Parable
- Parable
(Gr. parabole), a placing beside; a comparison; equivalent to the Heb. mashal, a similitude. In the Old Testament this is used to denote (1) a proverb (1 Sam. 10:12; 24:13; 2 Chr. 7:20), (2) a prophetic utterance (Num. 23:7; Ezek. 20:49), (3) an enigmatic saying (Ps. 78:2; Prov. 1:6). In the New Testament, (1) a proverb (Mark 7:17; Luke 4:23), (2) a typical emblem (Heb. 9:9; 11:19), (3) a similitude or allegory (Matt. 15:15; 24:32; Mark 3:23; Luke 5:36; 14:7); (4) ordinarily, in a more restricted sense, a comparison of earthly with heavenly things, "an earthly story with a heavenly meaning," as in the parables of our Lord.
Instruction by parables has been in use from the earliest times. A large portion of our Lord's public teaching consisted of parables. He himself explains his reasons for this in his answer to the inquiry of the disciples, "Why speakest thou to them in parables?" (Matt. 13:13-15; Mark 4:11, 12; Luke 8:9, 10). He followed in so doing the rule of the divine procedures, as recorded in Matt. 13:13.
The parables uttered by our Lord are all recorded in the synoptical (i.e., the first three) Gospels. The fourth Gospel contains no parable properly so called, although the illustration of the good shepherd (John 10:1-16) has all the essential features of a parable. (See List of Parables in Appendix.)
Easton's Bible Dictionary.
M.G. Easton.
1897.
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PARABLE — PARABLE, from the Greek παραβολὴ (lit. juxtaposition ), the usual Septuagint rendering of Hebrew mashal ( comparison, saying, and derived meanings ). No distinction is made in biblical usage between parable, allegory, and fable; all are forms of… … Encyclopedia of Judaism
Parable — Par a*ble, n. [F. parabole, L. parabola, fr. Gr. ? a placing beside or together, a comparing, comparison, a parable, fr. ? to throw beside, compare; para beside + ? to throw; cf. Skr. gal to drop. Cf. {Emblem}, {Gland}, {Palaver}, {Parabola},… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
parable — (n.) early 14c., saying or story in which something is expressed in terms of something else, from O.Fr. parable, from L. parabola comparison, from Gk. parabole a comparison, parable, lit. a throwing beside, from para alongside (see PARA (Cf. para … Etymology dictionary
parable — [par′ə bəl] n. [ME < MFr parabole < LL(Ec) parabola, an allegorical relation, parable < L, comparison < Gr parabolē, an analogy (< paraballein, to throw beside: see PARA 1 & BALL2), in N.T. & LXX, parable: transl. of Heb mashal,… … English World dictionary
Parable — Par a*ble, v. t. To represent by parable. [R.] [1913 Webster] Which by the ancient sages was thus parabled. Milton. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Parable — Par a*ble, a. [L. parabilis, fr. parare to provide.] Procurable. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
parable — *allegory, myth, fable … New Dictionary of Synonyms
parable — [n] moral story allegory, fable, legend, lesson, tale, teaching; concept 282 … New thesaurus
parable — ► NOUN ▪ a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson. ORIGIN Latin parabola comparison, discourse, allegory , from Greek parabol (see PARABOLA(Cf. ↑parabola)) … English terms dictionary
Parable — For a comparison of parable with other kinds of stories, see Myth, legend, fairy tale, and fable. The Parable of the Good Samaritan by Jan Wijnants (1670) shows the Good Samaritan tending the injured man. A parable is … Wikipedia
parable — [[t]pæ̱rəb(ə)l[/t]] parables N COUNT: oft N of n A parable is a short story, which is told in order to make a moral or religious point, like those in the Bible. ... the parable of the Good Samaritan... The story is a pleasing parable of the… … English dictionary
