ma.shal denotes a formulated saying, including instruction, a spoken oracle, a riddle-like speech, or a public taunt.

The term most often marks a saying publicly directed against someone as a taunt or reproach, while other occurrences introduce formal spoken utterances, designate collected instruction, or identify riddle-like and figurative speech. The supplied forms occur in both singular and plural, including construct forms that introduce a speaker's discourse or identify sayings belonging to a named collection.

1. Public taunt or reproachful saying · dominant

   In Deuteronomy 28:37 the APB renders Israel becoming “a horror, a proverb, and a taunt” among the peoples; 1 Kings 9:7 and 2 Chronicles 7:20 likewise place the singular noun beside a taunt among all peoples. In Habakkuk 2:6 it is raised against a person and followed by mocking words, while Isaiah 14:4 introduces a taunt against the king of Babylon.

   Deuteronomy 28:371 Kings 9:72 Chronicles 7:20Habakkuk 2:6Isaiah 14:4Jeremiah 24:9
2. Formal utterance introduced by a speaker · common

   The construct singular introduces Balaam's speeches in Numbers 23:7 and Numbers 23:18, each followed by “and said.” The same construction precedes pronouncements concerning Amalek and the Kenite in Numbers 24:20 and Numbers 24:21; Job 27:1 similarly introduces Job's continued discourse.

   Numbers 23:7Numbers 23:18Numbers 24:20Numbers 24:21Numbers 24:23Job 27:1
3. Instructional saying or collected wisdom · common

   The plural construct heads collections identified with Solomon in Proverbs 1:1, Proverbs 10:1, and Proverbs 25:1. Ecclesiastes 12:9 describes arranging many such sayings, and Proverbs 1:6 places the singular alongside sayings, words of the wise, and riddles.

   Proverbs 1:1Proverbs 10:1Proverbs 25:1Ecclesiastes 12:9Proverbs 1:6Proverbs 26:7
4. Riddle-like or figurative speech · occasional

   Ezekiel 17:2 pairs the singular noun with a riddle and directs it to the house of Israel. Ezekiel 12:22 and Ezekiel 18:2 identify current sayings by quoting them, and Psalm 78:2 joins opening the mouth in such speech with uttering riddles from of old.

   Ezekiel 17:2Ezekiel 12:22Ezekiel 18:2Ezekiel 24:3Psalm 78:2Proverbs 1:6

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly presents the term as “proverb,” but it also renders its setting through “discourse,” “taunt,” and “mocking riddles.” Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, these renderings confirm the clauses' varied settings without assigning every English expression directly to the lemma.