Reference: Proverb
Easton
a trite maxim; a similitude; a parable. The Hebrew word thus rendered (mashal) has a wide signification. It comes from a root meaning "to be like," "parable." Rendered "proverb" in Isa 14:4; Hab 2:6; "dark saying" in Ps 49:4; Nu 12:8. Ahab's defiant words in answer to the insolent demands of Benhadad, "Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off," is a well known instance of a proverbial saying (1Ki 20:11).
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With him I speak mouth to mouth [directly], clearly and not in dark speeches; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against My servant Moses?
The king of Israel answered, Tell him: Let not him who girds on his harness boast as he who puts it off.
I will submit and consent to a parable or proverb; to the music of a lyre I will unfold my riddle (my problem).
You shall take up this [taunting] parable against the king of Babylon and say, How the oppressor has stilled [the restless insolence]! The golden and exacting city has ceased!
Shall not all these [victims of his greed] take up a taunt against him and in scoffing derision of him say, Woe to him who piles up that which is not his! [How long will he possess it?] And [woe to him] who loads himself with promissory notes for usury!
Hastings
PROVERB
1. Meaning.
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And when all who knew Saul before saw that he spoke by inspiration among the [schooled] prophets, the people said one to another, What has come over [him, who is nobody but] the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets? One from that same place answered, But who is the father of the others? So it became a proverb, Is Saul also among the prophets?
As the proverb of the ancients says, Out of the wicked comes forth wickedness; but my hand shall not be against you.
I will submit and consent to a parable or proverb; to the music of a lyre I will unfold my riddle (my problem).
The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims, and parables) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: That people may know skillful and godly Wisdom and instruction, discern and comprehend the words of understanding and insight, read more. Receive instruction in wise dealing and the discipline of wise thoughtfulness, righteousness, justice, and integrity, That prudence may be given to the simple, and knowledge, discretion, and discernment to the youth -- " The wise also will hear and increase in learning, and the person of understanding will acquire skill and attain to sound counsel [so that he may be able to steer his course rightly] -- " That people may understand a proverb and a figure of speech or an enigma with its interpretation, and the words of the wise and their dark sayings or riddles.
That people may understand a proverb and a figure of speech or an enigma with its interpretation, and the words of the wise and their dark sayings or riddles. The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning and the principal and choice part of knowledge [its starting point and its essence]; but fools despise skillful and godly Wisdom, instruction, and discipline. read more. My son, hear the instruction of your father; reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother.
Her ways are highways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
The curse of the Lord is in and on the house of the wicked, but He declares blessed (joyful and favored with blessings) the home of the just and consistently righteous.
Listen (consent and submit) to the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge;
To make you know the certainty of the words of truth, that you may give a true answer to those who sent you?
The leech has two daughters, crying, Give, give! There are three things that are never satisfied, yes, four that do not say, It is enough:
The leech has two daughters, crying, Give, give! There are three things that are never satisfied, yes, four that do not say, It is enough: Sheol (the place of the dead), the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that says not, It is enough.
Sheol (the place of the dead), the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water, and the fire that says not, It is enough. The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young vultures will devour it.
The eye that mocks a father and scorns to obey a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young vultures will devour it. There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand:
There are three things which are too wonderful for me, yes, four which I do not understand: The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid.
The way of an eagle in the air, the way of a serpent upon a rock, the way of a ship in the midst of the sea, and the way of a man with a maid. This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness.
This is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, I have done no wickedness. Under three things the earth is disquieted, and under four it cannot bear up:
Under three things the earth is disquieted, and under four it cannot bear up: Under a servant when he reigns, a [empty-headed] fool when he is filled with food,
Under a servant when he reigns, a [empty-headed] fool when he is filled with food, An unloved and repugnant woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she supplants her mistress.
An unloved and repugnant woman when she is married, and a maidservant when she supplants her mistress. There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise:
There are four things which are little on the earth, but they are exceedingly wise: The ants are a people not strong, yet they lay up their food in the summer;
The ants are a people not strong, yet they lay up their food in the summer; The conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks;
The conies are but a feeble folk, yet they make their houses in the rocks; The locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands;
The locusts have no king, yet they go forth all of them by bands; The lizard you can seize with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces.
