Encyclopedia entry
Proverb
A trite maxim; a similitude; a parable. The Hebrew word thus rendered (mashal) has a wide signification. It comes from a root meaning “to be like,” “parable.” Rendered “proverb” in Isa. 14:4; Hab. 2:6; “dark saying” in Ps. 49:4, Num. 12:8. Ahab’s defiant words in answer to the insolent demands of Benhadad, “Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off,” is a well known instance of a proverbial saying (1 Kings 20:11).
In the Bible
23
Verses where Proverb is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- 1 Kings 9:7
then I will cut off Israel from the land that I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. Then Israel will become an object of scorn and ridicule among all peoples.
- 1 Samuel 10:12
Then a man who lived there replied, “And who is their father?” So the saying became a proverb: “Is Saul also among the prophets?”
- 1 Samuel 24:13
As the old proverb says, ‘Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.’ But my hand will never be against you.
- 2 Chronicles 7:20
then I will uproot Israel from the soil I have given them, and I will banish from My presence this temple I have sanctified for My Name. I will make it an object of scorn and ridicule among all the peoples.
- 2 Peter 2:22
Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
- Deuteronomy 28:37
You will become an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations to which the LORD will drive you.
+17 more verses naming Proverb.
Scripture on Proverb
22
Voices on Proverb
24
Surfaced by name match — accuracy varies by title clarity.
Sources · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.