Hebrew word · H4911

מָשַׁל

meshol

to use a proverb

To be like, or to speak in comparisons and proverbs. In the Niphal: to become like (Ps 28:1; 143:7; Isa 14:10, 'you have become like us'). In the Hithpael: to become like (Job 30:19). In the Hiphil: to compare, to set side by side (only here). This root is separate from mashal I, 'to rule' (H4910).

Appears 16 times in 15 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) to speak in a proverb, use a proverb, speak in parables, speak in sentences of poetry

1a) (Qal) to use a proverb, speak a parable or proverb

1b) (Piel) to make a parable

1b1) maker of parables (participle)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Isaiah 46:5

Range of meaning

To be like, or to speak in comparisons and proverbs. In the Niphal: to become like (Ps 28:1; 143:7; Isa 14:10, 'you have become like us'). In the Hithpael: to become like (Job 30:19). In the Hiphil: to compare, to set side by side (only here). The noun mashal means proverb, parable, taunt-song or comparison. This root is separate from mashal I, 'to rule' (H4910).

Against the English

English versions use 'compare' or 'liken' and often swap the order with the damah verb. That is harmless, but it hides the fact that Hebrew uses three different roots for the idea of likeness.

Used elsewhere in the period

Isa 14:10 uses the Niphal in a taunt over the king of Babylon: 'You too have become weak as we are; you have become like us (nimshalta).' Isa 14:4 calls that whole poem a mashal against the king of Babylon.

From the study of Psalm 28:1

Range of meaning

To be like or similar. In the passive form used here (niphal): to be compared, to be made like, to become equal to. It is related to the noun mashal, a comparison or proverb. A separate verb with the same spelling means 'to rule'.

Against the English

'Be like' (BSB) can sound like a loose resemblance. The Hebrew points to being put in the same category, counted among them. YLT's 'I have been compared' keeps the passive but sounds odd.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 143:7 uses the identical phrase וְנִמְשַׁלְתִּי עִם־יֹרְדֵי בוֹר. Psalm 49:12, 20: humans 'are like the beasts that perish'. Isaiah 14:10: the dead greet the fallen king, 'you have become like us'. The Septuagint has homoiōthēsomai, 'I will be made like'.

From the study of Psalm 143:7

Range of meaning

Hebrew has two verbs spelled māšal. The one here (BDB I) means 'to represent, be like, use a comparison'. Its passive-reflexive form (the Niphal) means 'be made like, be counted the same as'. The other māšal means 'to rule'. A related noun, māšāl, means 'proverb, comparison'.

Against the English

Most versions have 'be like'. YLT's 'I have been compared' keeps the original nuance of being classed or counted with a group, but its past tense misleads. With the plea that comes before it, the verb describes a future result.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 28:1 has the identical phrase wənimšaltî ʿim-yōrdê bôr. See also Ps 49:12, 20 (humans 'are like the beasts that perish') and Isa 14:10 ('you have become like us', said by the dead in Sheol). Ps 88:4 makes the same point with a different verb: 'I am counted with those who go down to the pit'.

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 21:27 הַמֹּשְׁלִ֖ים those [who] speak proverbs

    That is why the poets say: “Come to Heshbon, let it be rebuilt; let the city of Sihon be restored.

Job · 1

  1. Job 30:19 וָ֝אֶתְמַשֵּׁ֗ל and I have become like

    He throws me into the mud, and I have become like dust and ashes.

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 28:1 וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי and I will be equal

    Of David. To You, O LORD, I call; be not deaf to me, O my Rock. For if You remain silent, I will be like those descending to the Pit.

    Here: 'And I will be made like / counted with'. The passive form means 'be likened to': the speaker would join the category of the dying and be no different from them. The same verb appears in the same phrase in Psalm 143:7 and in Psalm 49:12, 20 ('like the beasts that perish').

  2. Psalm 49:12 נִמְשַׁ֖ל he is like

    But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.

  3. Psalm 49:20 נִמְשַׁ֖ל he is like

    A man who has riches without understanding is like the beasts that perish.

  4. Psalm 143:7 וְ֝נִמְשַׁ֗לְתִּי and I will be equal

    Answer me quickly, O LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide Your face from me, or I will be like those who descend to the Pit.

    Here: 'And I will be made like.' This comes from the verb māšal meaning 'compare, be like', not its look-alike meaning 'rule'. Joined to the plea before it, it gives the result: if God hides, then the psalmist will be counted among the dead. That is why it is rendered 'or' or 'lest'.

Isaiah · 2

  1. Isaiah 14:10 נִמְשָֽׁלְתָּ׃ you have become like

    They will all respond to you, saying, “You too have become weak, as we are; you have become like us!”

  2. Isaiah 46:5 וְתַמְשִׁל֖וּנִי and will you compare? me

    To whom will you liken Me or count Me equal? To whom will you compare Me, that we should be alike?

    Here: Hiphil imperfect, 'you' plural, with the object 'me'. This is the root of mashal, a 'comparison' or 'proverb': to put two things side by side so that one explains the other. The Hiphil form of this verb occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.

Ezekiel · 8

  1. Ezekiel 12:23 יִמְשְׁל֥וּ people will use as a proverb

    Therefore tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘I will put an end to this proverb, and in Israel they will no longer recite it.’ But say to them: ‘The days are at hand when every vision will be fulfilled.

  2. Ezekiel 16:44 הַמֹּשֵׁ֔ל יִמְשֹׁ֖ל <the> [one who] speaks a proverb, he will speak a proverb

    Behold, all who speak in proverbs will quote this proverb about you: ‘Like mother, like daughter.’

  3. Ezekiel 17:2 וּמְשֹׁ֣ל and speak a parable

    “Son of man, pose a riddle; speak a parable to the house of Israel

  4. Ezekiel 18:2 מֹֽשְׁלִים֙ [are] speaking a proverb

    “What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’?

    Here: A participle (an ongoing '-ing' form): they keep quoting this saying. It is a slogan in steady use, not a one-off remark. The verb comes from the same root as the noun that follows: 'proverbing the proverb'.

  5. Ezekiel 18:3 מְשֹׁ֛ל to speak a proverb

    As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel.

  6. Ezekiel 20:49 מְמַשֵּׁ֥ל making a parable

    Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, they are saying of me, ‘Is he not just telling parables?’”

  7. Ezekiel 24:3 וּמְשֹׁ֤ל and speak a parable

    Now speak a parable to this rebellious house and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘Put the pot on the fire; put it on and pour in the water.

    Here: A command to the prophet: 'compose and deliver a mashal', a saying built on comparison. Hebrew has a separate verb spelled the same way meaning 'to rule'; this is not that one. The verb and the noun in word 5 come from the same root, which gives the doubled sound 'mashal a mashal'.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.