H4911 — מָשַׁל (mashal)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: H4911
Original: מָשַׁל
Transliteration: mâshal
Pronunciation: maw-shal'
Part of Speech: Verb (denominative)
Root: Denominative from H4912 מָשָׁל (mashal, noun) — "proverb, parable, similitude"
Occurrences: 20 tokens across ~17 unique verses in 6 books
First Occurrence: Num 21:27 — "Wherefore they that speak in proverbs (mashal) say, Come into Heshbon..."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

Denominative from H4912; 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.

The verb operates on two axes that mirror its parent noun: an active axis ("to utter a mashal" — to speak in figurative/proverbial form) and a stative axis ("to be like, resemble, become similar"). English glosses split along this line: "speak in proverbs / use a proverb / utter a parable" vs. "become like / be like / compare."

Verb Stem Distribution¶

Stem	Approx. Count	Typical Meaning
Qal	~10	speak in proverbs, use a proverb, utter a parable (active — produce a mashal)
Niphal	~6	become like, be compared to, resemble (stative/passive — the intransitive sense of Ps 28:1; 49:12,20; 143:7; Isa 14:10)
Piel	~2	use / cite as a proverb (factitive — Ezekiel's "use this proverb")
Hiphil	~1	compare / set alongside (Isa 46:5 — "compare me")

[Stem counts approximate; tallied from parallel-form signals in KJV translations since hebrew_parser TF load failed. The Ezekiel cluster skews toward Piel/Qal "use / cite a proverb"; the Psalms cluster is consistently Niphal "be like."]

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation Phrase	Count	%
use / useth / to use (as a proverb)	5	25%
(be / become / am) like / lest I be like	6	30%
speak (in proverbs) / speak parables	3	15%
(that) useth / speak in proverbs	2	10%
compare	1	5%
utter (a parable)	1	5%
as a proverb	1	5%
proverb (nominalized by KJV)	1	5%

The distribution falls into two major clusters: (a) proverb/parable speech-acts (~55%, concentrated in Ezekiel) and (b) stative resemblance (~35%, concentrated in Psalms and Isaiah 14). KJV translates the verb adverbially or with auxiliary forms often enough that the distinct "speech-act" reading can be missed.

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
Ezekiel	9	0.7
Psalms	4	0.2
Isaiah	2	0.2
Numbers	1	0.1
Job	1	0.1
(Proverbs 1:1, if counted)	1	0.1

Ezekiel dominates (~45% of all occurrences), where the verb carries the technical sense "to use/utter the proverb" in denunciations of popular sayings about God's justice (18:2–3) or the delay of prophecy (12:22–23). The Psalms cluster is entirely the stative/Niphal use ("become like" — always in the context of mortality or descent to the pit). Absent from the Pentateuch outside a single Numbers occurrence (Balaam oracle) and absent from the wisdom corpus (except Job 30:19 and the Proverbs incipit).

Semantic Categories¶

1. To Speak / Utter a Mashal (active speech-act)¶

The verb takes a noun-cognate object (mashal/chidah); the speaker produces a figurative or oracular utterance. - Num 21:27 — "they that speak in proverbs (ha-moshelim) say, Come into Heshbon..." - Eze 17:2 — "put forth a riddle, and speak a parable (u-meshol mashal) unto the house of Israel" - Eze 24:3 — "And utter a parable (u-meshol... mashal) unto the rebellious house" - Eze 20:49 — "they say of me, Doth he not speak parables? (ha-lo memashel meshalim hu)"

2. To Use / Cite a Current Proverb (factitive)¶

Concentrated in Ezekiel's polemic: the people "use" a circulating proverb that expresses defective theology, and YHWH announces He will cause the proverb to cease. - Eze 12:23 — "they shall no more use it as a proverb (velo yimshelu oto... mashal) in Israel" - Eze 16:44 — "every one that useth proverbs (ha-moshel) shall use this proverb (yimshol) against thee" - Eze 18:2 — "What mean ye, that ye use this proverb (moshlim et ha-mashal ha-zeh) concerning the land of Israel" - Eze 18:3 — "ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb (limshol ha-mashal ha-zeh) in Israel"

3. To Become Like / Resemble (Niphal stative — descent motif)¶

Always with a ל or כ comparison-particle; consistently deployed in laments where the speaker fears being assimilated to the dead or to perishing beasts. - Psa 28:1 — "lest... I become like (ve-nimshalti im) them that go down into the pit" - Psa 49:12 — "man being in honour abideth not: he is like (nimshal) the beasts that perish" - Psa 49:20 — "Man that is in honour, and understandeth not, is like (nimshal) the beasts that perish" - Psa 143:7 — "hide not thy face from me, lest I be like (ve-nimshalti im) them that go down into the pit"

4. To Be Compared / Set Alongside (Hiphil comparison)¶

Idol-polemic idiom: asking with whom YHWH can be compared. - Isa 46:5 — "To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal, and compare me (ve-tamshiluni), that we may be like?"

