מָשָׁל mashal

Hebrew word for “proverb” · Strong’s H4912 · used 39 times in 39 verses

Explore it in the Word Atlas

Meaning

1) proverb, parable; 1a) proverb, proverbial saying, aphorism;

How it is translated

Glosses given for mashal in context, with how often each is used:

• proverb 10
• oracle 7
• byword 6
• proverbs 6
• parable 3
• saying 3
• discourse 2
• bywords 1
• parables 1

Where it is used

Also in 2 more books.

Chapters where it is used most

Numbers 24 (5), Numbers 23 (2), Proverbs 1 (2), Proverbs 26 (2), Ezekiel 12 (2), Ezekiel 18 (2), Deuteronomy 28 (1), 1 Samuel 10 (1), 1 Samuel 24 (1), 1 Kings 4 (1)

Forms

• משׁלו 9
• משׁל 8
• למשׁל 6
• המשׁל 5
• משׁלי 4
• ומשׁל 2
• משׁלים 2
• במשׁל 1
• ולמשׁל 1
• ולמשׁלים 1

Words used with it

Words that share verses with mashal more often than their overall frequency would suggest:

• מָשַׁל mashal “to use a proverb” 6
• נָשָׂא nasa “to lift” 12
• חִידָה chidah “riddle” 5
• שְׁנִינָה sheninah “taunt” 4
• אֲדָמָה adamah “land” 4
• שָׁתַם shatam “to open” 2
• מְלִיצָה melitsah “mockery” 2
• זֶה zeh “this” 6
• כְּסִיל kesil “fool” 3
• יְהֹוִה yehovih “YHWH/God” 4
• אֲדֹנָי adonai “Lord” 4
• בְּעוֹר beor “Beor” 2

Key verses

The verses using mashal that are most connected by cross-references (King James Version):

• Numbers 23:7 — And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and…
• Deuteronomy 28:37 — And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword, among all nations whither the LORD shall lead thee.
• 1 Kings 9:7 — Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel…
• 2 Chronicles 7:20 — Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my…
• Proverbs 10:1 — The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother.
• Isaiah 14:4 — That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden city ceased!
• Jeremiah 24:9 — And I will deliver them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth for their hurt, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places…
• Ezekiel 12:22 — Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth?
• Ezekiel 14:8 — And I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I…
• Ezekiel 24:3 — And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Set on a pot, set it on, and also pour water into it:
• Micah 2:4 — In that day shall one take up a parable against you, and lament with a doleful lamentation, and say, We be utterly spoiled: he hath changed the portion of my…
• Habakkuk 2:6 — Shall not all these take up a parable against him, and a taunting proverb against him, and say, Woe to him that increaseth that which is not his! how long? and…

See all 39 verses in the Word Atlas

Hebrew and Greek text, tagging, glosses and lexicon definitions: STEPBible.org, Tyndale House Cambridge (TAHOT, TAGNT, TBESH, TBESG; CC BY 4.0), adapted. Counts follow King James verse numbering; a word counts each time it is written.