v. Proverb
Num 23:7 he took his p, and said, From Aram he brought me
Eze 17:2 son .. compose one for the house of Israel
Eze 20:49 they say of me: Does not this one p utter?
Eze 24:3 and speak for the rebellious house, and tell them
Hos 12:10 and through the prophets I used p
Matt 13:3; Mar 4:2 He spoke many things to them by p
Mat 13:13 therefore I speak to you by p; because watching
Mat 13:35 I will open my mouth; i will declare things
Matt 24:32; Mar 13:28; Luk 21:29 from the fig tree learn the p
Mark 4:11; Luk 8:10 to those who are outside, by p
Mar 4:13 do you know this p? how .. will you understand .. p?
Mark 4:34 and without p he did not speak to them; although to his
Parable (Heb. mâshâl , “simile”, “comparison”, “proverb”; Gr. parabole, literally “side by side”, “type”, “figure”, “illustration”, “parable”; and related terms such as paroimía, “allegory”,* “proverb”*, and áinigma, “riddle”*). In Spanish, “parábola” is a literary composition in which a brief narrative, real or fictitious, illustrates a moral or spiritual truth, A parabola is a long simile, in which it is affirmed or implied that a thing is “like” other. Theoretically, it differs from an allegory, which is a long metaphor, in which one thing is said to “be” another. The statement that the Spirit descended like a dove (Mat 3:16) is a simile, but the account that compares “the kingdom of heaven” to a hidden treasure (13:44) is a parable. Similarly, the statement: “You are the salt of the earth” (5:13) is a metaphor, but Jesus’ lengthy reference to himself as “the true vine” (John 15:1-8) is a metaphor. allegory. In contrast, a fable is a narrative outside the real world, which generally attributes human attributes – such as intelligence, language and actions – to inanimate objects or plants and animals. In the Gospels, a parable is generally a narrative “put together” with a certain spiritual lesson for comparison. In biblical usage, it can also be a short, pithy statement of truth (Mark 3:23, 27). These theoretical distinctions were not always observed in antiquity, and all these literary forms could be called mâshâl or parabole. Teaching by parables was popular in the days of Christ. Those of the rabbis are numerous in the Jewish literature of Palestine, although this literary genre does not seem to have been cultivated outside it. They became quite stereotyped, and generally took the following form: 1. The point to be illustrated, usually a biblical text. 2. An introductory formula such as: “I will tell you a parable. What does the case look like? It’s like…” 3. The story. 4. An application, usually started with the word kak, “so.” The following is a typical rabbinic parable told by a Galilean rabbi to illustrate Exo 14:5: “A parable. What does the case look like? It is like one who inherited a plot of land but sold it for a trifle. The buyer dug wells in it, and planted gardens and trees and orchards. The seller began to drown in regret. This is what happened to the Egyptians, who let out without realizing what they were letting out.” Jesus used and refined parables so extensively and effectively that they became identified with his teaching method. Although those of the rabbis were intended to reinforce the conventional values of the Pharisees, those of Jesus often give the impression that they intentionally inverted those values dramatically. To appreciate it, we need only compare Jesus’ parable about the laborers in the vineyard (Mat 20:1-16) with the corresponding rabbinical parable (Continued on page 900.) 897 THE PARABLES OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST 898 THE PARI BALLS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (Cont.) 899 THE PARI BALLS OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (Cont..) 900 (Continued from page 896.) that was told to illustrate Lev 26:9: “They tell a parable . What does the case look like? It is like a king who hired many workers. And along with them was one who had worked for him many days. They all went to get paid for the day, and this worker went. The king said to him: ‘I will have consideration for you. The others, who worked for me only a short time, will receive a small payment. But you will have a greater reward.’ Thus, both the Israelites and the nations of the world seek their pay from God. And he will say to the Israelites: My children, I will have consideration for you. The people of the world have done very little for me, and I will give them a small reward. You, however, will receive a big one.” Like the parables of the rabbis, those of Jesus were generally based on common facts of daily life, and often on recent incidents or scenes that were in view as he spoke. The narrative itself was generally simple and brief, and its conclusion so obvious that it left no doubt (Mat 21:40, 41), although it sometimes needed an explanation (13:18-23). In the case of Christ, the parable was a bridge by which he led his listeners along a pleasant and familiar path, from where they were to where he wanted them to be, from the known to the unknown, from concrete facts to abstract truths. , from the visible to the invisible, from the earthly to the heavenly. It was a window through which he invited them to behold scenes of heavenly truth. Through his parables. Jesus caught the attention of men, aroused their interest and stimulated investigation. Often, as in the parable of the 2 sons (21:28-31), he imparted unwanted truths, recorded an important message that people gladly listened to, and sometimes delivered a verdict against themselves before discovering that he was condemning himself. By teaching in parables, Jesus prevented the spies who tirelessly followed him from having anything to accuse him of. It would be very difficult to condemn him for only telling good stories. Parables have the paradoxical quality of revealing the truth to those who are willing to receive it, while at the same time hiding it from those who reject it. They also created lasting impressions on the minds of their listeners, which would be renewed and intensified each time the scenes mentioned in them came to mind or came into view. When it comes to interpreting parables, one must know what lesson the speaker wanted to illustrate, and not read into it more than he intended. Often the explanation accompanies the parable (Luk 7:41-47; 11:11-13), or is implied by the context (16:19-31; cf vs 13-17). The circumstances, the people present, or the issue being discussed often provide the key to interpretation. Before its meaning in the spiritual realm can be made clear, it is necessary to understand the narrative in the context of Eastern customs and ways of thinking and expressing oneself (Mat 25:1-13; etc.). A parable is a vivid figure of speech, which must be seen clearly before the lesson can be clearly understood. Since a parable is meant to illustrate the truth, and usually a particular truth – implicit or explicit in the context – the incidental details of the story are only important for their contribution to the clarification of that truth, and often only They serve to complete the narrative. Therefore, they should not be assigned a hidden meaning, nor should they serve as a basis for doctrinal points. Lists of Jesus’ parables often differ, because not all commentators agree about which illustrations should be included as such. Length is an important consideration (Matt 5:14, 15), but some stories that have always been considered parables are very short (13:44-48). Another factor is whether allegorical illustrations, such as Joh 10:1-6 and 15:1-8, strictly speaking, should be considered as such. In the table on pp 897-899, 40 of the most important parables of Jesus are listed, classified and analyzed.
