מָשָׁל

n.m. Is 14:4 proverb, parable (of sentences constructed in parallelism, usually of Hebrew Wisdom, but occas. of other types);—abs. מ׳ Ez 17:2 + 20 times; cstr. מְשַׁל 1 S 24:14; sf. מְשַׁלוֹ Nu 23:7 + 8 times; pl. מְשָׁלִים Ec 12:9 + 2 times; cstr. מִשְׁלֵי Pr 1:1 + 3 times;— proverbial saying, brief terse sentence of popular sagacity 1 S 10:12; Ez 12:22, 23; 18:2, 3; מ׳ הַקַּדְמֹנִי 1 S 24:14 proverb of the ancients. by-word ψ 44:15; 69:12; לְמָשָׁל וְלִשְׁנִינָה Dt 28:37 1 K 9:7; 2 Ch 7:20; Je 24:9; לְאוֹת וּלְמָשָׁל Ez 14:8. prophetic figurative discourse: נָשָׂא מָשָׁל lift up, utter a מ׳ Nu 23:7, 18; 24:3, 15, 20, 21, 23 (all of Balaam); Is 14:4; Mi 2:4 (‖ נהי) Hb 2:6 (‖ חידה), (cf. Jb 27:1; 29:1 for same phrase under 6). similitude, parable, Ez 17:2; 21:5; 24:3. poem, of various kinds: the ode (Nu 21:27–30), the 3,000 pieces traditionally ascribed to Solomon 1 K 5:12, didactic psalms ψ 49:5; 78:2. sentences of ethical wisdom דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים collected in the מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה Pr 10:1; 25:1 (10:1–22:16 consisting of 376 couplets chiefly antithetical; 25–29 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 in 22:7–24:22; 24:23–34; 30:1–14; v 15–33; 31:1–9; v 10–31; the Praise of Wisdom 1:8–9 is prefixed, and an introduction to the whole 1:1–7, in which the whole contents are represented as) משׁלים Pr 1:1, cf. v 6. The references in Jb 13:12; 27:1; 29:1; Pr 26:7, 9 Ec 12:9 are to the same type of wisdom.