מָשַׁל

# Mashal: The Hebrew Word for "Liking" or "Comparison" The Hebrew word *mashal* (מָשַׁל) carries the fundamental meaning "to liken," indicating an action of comparison or analogy. With only seven occurrences in the biblical text, this is a relatively rare verb, suggesting it served a specific communicative purpose rather than being part of everyday vocabulary. The rarity of *mashal* is significant because it points to deliberate, formal usage in biblical discourse. When speakers or writers chose this word, they were explicitly marking an act of comparison—drawing parallels between two things to illuminate understanding. This makes *mashal* a technical term for a particular rhetorical operation: establishing similarity or correspondence between concepts, objects, or situations for purposes of explanation or teaching. Without additional context data on specific verses, the precise scope of how *mashal* functioned in different biblical genres remains limited. However, the definition itself—"to liken"—indicates that wherever this verb appears, readers encounter moments where the biblical text is engaging in comparative reasoning, making it a word worth noting for understanding how ancient Hebrew expressed analogical thinking.