Strong's Lexicon parabole: Parable, comparison, illustration, allegory Original Word: παραβολή Word Origin: From the Greek verb παραβάλλω (paraballo), meaning "to throw alongside" or "to compare." Corresponding Greek / Hebrew Entries: The Hebrew equivalent often associated with "parabole" is מָשָׁל (mashal), Strong's Hebrew 4912, which also means proverb, parable, or allegory. Usage: In the New Testament, "parabole" refers to a simple account used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels. Parables are a distinctive teaching method employed by Jesus to convey profound truths in a relatable and memorable way. They often involve everyday situations and characters, making them accessible to a wide audience while also containing deeper meanings for those willing to seek them. Cultural and Historical Background: In the Jewish tradition, parables were a common teaching tool used by rabbis to convey ethical and theological lessons. Jesus' use of parables was both innovative and rooted in this tradition, allowing Him to communicate complex spiritual truths in a manner that was both engaging and thought-provoking. Parables often contain elements of surprise or reversal, challenging listeners to think critically and reflect on their own lives and beliefs. HELPS Word-studies 3850 parabolḗ (from 3844 /pará, "close beside, with" and 906 /bállō, "to cast") – a parable; a teaching aid cast alongside the truth being taught. This casts additional light by using an arresting or familiar analogy, (which is often fictitious or metaphorical, but not necessarily). [For extensive notes and commentary on Jesus' "Kingdom-parables" see 932 (basileía).] Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 3850: παραβολήπαραβολή, παραβολῆς, ἡ (παραβάλλω, which see), the Sept. for מָשָׁל; 1. a placing of one thing by the side of another, juxtaposition, as of ships in battle, Polybius 15, 2, 13; Diodorus 14, 60. 2. metaphorically, a comparing, comparison of one thing with another, likeness, similitude (Plato, Isocrates, Polybius, Plutarch): universally, Matthew 24:32; Mark 13:28; an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated, Mark 3:23; Luke 14:7; a thing serving as a figure of something else, Hebrews 9:9; this meaning also very many interpreters give the word in Hebrews 11:19, but see 5 below; specifically, "a narrative, fictitious but agreeable to the laws and usages of human life, by which either the duties of men or the things of God, particularly the nature and history of God's kingdom, are figuratively portrayed" (cf. B. D., see under the words, Fable, Parable (and references there; add Aristotle, rhet. 2, 20, 2ff and Cope's notes)): Matthew 13:3, 10, 13, 24, 31, 33-35, 53; Matthew 21:33, 45; ( 3. "a pithy and instructive saying, involving some likeness or comparison and having preceptive or admonitory force; an aphorism, a maxim": Luke 5:36; Luke 6:39; Matthew 15:15 (Proverbs 1:6; Ecclesiastes 1:17; Sir. 3:29(27); 4. a proverb: Luke 4:23 (1 Samuel 10:12; Ezekiel 12:22; Ezekiel 18:2f). 5. an act by which one exposes himself or his possessions to danger, a venture, risk (in which sense the plural seems to be used by Plutarch, Aratus 22: διά πολλῶν ἑλιγμων καί παραβολῶν περαινοντες πρός τό τεῖχος (cf. Diodorus Siculus fragment book 30:9, 2; also variant in Thucydides 1, 131, 2 (and Poppo at the passage))); ἐν παραβολή, in risking him, i. e. at the very moment when he exposed his son to mortal peril (see παραβολεύομαι), Hebrews 11:19 (Hesychius ἐκ παραβολῆς. ἐκ παρακινδυνευματος); others with less probability explain it, in a figure, i. e. as a figure, either of the future general resurrection of all men, or of Christ offered up to God and raised again from the dead; others otherwise. From paraballo; a similitude ("parable"), i.e. (symbolic) fictitious narrative (of common life conveying a moral), apothegm or adage -- comparison, figure, parable, proverb. see GREEK paraballo Englishman's Concordance Matthew 13:3 N-DFPGRK: πολλὰ ἐν παραβολαῖς λέγων Ἰδοὺ NAS: many things to them in parables, saying, KJV: unto them in parables, saying, Behold, INT: many things in parables saying Behold Matthew 13:10 N-DFP Matthew 13:13 N-DFP Matthew 13:18 N-AFS Matthew 13:24 N-AFS Matthew 13:31 N-AFS Matthew 13:33 N-AFS Matthew 13:34 N-DFP Matthew 13:34 N-GFS Matthew 13:35 N-DFP Matthew 13:36 N-AFS Matthew 13:53 N-AFP Matthew 15:15 N-AFS Matthew 21:33 N-AFS Matthew 21:45 N-AFP Matthew 22:1 N-DFP Matthew 24:32 N-AFS Mark 3:23 N-DFP Mark 4:2 N-DFP Mark 4:10 N-AFP Mark 4:11 N-DFP Mark 4:13 N-AFS Mark 4:13 N-AFP Mark 4:30 N-DFS Mark 4:33 N-DFP Strong's Greek 3850 |