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# מָשַׁל

Biblical Hebrew · Strong's H4911

**use a proverb** — used 17 times in the Hebrew Bible. Below: its meanings with their sources, MACULA's glosses, and 2 verses word for word and in JPS 1917.

## Meaning

### OpenScriptures lexical index

use a proverb [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4911/#m1)

### Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906

מָשַׁל²: vb.denom. use proverb, speak in parables sentences of poetry [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4911/#m2)

**The whole BDB entry:** vb.denom. use a proverb, speak in parables or sentences of poetry, especially Ezek.;— Impf. יִמְשֹׁל Ez 16:44; 3 mpl. יִּמְשְׁלוּ 12:23; Imv. מְשֹׁל 17:2; 24:3; Inf. cstr. מְשֹׁל 18:3; Pt. מֹשֵׁל 16:44, pl. מֹשְׁלִים 18:2 Nu 21:27;—use a proverb: מ׳ מָשָׁל Ez 12:23; 18:3 + ב loc.; a parable c. אֶל־ 17:2 (‖ חוד), 24:3; c. עַל־ 18:2, and (מָשָׁל appar. om.) הִנֵּה כָּל־הַמּשֵׁל עָלַיִךְ יִמְשֹׁל 16:44 (but this is awkward; point הִנֵּה כֹּל הַמָּשָׁל); מֹשְׁלִים Nu 21:27 (JE). Pt. הֲלֹא מְמַשֵּׁל מְשַׁלִים הוּא Ez 20:49 is he not a maker of parables?

Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 8 of its verses cited, 3 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (8 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 2 words shared with the BDB entry, 2 with the glosses (8 candidates)

## Glosses

MACULA's English glosses of the word in the text, with how often each is used: I will be equal (2); he is like (2); speak a parable (2).

## In the verses

[Ezekiel 17:2](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/EZK.17.2/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/EZK.17.2/#tree)

בֶּן־אָדָ֕ם ח֥וּד חִידָ֖ה וּמְשֹׁ֣ל מָשָׁ֑ל אֶל־בֵּ֖ית יִשְׂרָאֵֽל׃

*Word for word:* O.son of.humankind ask.a.riddle a.riddle and speak.a.parable a.parable concerning the.house of.Israel

*JPS 1917:* 'Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel,

[Job 17:6](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.17.6/) · [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.17.6/#tree)

וְֽ֭הִצִּגַנִי לִמְשֹׁ֣ל עַמִּ֑ים וְתֹ֖פֶת לְפָנִ֣ים אֶֽהְיֶֽה׃

*Word for word:* and he has.set.me to use.a.proverb peoples and a.spitting to.\[the\] face I.am

*JPS 1917:* He hath made me also a byword of the people; and I am become one in whose face they spit.

## On Mova

- [This word in the Tanakh dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/4911.html) on Mova free.
- [Trees and pragmatics of its meanings](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1502/4911/): every English meaning parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.

Sources. The words, their counts, glosses and the word-for-word renderings: MACULA Hebrew (the Westminster Leningrad Codex; Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0). Meanings: the OpenScriptures lexical index (CC BY 4.0), Brown–Driver–Briggs 1906 and Jastrow 1903 (public domain, via Sefaria); Targum Onkelos from Sefaria (public domain). Translation: JPS 1917 (public domain, from eBible.org).