II. מָשָׁל noun masculine^{Isaiah 14:4} proverb, parable (of sentences constructed in parallelism, usually of Hebrew Wisdom, but occasionally of other types); — absolute ׳מ Ezekiel 17:2 20t.; construct מְשַׁל 1 Samuel 24:14; suffix מְשָׁלוֺ Numbers 23:7 8t.; plural מְשָׁלִים Ecclesiastes 12:9 2t.; construct מִשְׁלֵי Proverbs 1:1 3t.; —

1 proverbial saying, brief terse sentence of popular sagacity 1 Samuel 10:12; Ezekiel 12:22,23; Ezekiel 18:2,3; הַקַדְמֹנִי ׳מ 1 Samuel 24:14 proverb of the ancients.

2 by-word Psalm 44:15; Psalm 69:12; לְמָשָׁל וְלִשְׁנִינָה Deuteronomy 28:37; 1 Kings 9:7; 2Chronicles 7:20; Jeremiah 24:9; לְאוֺת וּלְמָשָׁל Ezekiel 14:8

3 prophetic figurative discourse: נָשָׂא מָשָׁל lift up, utter a ׳מ Numbers 23:7,18; Numbers 24:3,15,20,21,23 (all of Balaam); Isaiah 14:4; Micah 2:4 ("" נהי) Habakkuk 2:6 ("" חידה), (compare Job 27:1; Job 29:1 for same phrase under 6).

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

5 poem, of various kinds: the ode (Numbers 21:27-30), the 3,000 pieces traditionally ascribed to Solomon 1 Kings 5:12, didactic psalms Psalm 49:5; Psalm 78:2.

6 sentences of ethical wisdom דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים collected in the מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה Proverbs 10:1; Proverbs 25:1 (Proverbs 10:1-22:16 consisting of 376 couplets chiefly antithetical; Proverbs 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 Proverbs 22:7-24:22,23-34; Proverbs 30:1-14; Proverbs 30:15-33; Proverbs 31:1-9; Proverbs 31:10-31; the Praise of Wisdom Proverbs 1:8-9 is prefixed, and an introduction to the whole Proverbs 1:1-7, in which the whole contents are represented as) משׁלים Proverbs 1:1, compare Proverbs 1:6. The references in Job 13:12; Job 27:1; Job 29:1; Proverbs 26:7,9; Ecclesiastes 12:9 are to the same type of wisdom.