Parables - Original Of

The word "Parables" in the Bible is often used mistakenly in our daily life from the original intention with a heavenly meaning. In order to understand what Jesus meant by the term 'Parables', we need to trace back the word to its original places in both the Old Testament and New Testament.

In the Old Testament, the word Parable in Hebrew is Mashal. The term has a variety of meanings as below:

Proverb

1 Sam. 10:12; 24:13; Ezek, 12:22-33, 16:44; 18:2-3

Byword, satire, taunt, or word of derision

Num. 21:27-30; Deut. 28:37, 1 King 9:7; 2 Chron 7:20; Os. 44:14; Isa. 14:3-4

Riddles

Ps. 78:2; Prov. 1:6; Ezek 17:2

Allegory or story

2 Sam. 12:1-4; 14:1-11; Isa. 5:1-7; Ezek. 17:2-10; 20:49-21:5; 24:2-5

In the New Testament, Parable is from a Greek word "Parabole" which means "a placing beside" or a comparison and illustration. It refers also to a broad spectrum of similar concepts as in the Old Testament as:

Proverb

Mt. 15:14; Mk. 3:23-24; Lk. 4:23; 6:39

Metaphor or Figure of speech

Mt. 9:16-17; Mk. 2:21-22; 7:14-17; Lk. 5:36-38

Simile - using the terms "like", "as', "as if", "seems"

Mt. 4:19

Similitude - expansion from the single idea of a simile to form a picture

Mt. 7:9-11; 13:33; Mk. 4:26-32; 13:28-29; Lk. 15:4-10; 17:7-10

It is evident that Biblical Parables were originated from the Palestine and at time even Galilee. It is also apparent that they were in a rural environment. Good examples of these are the parables of the Sower in Mk. 4:2-20 and the evil tenants in Mk. 12:1-11. The terms such as "priest", "Levite" and "Samaritan" also indicates that the Parables are from the Palestine.

The nature of the Parables, no doubt, came out of the real world of the historical Jesus. However, this does not mean that they are all realistic in the sense of being true life. Similarly, when we say that the Parables arose out of the normal life situation, this does not mean that the parables simply portray normal every day behavior. On the contrary, they could be quite unusual and surprising. Yet, they are not fables or fairy tales of an unreal world where trees talk and people fly.

Thus, Biblical Parables are stories out of ordinary life used to illustrate spiritual or moral truth. They are often in the form of brief similes, comparisons, analogies or proverbial sayings. Ordinarily, they have only one single theme and not every detail is meant to have significance.

We should, therefore, understand the theme teaching of the Parables in the real world of the historical Jesus, apply them to our circumstances today, and challenge for a life change. This is what Jesus did when He shared the parables to His disciples.