BDB4874
II. מָשָׁל noun masculine Isa 14:4 proverb, parable (of sentences constructed in parallelism, usually of Hebrew Wisdom, but occasionally of other types); — absolute ׳ מ Ezek 17:2 + 20 t.; construct מְשַׁל 1Sam 24:14 suffix מְשָׁלוֺ Num 23:7 + 8 t.; plural מְשָׁלִים Eccl 12:9 + 2 t.; construct מִשְׁלֵי Prov 1:1 + 3 t.; —
1.
proverbial saying, brief terse sentence of popular sagacity 1Sam 10:12; Ezek 12:22; Ezek 12:23
; Ezek 18:2;
Ezek 18:3
הַקַדְמֹנִי
׳
מ
1Sam 24:14
proverb of the ancients.
2.
by-word
Ps 44:15;
Ps 69:12
לְמָשָׁל
וְלִשְׁנִינָה
Deut 28:37;
1Kgs 9:7; 2Chr 7:20;
Jer 24:9
לְאוֺת
וּלְמָשָׁל
Ezek 14:8
3. prophetic figurative discourse: נָשָׂא מָשָׁל
lift up, utter a
׳
מ
Num 23:7; Num 23:18; Num 24:3; Num 24:15; Num 24:20; Num 24:21; Num 24:23 (all of
Balaam); Isa 14:4;
Mic 2:4 (||
נהי) Hab 2:6
(|| חידה), (compare Job 27:1; Job 29:1 for same phrase under 6).
4.
similitude, parable, Ezek 17:2; Ezek 21:5; Ezek 24:3.
5.
poem, of various kinds: the ode (Num 21:27-30), the 3,000 pieces traditionally ascribed to Solomon
1Kgs 5:12,
didactic psalms Ps
49:5; Ps
78:2.
6.
sentences of ethical wisdom
דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים collected in the מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה
Prov 10:1;
Prov 25:1 (
Prov
10:1-22:16 consisting of 376 couplets chiefly antithetical; Prov 25:1-29:200 chiefly couplets
of an emblematic type, but also occasional tristichs, tetrastichs, pentastichs, and decastichs. To these are
appended דְּבָרִים of a more mixed character as to size and content Prov 30:1-14 Prov 30:15-33
; Prov
31:1-9 Prov 31:10-31 the Praise of Wisdom Prov 1:8-9 is prefixed, and an introduction to the
whole Prov 1:1-7
, in which the whole contents are represented as) משׁלים
Prov 1:1, compare
Prov 1:6. The
references in
Job 13:12; Job 27:1; Job 29:1; Prov 26:7; Prov 26:9; Eccl 12:9 are to the same type of wisdom.