parabolē

What it means

From a verb meaning "to set side by side": a comparison that lays one thing next to another. It translates the Hebrew mashal, which covers proverbs, riddles, and illustrative stories. Matthew uses it a great deal; chapter 13 gathers seven parables in a row.

Range of meaning

• ComparisonOne thing set beside another to explain it.
• StoryA short story with a point, like the sower.
• Proverb or riddleA saying that needs thinking about.

In Matthew

• Chapter 13

  The word for these stories, used for the first time in 13:3.