παραβολή
parabolḗ · G3850 · Greek · 50 occurrences
Meanings
-
parable, figure, allegory, figure of speech
A relatively short narrative with symbolic meaning
ExamplesMatthew 13:3 And He told them many things in parables, saying, “Behold, the sower went out to sow;
Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came up and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?”
Matthew 13:13 “Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
-
archetype, figure, foreshadow, symbol
A model or example which anticipates or precedes a later realization
ExamplesHebrews 9:9 which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
Hebrews 11:19 He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, from which he also received him back as a type.
-
to tell a parable, to utter a parable
An idiom, literally: to place alongside a parable
ExamplesMatthew 13:24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field.
How it’s used In 7 roles
Every occurrence, grouped by the words it is grammatically related to.
the word studied the word it goes with
Whose, or of whatGenitive or possessive
3 occurrences in 3 groups
- ζιζάνιονdarnel grass 1
- σπείρωto sow 1
- αὐτόςhe, she, it, same 1
Words describing itAdjectives, demonstratives, participles
17 occurrences in 5 groups
- οὗτοςthis 11
- ἄλλοςother, another 4
- πολύςmany 1
- τίςwho? what?, why? for what reason? 1
- τοιοῦτοςsuch 1
What is done to itIt is the object
28 occurrences in 12 groups
- ἔπωto say 9
- λέγωto say 6
- ἀκούωto hear 3
- Other words · 9 groups that occur once or twice (11) 11
Second object ofSecond object
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- ἐπερωτάωto ask 1
- ἐρωτάωto ask, to ask for 1
What it is said to bePredicate
2 occurrences in 2 groups
- οὗτοςthis 1
- τίςwho? what?, why? for what reason? 1
What is said to be itIt is the predicate
1 occurrences in 1 groups
- ὅστιςwhoever, whichever, whatever 1
After prepositionsPrepositional phrases
16 occurrences in 3 groups
- ἐνin 25
- χωρίςwithout 4
- διάthrough 2
When two words share a role, as in “Paul and Barnabas said”, the verse appears under each, so a section’s counts can add up to more than the number of occurrences.
MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Near synonyms 1 word
- παροιμία paroimía · G3942 · proverb, saying, parable
- Both terms refer to figurative or symbolic speech. παροιμία (paroimía, G3942) typically denotes enigmatic sayings or adages, while παραβολή (parabolḗ, G3850) is the standard term for illustrative narrative parables, though the semantic territory overlaps in the broader category of non-literal discourse.
In the other Testament 1 word
- מָשָׁל mâshâl · H4912 · saying, oracle, proverb
- Hebrew term for proverbial/parabolic teaching forms, standardly rendered by this Greek term in LXX/NT contexts where Jesus and prophets employ illustrative narratives or wisdom sayings.
Semantic domains 4 entries
- Parable, figure, allegory, figure of speech33.15
- This domain covers παραβολή naming a short illustrative narrative used to teach, as Mark introduces one of Jesus's teaching methods: “And He was saying, ‘How shall we picture the kingdom of God, or by what parable shall we present it?’” (Mark 4:30)
- To tell a parable, to utter a parable33.16
- Here παραβολή names the act of speaking in a proverbial or illustrative saying, as Jesus anticipates the crowd's own proverbial expectation of Him: “And He said to them, ‘No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: “Physician, heal yourself!”’” (Luke 4:23)
- Symbolically, allegorically, figuratively, so to speak33.17
- Here παραβολή marks that a statement or description is to be understood as a figure pointing beyond itself, as the writer of Hebrews describes the earthly tabernacle's significance: “which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience.” (Hebrews 9:9)
- Archetype, figure, foreshadow, symbol58.63
- Here παραβολή names a pattern that foreshadows a greater reality, as the writer of Hebrews describes Abraham's reception of Isaac back from the altar: “from which he also received him back, as a type.” (Hebrews 11:19)
Word family 38 words
Words formed from the same root. They share a form, not always a meaning.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon παραβολῆς, ἡ (παραβάλλω, which see), the Sept. for מָשָׁל; 1. a placing of one thing by…
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, Mt 24:32; Mk 13:28; an example by which a doctrine or precept is illustrated, Mk 3:23; Lk 14:7; a thing serving as a figure of something else, Heb 9:9; this meaning also very many interpreters give the word in Heb 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)): Mt 13:3, Mt 13:10, Mt 13:13, Mt 13:24, Mt 13:31, Mt 13:33-35, Mt 13:53; Mt 21:33, Mt 21:45; (); Mk 4:2, Mk 4:10,(),Mk 4:13, Mk 4:30, Mk 4:33f; (); ,(); Lk 8:4, Lk 8:9-11; Lk 12:16, Lk 12:41; Lk 13:6; Lk 14:7; Lk 15:3; Lk 18:1, Lk 18:9; Lk 19:11; Lk 20:9, Lk 20:19; Lk 21:29; with a genitive of the person or thing to which the contents of the parable refer (Winer's Grammar, § 30, 1 a.): τοῦ σπείροντος, Mt 13:18; τῶν ζιζανίων, Mt 13:36; τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν παραβολή τιθέναι (literally, to set forth the kingdom of God in a parable), to illustrate (the nature and history of) the kingdom of God by the use of a parable, Mk 4:30 L text T Tr text WH.
3. "a pithy and instructive saying, involving some likeness or comparison and having preceptive or admonitory force; an aphorism, a maxim": Lk 5:36; Lk 6:39; Mt 15:15 (Prov 1:6; Eccl 1:17; Sir. 3:29(27); Sir 13:26>(25), etc.). Since sayings of this kind often pass into proverbs, παραβολή is
4. a proverb: Lk 4:23 (1 Sam 10:12; Ezek 12:22; Ezek 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), Heb 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.
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (1889), public domain
Topical studies with this word 2 entries
Meanings adapted from the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament, © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0 and the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew (from the Semantic Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew), © United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0; MACULA Greek Linguistic Datasets, available at https://github.com/Clear-Bible/macula-greek/, licensed CC BY 4.0; MACULA Hebrew Linguistic Datasets © 2022-2024 by Biblica, Inc., CC BY 4.0. Westminster Leningrad Codex (tanach.us). OpenScriptures Hebrew Bible morphology (hb.openscriptures.org), CC BY 4.0.
Sources
eRhema lexical overview, based on the UBS Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and the UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament (© United Bible Societies, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Macula Hebrew and Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0); released under CC BY-SA 4.0
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