Lexical Summary
mashal: To speak in a proverb, to use a parable, to rule, to have dominion
Original Word:משׁל
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:mashal
Pronunciation:mah-SHAHL
Phonetic Spelling:(maw-shal')
KJV: be(-come) like, compare, use (as a) proverb, speak (in proverbs), utter
Word Origin:[denominative fromH4912 (מָשָׁל - proverb)]
1. to liken, i.e. (transitively) to use figurative language (an allegory, adage, song or the like)
2. intransitively, to resemble
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
become like, compare, use as a proverb, speak in proverbs, utter
Denominative frommashal; to liken, i.e. (transitively) to use figurative language (an allegory, adage, song or the like); intransitively, to resemble -- be(-come) like, compare, use (as a) proverb, speak (in proverbs), utter.
see HEBREWmashal
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. [] (Arabic
stand erect (compare Fl
DeProverbs 1:1), II.
effigiavit, representavit (rem alicui), see
imitate, use a verse as a poverb;
description by way of comparison; Assyrian
mašâlu, Dl
HWB 451 f.; Ethiopic
become like; Aramaic
be like,
compare).
Perfect3masculine singularPsalm 49:13;Psalm 49:21; 2masculine singularIsaiah 14:10; 1singularPsalm 28:1;Psalm 143:7: —be like, similar, withIsaiah 14:10;Psalm 28:1 =Psalm 143:7;Psalm 49:13;Psalm 49:21.
Imperfect2masculine plural suffixcompareIsaiah 46:5.
Imperfect1singularJob 30:19 (with )and I have become like dust..
II. , especially Ezekiel; —
ImperfectEzekiel 16:44; 3masculine pluralEzekiel 12:23;ImperativeEzekiel 17:2;Ezekiel 24:3;Infinitive constructEzekiel 18:3ParticipleEzekiel 16:44, pluralEzekiel 18:2;Numbers 21:27; —use a proverb:Ezekiel 12:23;Ezekiel 18:3; a parable withEzekiel 17:2 ("" ),Ezekiel 24:3; withEzekiel 18:2, and ( apparently omitted)Ezekiel 16:44 (but this is awkward; point );Numbers 21:27 (JE).,
ParticipleEzekiel 21:5is he not a maker of parables?
Topical Lexicon
Range of Meaning and Biblical UsageThe verb משׁל (māshal, Strong’s 4911) traces a dual thread through Scripture: it denotes both the act of making a comparison (“to be like, resemble”) and the craft of framing that comparison in proverb, parable, or taunt poem. The contexts show two principal spheres of operation. In worship and wisdom texts the verb underscores human frailty by likening people to transitory or ignoble things. In prophetic literature it authorizes a spoken instrument—parable, riddle, or proverb—through which God confronts, instructs, or judges His people.
Representative Texts
• Poetic analogy: “For if You remain silent, I will be like those who descend to the Pit” (Psalm 28:1).
• Wisdom critique: “Man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish” (Psalm 49:12; cf. 49:20).
• Prophetic proverb: “Son of man, pose a riddle, present a parable to the house of Israel” (Ezekiel 17:2).
• Divine challenge: “To whom will you liken Me…?” (Isaiah 46:5).
Proverbial and Parabolic Speech in the Prophets
Ezekiel employs māshal more than any other writer (Ezekiel 12:23; 16:44; 17:2; 18:2 – 3; 20:49; 24:3). Each instance highlights a clash between popular folk-sayings and God’s revelatory word. By commanding Ezekiel to utter divinely sanctioned parables, the Lord displaces cynical or fatalistic proverbs (“The fathers eat sour grapes…”) with fresh, authoritative truth that calls the nation to personal responsibility and repentance.
Wisdom, Humility, and Human Frailty
In Job and the Psalms the verb strengthens the moral logic of Hebrew poetry. Job mocks his counselors: “Your maxims are proverbs of ashes” (Job 13:12), exposing the hollowness of superficial wisdom. The psalmist’s repeated refrain that prosperous men are “like the beasts that perish” presses home the transience of earthly glory and the necessity of eternal perspective.
Divine Self-Revelation through Comparison
When the Lord asks, “To whom will you liken Me or count Me equal?” (Isaiah 46:5), He declares the inadequacy of every human analogy, even as He graciously speaks through analogy so that finite minds may apprehend His character. משׁל thus becomes a bridge between transcendence and intelligibility.
Foreshadowing of Christ’s Parables
The Old Testament prophets who “spoke in parables” prepare readers for the Messiah who “did not tell them anything without a parable” (Matthew 13:34). The same Hebrew concept underlies the Septuagint’s use of παραβολή, linking Ezekiel’s enacted allegories to Jesus’ kingdom stories. Both employ comparison to conceal from the proud and reveal to the humble.
Implications for Preaching and Discipleship
1. Illustrative power: Faithful preaching may legitimately employ story, analogy, and proverb, following the prophetic model, provided the comparison serves rather than supplants divine revelation.
2. Discernment: Believers must test cultural sayings against Scripture; some proverbs reflect divine wisdom, others fatalistic unbelief (Ezekiel 18:2 – 3).
3. Humility: Recognizing our likeness to “those who descend to the Pit” (Psalm 28:1) drives us to the Savior who was “numbered with transgressors” yet overcame the grave.
Key Occurrences (17)
Numbers 21:27;Job 13:12;Job 30:19;Psalm 28:1;Psalm 49:12;Psalm 49:20;Psalm 143:7;Isaiah 14:10;Isaiah 46:5;Ezekiel 12:23;Ezekiel 16:44 (twice);Ezekiel 17:2;Ezekiel 18:2;Ezekiel 18:3;Ezekiel 20:49;Ezekiel 24:3.
Forms and Transliterations
הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים הַמֹּשֵׁ֔ל המשל המשלים וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי וְתַמְשִׁל֖וּנִי וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל וּמְשֹׁ֣ל וּמְשֹׁ֤ל ואתמשל ומשל ונמשלתי ותמשלוני יִמְשְׁל֥וּ יִמְשֹׁ֖ל ימשל ימשלו מְמַשֵּׁ֥ל מְשֹׁ֛ל מִשְׁלֵי־ מֹֽשְׁלִים֙ ממשל משל משלי־ משלים נִמְשַׁ֖ל נִמְשָֽׁלְתָּ׃ נמשל נמשלת׃ ham·mō·šə·lîm ham·mō·šêl hammōšêl hammōšəlîm hammoShel hammosheLim mə·maš·šêl mə·šōl memashShel məmaššêl meShol məšōl miš·lê- mishlei mišlê- mō·šə·lîm mōšəlîm mosheLim nim·šā·lə·tā nim·šal nimšal nimšālətā nimShal nimShalta ū·mə·šōl umeShol ūməšōl vaetmashShel venimShalti vetamshiLuni wā’eṯmaššêl wā·’eṯ·maš·šêl wə·nim·šal·tî wə·ṯam·ši·lū·nî wənimšaltî wəṯamšilūnî yim·šə·lū yim·šōl yimšəlū yimsheLu yimShol yimšōl
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