

Matthew 5:16

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Luke 6:25

“Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

Matthew 25:21

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Galatians 5:22-23 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

John 3:16-17

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

Conclusion

It’s often said that laughter is the best medicine, and Scripture affirms this truth in powerful ways. Throughout the Bible, laughter reveals deeply human and beautifully divine moments.

From Sarah laughing in disbelief at God’s promise, to the Psalms overflowing with joy and holy laughter in response to God’s faithfulness, the Old Testament is filled with glimpses of how joy breaks through even the most unexpected moments. 

In the New Testament, while laughter is not always named directly, joy and gladness are mentioned several times. These moments remind us that laughter is more than just lightheartedness; it’s a spiritual gift reflected in the fruit of the Spirit.