Isaac

Semitic ṣḥq & šḥq for “laughing” & “mocking”

The name Isaac, and its word root which means “laughing”, are spelled in the 2 variants צחק ṣḥq & שחק šḥq. Both mean the same thing: “laughing”, and by derivation “mocking”, “playing”, “performing”. All meanings are already found in the Bible, and still in modern Hebrew.

Occurrences for “mockery” & “performance”

Abraham’s story has many different layered messages, both spooky & genuine. For Abraham & Sarah, I had previously suspected puns with “adoption” and “rival wife”. But the directly encrypted spooky meaning seems to be that Abraham is a gay man who hides his homosexuality with chastity, and that’s why he doesn’t have children. I’m currently still not sure about Isaac’s later role in that story, but he may be meant as an adopted “mock” child.

The pun with the word “mocking” is even hinted at in Isaac’s official story: His mother Sarah says that everyone will “laugh” towards her for her new child. At the weaning feast, her rival Hagar’s son Ishmael “mocks” her and her child Isaac. For that, Sarah has Hagar & Ishmael thrown out of the camp.

And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh [or: into a mockery], so that all that hear will laugh with me [or: at me].

wtˀmr šrh ṣḥq ˁšh ly ˀlhym kl hšmˁ yṣḥq ly

ותאמר שרה צחק עשה לי אלהים כל השמע יצחק לי

Genesis 21:6

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

wtrˀ šrh ˀt bn hgr hmṣryt ˀšr yldh lˀbrhm mṣḥq

ותרא שרה את בן הגר המצרית אשר ילדה לאברהם מצחק

Genesis 21:9

The meaning of “entertaining” & “performing” something intended for others to see is also attested in the Bible.

So it happened, when their hearts were merry, that they said, “Call for Samson, that he may perform for us.” So they called for Samson from the prison, and he performed for them. And they stationed him between the pillars.

wyhy ky ṭwb lbm wyˀmrw qrˀw lšmšwn wyšḥq lnw wyqrˀw lšmšwn mbyt hˀsyrym wyṣḥq lpnyhm wyˁmydw ˀwtw byn hˁmwdym

ויהי כי טוב לבם ויאמרו קראו לשמשון וישחק לנו ויקראו לשמשון מבית האסירים ויצחק לפניהם ויעמידו אותו בין העמודים

NKJV Judges 16:25

Modern meaning of šḥqn as “movie actor”

Even in modern Hebrew, the everyday words for “movie actor”, and for “playing a role” are still שחקן šḥqn sakhqan and שיחק šyḥq sikheq, both derived from the same root as the Biblical name Isaac.

An actor is a person who plays or performs a role in an artistic production. The term usually refers to a person appearing in a movie, theater, or television, and sometimes also refers to street performances.

šḥqn hwˀ ˀdm šmšḥq ˀw mṣyg tpqyd bhpqh ˀmnwtyt. bdrk kll hmwnḥ mtyyḥs lˀdm hmwpyˁ bsrṭ qwlnwˁ, btyˀṭrwn, ˀw bṭlwwyzyh, wlˁytym mtyyḥs gm lhwpˁwt rḥwb.

שחקן הוא אדם שמשחק או מציג תפקיד בהפקה אמנותית. בדרך כלל המונח מתייחס לאדם המופיע בסרט קולנוע, בתיאטרון, או בטלוויזיה, ולעיתים מתייחס גם להופעות רחוב.

Hebrew Wikipedia: שחקן

Hebrew yṣg for “theatrical representation”

There is also the term יצג yṣg for “representation” & “theatrical presentation”, which could also be related to the Isaac root. It is used in Genesis 47:2, where Joseph “presents” his brothers to the Pharaoh.

(It’s an anagram of modern Yiddish ציג ṣyg for “goat” (German Ziege), which may explain why goats became a mystic-Satanistic animal in medieval times.)