Lol! How I struggled over this verse for a long, long time. First of all, I was told that “joy” in the Bible is not the same as “happiness.” When I was a new believer I was taught that “joy” in the Bible is “the inner peace that comes from knowing you are doing the will of God, despite the basic requirements of happiness not being met.” But now, with laughter being one of the manifestations of the Presence of the Holy Spirit in the church that old school definition has become absurd. I would explain it in the simplest way possible. There are at least five Hebrew words for “joy” in the Old Testament – simchah, sameach, chedvah, masos and sason. All these nouns for “joy” are associated with many more verb forms as well. Apparently, in the Hebrew culture having “joy” as a feeling is always accompanied by an action of rejoicing, celebration, exultation. In the New Testament there are only two Greek words for joy – chara (pronounced “cara”) and agalliasis (usually “exultation” in English). Then there is euphrosune for “gladness”. The verbs associated with them are also as few. I think that is one of the reasons why “joy” in the Bible was once taught as a very sober emotion (“the inner peace that comes from knowing you are doing the will of God,…). The writers of the New Testament were also Jewish people but they were writing in a language (Greek) that was not very expressive, including about “joy”. They say Greek is an exact language. But how can one be exact about “joy”? In Hebrew there are many kinds and degrees of them. The intensity and variety of feeling seems to have been lost in translation. The other reason is that the Presence of the Holy Spirit who brings joy to the church was in times past very limited. With the broad outpouring of the Holy Spirit in the church nowadays “joy” as an intense, outrageous emotion has come back to the church. So, yeah, I consider it pure joy when I encounter trials… yes, I am able to laugh and rejoice in the midst of trials because of the Holy Spirit who enables me! Now that verse is making sense.
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Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible, Bible App by YouVersion.com
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Art courtesy of YouVersion Bible app. I am using the Bible App by YouVersion.com for my daily devotion. Download it now for your mobile device. https://j794q.app.goo.gl/nd4yPrGj7Hbhy9Kk8
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