The lizard you can seize with your hands, yet it is in kings' palaces. There are three things which are stately in step, yes, four which are stately in their stride:
There are three things which are stately in step, yes, four which are stately in their stride: The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and turns not back before any;
The lion, which is mightiest among beasts and turns not back before any; The war horse [well-knit in the loins], the male goat also, and the king [when his army is with him and] against whom there is no uprising.
The war horse [well-knit in the loins], the male goat also, and the king [when his army is with him and] against whom there is no uprising.
Behold, everyone who uses proverbs will use this proverb against you: As is the mother, so is her daughter.
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! They are saying of me, Does he not speak in parables and make allegories?
At that time Jesus began to say, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth [and I acknowledge openly and joyfully to Your honor], that You have hidden these things from the wise and clever and learned, and revealed them to babies [to the childish, untaught, and unskilled].
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to go into the kingdom of heaven.
In that same hour He rejoiced and gloried in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have concealed these things [relating to salvation] from the wise and understanding and learned, and revealed them to babes (the childish, unskilled, and untaught). Yes, Father, for such was Your gracious will and choice and good pleasure.
For in this the saying holds true, One sows and another reaps.
Morish
The word chidah is once translated 'proverb,' Hab 2:6 but is often translated 'riddle.' It signifies 'problem,' a hidden mode of speaking, which conceals the sense under figurative expressions. The parable of the great eagle in Eze 17:2-3, is also called a 'riddle.' The word commonly translated 'proverb,' and used for the Book of Proverbs is mashal, signifying 'comparison, similitude.' Proverbs are short sentences calculated to arrest attention and be retained in the memory. De 28:37; 1Sa 24:13; Ps 69:11; Pr 1:1; Ec 12:9; Isa 14:4; Jer 24:9; Eze 12:22-23; 18:2-3; etc. In the N.T. are the words
1, ????????, 'a similitude, comparison.' In the A.V. this is only once translated 'proverb,' Lu 4:23; but is often translated 'parable.'
2, ????????: this is more an obscure saying, Joh 16:25,29; 2Pe 2:22; it is translated 'parable' in Joh 10:6, but 'allegory' would be a better rendering.
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And you shall become an amazement, a proverb, and a byword among all the peoples to which the Lord will lead you.
When I made sackcloth my clothing, I became a byword (an object of scorn) to them.
The proverbs (truths obscurely expressed, maxims, and parables) of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
And furthermore, because the Preacher was wise, he [Solomon] still taught the people knowledge; and he pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs.
You shall take up this [taunting] parable against the king of Babylon and say, How the oppressor has stilled [the restless insolence]! The golden and exacting city has ceased!
I will even give them up to be a dismay and a horror and to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach, a byword or proverb, a taunt, and a curse in all places where I will drive them.
Son of man, what is this proverb that you have in the land of Israel, saying, The days drag on and every vision comes to nothing and is not fulfilled? Tell them therefore, Thus says the Lord God: I will put an end to this proverb, and they shall use it no more as a proverb in Israel. But say to them, The days are at hand and the fulfillment of every vision.
Son of man, put forth a riddle and speak a parable or allegory to the house of Israel; Say, Thus says the Lord God: A great eagle [Nebuchadnezzar] with great wings and long pinions, rich in feathers of various colors, came to Lebanon [symbolic of Jerusalem] and took the top of the cedar [tree].
What do you mean by using this proverb concerning the land of Israel, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? As I live, says the Lord God, you shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.
Shall not all these [victims of his greed] take up a taunt against him and in scoffing derision of him say, Woe to him who piles up that which is not his! [How long will he possess it?] And [woe to him] who loads himself with promissory notes for usury!
So He said to them, You will doubtless quote to Me this proverb: Physician, heal Yourself! What we have learned by hearsay that You did in Capernaum, do here also in Your [own] town.
Jesus used this parable (illustration) with them, but they did not understand what He was talking about.
I have told you these things in parables (veiled language, allegories, dark sayings); the hour is now coming when I shall no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but I shall tell you about the Father in plain words and openly (without reserve).