The Greek verb gelaō (γελάω) means to laugh. It appears only twice in the New Testament, both in Luke — once in the Beatitudes (those who weep now will laugh) and once in the corresponding woe (those who laugh now will mourn). Laughter in the Bible carries both positive and negative dimensions.
Gelaō in Luke 6:21 carries the weight of eschatological reversal: 'Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.' This is not mere comfort but a revolutionary announcement. The present order of suffering is not the final word. God's kingdom inverts human expectations — the mourning become the laughing; the hungry become the filled. The promised gelaō of the kingdom is not superficial cheerfulness but the deep, full-throated laughter of final redemption and justice.