Midvash

מָשָׁלmâshâl

proverb, parable

Pronunciation: maw-shawl' · Hebrew/Aramaic (Old Testament) · H4912

Meanings

1. proverbial saying, brief terse sentence of popular sagacity (1 Samuel 10:12; Ezekiel 12:22; Ezekiel 12:23)

2. by-word (Psalms 44:15; Psalms 69:12; Deuteronomy 28:37)

3. prophetic figurative discourse (Numbers 23:7; Numbers 23:18; Numbers 24:3)

4. similitude, parable (Ezekiel 17:2; Ezekiel 21:5; Ezekiel 24:3)

5. poem, of various kinds (Numbers 21:27-30; 1 Kings 5:12; Psalms 49:5)

6. sentences of ethical wisdom (Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 25:1; Proverbs 10:1-22:16)

Same root

Where it appears

Appears 39 times in the Bible.

  • Numbers 23:7 This was the message Balaam delivered: “Balak summoned me to come from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me! Come and announce Israel’s doom.’
  • Numbers 23:18 This was the message Balaam delivered: “Rise up, Balak, and listen! Hear me, son of Zippor.
  • Numbers 24:3 and this is the message he delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,
  • Numbers 24:15 This is the message Balaam delivered: “This is the message of Balaam son of Beor, the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,
  • Numbers 24:20 Then Balaam looked over toward the people of Amalek and delivered this message: “Amalek was the greatest of nations, but its destiny is destruction!”
  • Numbers 24:21 Then he looked over toward the Kenites and delivered this message: “Your home is secure; your nest is set in the rocks.
See every passage

Source: Brown, Driver and Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), public domain; markup by unfoldingWord, CC BY (github.com/unfoldingWord/Brown-Driver-Briggs-Enhanced).