Lexical Summary meshol: Proverb, parable, byword Original Word: מְשׁל Strong's Exhaustive Concordance byword From mashal; a satire -- byword. see HEBREW mashal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom mashal Definition a byword NASB Translation byword (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְשֹׁל noun [masculine] by-word, only construct (strictly Infinitive) לִמְשֹׁל עַמִּים Job 17:6 (they) have made me a by-word of the peoples. Topical Lexicon Biblical Occurrence The noun מְשׁל appears once in the Hebrew canon, in Job 17:6. In that lament Job testifies, “He has made me a byword among the people; I am one in whose face they spit” (Berean Standard Bible). The single use highlights an extreme reversal: a righteous servant reduced, in the minds of onlookers, to the status of a public mockery. Literary Function מְשׁל in Job 17:6 serves as a rhetorical hinge. The word “byword” evokes the larger wisdom-literature motif of proverbial speech, yet here the proverb is not an edifying saying but a cutting caricature. Job’s name becomes shorthand for disgrace, demonstrating how communal memory can weaponize language against the suffering. By choosing this term, the author situates Job’s agony inside Israel’s broader reflection on speech—how words reveal the heart (Proverbs 18:21) and can exalt or ruin reputations (Proverbs 12:18). Theological Implications 1. Human misjudgment versus divine verdict: Job’s contemporaries interpret his affliction as proof of guilt, turning him into a cautionary tale. Scripture later vindicates Job (Job 42:7), exposing the folly of judging by appearances (John 7:24) and foreshadowing the righteous Sufferer whom men would likewise despise (Isaiah 53:3). Historical and Cultural Background In the Ancient Near East, public honor and shame were communal currencies. A “byword” functioned as social shorthand; names like “Nimrod” or “Jezebel” later carried layered meanings well beyond the individuals themselves. Spitting in the face (Numbers 12:14; Isaiah 50:6; Matthew 26:67) was a supreme insult, symbolizing total rejection. Job’s lament mirrors known Mesopotamian laments in which a sufferer indicts false friends and unjust gods, yet the Israelite narrative uniquely preserves both Job’s accusation and God’s vindication, presenting a fuller theology of suffering and justice. Relationship to Other Biblical Texts Intertextual echoes link Job 17:6 with: These passages collectively show that the experience of becoming a מְשׁל is communal as well as personal and that God retains sovereign purpose when His servants are maligned. Pastoral and Practical Applications • Encouragement amid misrepresentation: Believers who suffer slander or ostracism can identify with Job and, ultimately, with Christ, who “endured such hostility from sinners” (Hebrews 12:3). Conclusion Though מְשׁל occurs only once, its placement at the heart of Job’s anguish delivers a timeless message: human verdicts are provisional, God’s vindication is decisive, and even the scorned byword can become a vessel of divine wisdom and grace. Forms and Transliterations לִמְשֹׁ֣ל למשל lim·šōl limShol limšōlLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 17:6 HEB: וְֽ֭הִצִּגַנִי לִמְשֹׁ֣ל עַמִּ֑ים וְתֹ֖פֶת NAS: But He has made me a byword of the people, KJV: He hath made me also a byword of the people; INT: has made A byword of the people spit 1 Occurrence |
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