Source: Evangelical Bible Dictionary
Greek parabolê, comparison; Hebrew mashal, sentence.
Discursive genre that is carried out by establishing a plausible link between the narrative and the reality to which it refers. It is frequently used in the traditional heritage, through which ideas are plastically illustrated through comparisons or allegorical features. In the Bible, parables tend to illuminate a spiritual truth through a brief account of the daily life of the time, and are more frequent in the NT, where they are applied as a didactic expression, used by Jesus. the p. it has the function of convincing and ensuring that the doctrine is correctly interpreted in the communities, as is clearly reflected in the doctrinal exposition of the gospels, especially in the synoptics.
In the Gospels there are between 35 and 72 parables, a number that varies due to the difficulty of identifying them. Here is a small list: 1. The strong man, Mk 3, 24-27; Mt 12, 24-26; Lk 11, 17-18; 21-22. 2. The mustard seed, Mc 4, 30-32; Mt 13, 31-32; Lk 13, 18-19. 3. Leaven, Mt 13, 33; Lk 13, 20-21. 4. The seed that grows by itself, Mk 4, 26-29. 5. The sower, Mt 13, 3-9; Mark 4, 3-9; Lk 8, 5-8. 6. The tares, Mt 13, 24-30. 7. The banquet, Lk 14, 16-24; Mt 22, 1-10. 8. The two sons, Mt 21, 28-31. 9. The homicidal vinedressers, Mk 12, 1-9; Lk 20, 9-16; Mt 21, 33-41. 10. The prodigal son, Lk 15, 11-32. 11. The lost sheep, Lk 15, 4-7; Mt 18, 12-14. 12; The lost drachma, Lk 15, 8-10. 13. The two debtors, Lk 7, 36-50. 14. The servant and the master, Lk 17, 7-10. 15. The vineyard workers, Mt 20, 1 -5. 16. The Pharisee and the publican, Lk 18, 9-14. 17. The children in the square, Mt 11, 16-19; Lk 7, 31-34. 18. The hidden treasure, Mt 13, 44. 19. The hidden pearl, Mt 13, 45. 20. The ruthless servant, Mt 18, 21-35. 21. The good Samaritan, Lk 10, 25-37. 22. The two litigants, Mt 5, 25-26; Lk 12, 58-60. 23. The cunning manager, Lk 16, 1-8. 24. Lazarus and the rich man, Lk 16, 19-31. 25. The rich fool, Lk 12, 1620. 26. The barren fig tree, Lk 13, 6-8. 27. The gatekeeper who waits, Mk 13, 33-36; Lk 12, 35-38. 28. The night thief, Mt 24, 43-44; Lk 12, 39-40. 29. The faithful servant, Mt 24, 45-51; Lk 12, 42-46. 30. The ten virgins, Mt 25, 1-13. 31. The guest without a wedding dress, Mt 22, 11-14. 32. The talents/minas, Mt 25, 14-30; Lk 19, 11-27. 33. The importunate friend, Lk 11, 5-10. 34. The obstinate widow, Lk 18, 2-8. 35. The net, Mt 13, 47.
Digital Bible Dictionary, Grupo C Service & Design Ltda., Colombia, 2003
Source: Digital Bible Dictionary
Derived from the verb gr. pa-raballo, composed of the preposition para, which means “together” and the verb ballo, “throw”. A parable is therefore a comparison of two objects for educational purposes, usually as a story.
Although the word belongs to the NT and is frequently used there, it is also found several times in the OT. There is the translation of the Hebrew word mashal, used with various…