5. To Have Become Like (taunt-context Niphal)¶

One occurrence within a mocking taunt-song — the fallen tyrant is "become like" the dead already in Sheol. - Isa 14:10 — "Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? (elenu nimshalta)"

6. Elevated / Grief-Stricken Self-Comparison¶

Job 30:19 — "He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like (va-etmashel — Hithpael) dust and ashes"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Typical Pattern
מָשָׁל mashal (noun, cognate object)	H4912	8+ × — "to speak/use a mashal": obligatory cognate object in the speech-act sense
חִידָה chidah (riddle)	H2420	Eze 17:2 — "put forth a riddle AND speak a parable" (classic wisdom-pair)
נָשָׂא nasa (lift up)	H5375	Overlap with the noun's idiom "take up a mashal"; the verb H4911 sometimes replaces this lifting-formula
אָמַר ʼamar (say)	H559	Speech-introduction formula after the mashal is announced
בּוֹר bor (pit)	H953	Psa 28:1; 143:7 — "become like those who go down to the pit"
בְּהֵמָה behemah (beast)	H929	Psa 49:12, 20 — "like the beasts that perish" (refrain)
יָרַד yarad (go down)	H3381	Psa 28:1; 143:7 — "descending" ones with whom the speaker fears assimilation
בַּיִת bayith (house, esp. "house of Israel")	H1004	Eze 17:2; 24:3 — audience of the parable

Word Family / Cognates¶

H4912 מָשָׁל (mashal, noun) — proverb, parable, similitude — the parent noun from which the verb is denominatively derived
H4910 מָשַׁל (mashal I, verb) — to rule, have dominion (homographic root; separate lexical entry despite identical consonants — DO NOT confuse)
H4913 מָשָׁל — a Levitical city (proper noun, unrelated)
H4914 מְשׁוֹל (meshol) — byword (hapax, Job 17:6)

Synonyms¶

H1819 דָּמָה (damah) — the nearest same-sense comparison verb returned by search_relationships.py; overlaps with H4911 in the "be like / compare" axis.
H7737 שָׁוָה (shavah) — another comparison verb returned by search_relationships.py; overlaps in likeness language, though it stresses equivalence more than figurative speech.

Antonyms¶

No antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for H4911.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Feature	Key Difference
H4910 מָשַׁל (mashal I, "to rule")	H4910	identical root spelling מ-שׁ-ל	Entirely different semantic field ("rule, dominion"). Context disambiguates: H4911 requires a cognate-object or comparative particle; H4910 takes ב + ruled-party
H1819 דָּמָה (damah)	H1819	"to be like, resemble, compare"	damah is the generic "resemble" verb; mashal (H4911) is the proverb-specific cognate-verb and the formal lament "become like the dead"
H7737 שָׁוָה (shavah)	H7737	"make equal, compare"	shavah emphasizes equality/equivalence; mashal emphasizes figurative likeness
H2420 חוּד (chud) / חִידָה chidah	H2420	wisdom-speech category	chidah = riddle needing solution; mashal = figurative utterance (often paired but distinct)

LXX Mapping¶

Greek Equivalent	Strong's	Co-occ	PMI	Notes
παραβολή (parabole)	G3850	7	8.37	Primary LXX rendering — as the noun H4912 → G3850, the cognate verb is rendered by verb-forms of parabole, and the noun object is supplied
ὁμοιόω (homoioo)	G3666	5	8.24	Secondary — the dominant rendering for the Niphal stative "become like" (esp. Psalms, Isa 14, Isa 46). The verb Jesus uses in NT "the kingdom is like (homoio-)"
λέγω / ἔπω (lego/epo)	G3004/G2036	6/5	2.34/1.28	Generic speech-act fillers when rendering "speak a parable" periphrastically

The verb bifurcates in the LXX along the same Hebrew-stem lines: Qal/Piel "speak/use a mashal" → παραβολή + verb; Niphal "become like" → ὁμοιόω. The ὁμοιόω bridge is the most theologically load-bearing, since it carries the "likeness" semantic into Jesus' parable-formula ("the kingdom of heaven is like unto...") and into Heb 2:17 ("made like unto his brethren").

Semantic Domains¶

UBS / Relationship Domains¶

[002004002003] Compare — primary same-sense domain in the relationship output; neighbors include H1819 דמה and H7737 שוה.
[002004001009008] Speak — captures the proverb/utterance axis; neighbors include H559/H560 אמר and related speech terms.
[002003002007] Control — secondary relationship index returned by the tool, likely reflecting the homographic H4910 "rule" line rather than H4911's proverb/likeness sense.
[001002007005] Leaders — likewise a secondary homograph-driven index tied to the mashal/ruler spelling overlap.
[002001002020] Patient — minor secondary domain returned by the tool; not a primary lexical sense of H4911.