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מֹשֶׁל

𐤌𐤔𐤋

môshel

H4915 noun

SILEX Entry

Root משל to rule, govern, have dominion, cause to rule

Definition

One who rules, governs, or exercises authority; ruler, governor, person in a position of control or power over others. The term can refer to those holding authoritative political, administrative, or military positions, and can be applied to both Israelite and foreign officials. In some poetic contexts, the sense extends to cosmic or metaphoric rulers.

Semantic Range

ruler, governor, one who has dominion, person in authority, official, administrator; in poetic contexts, cosmic ruler or metaphor for control

Root / Etymology

Derived from the root מָשַׁל (m-sh-l), meaning 'to rule, have dominion, govern.' The noun מֹשֶׁל is a participial form indicating 'one who rules' or 'ruler.' Root meaning is 'to rule, govern,' but the form מֹשֶׁל is specifically a noun for a person acting as a ruler or governor.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, מֹשֶׁל most commonly describes human rulers—whether kings, governors, or appointed officials—who exercise political or administrative control. The usage is not limited to Israelite contexts; it often refers also to foreign rulers, such as the king of Babylon or the rulers of Edom. In poetic and wisdom literature (e.g., Psalms, Proverbs), מֹשֶׁל can be used in parallelism with other words for leader or sovereign, sometimes with a cosmic aspect to denote dominion or power more broadly (e.g., God as ruler over the nations). Unlike מֶלֶךְ (king), which denotes monarchic office, מֹשֶׁל emphasizes function or exercise of rule, even if not holding the title of king. Later (post-biblical) usage and some translations occasionally blur distinctions among ruler, governor, and king; in biblical usage, the distinctions are meaningful. English translations sometimes flatten these nuances, often simply as 'ruler' or 'governor.'

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

(1) from מָשַׁל; (2) from מָשַׁל; empire; a parallel; dominion, like.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

משל (m-š-l) — to rule, govern, have dominion, exercise authority

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4474 מִמְשָׁל the dominions
H4475 מֶמְשָׁלָה the dominion
H4910 מָשַׁל I will rule
H4911 מָשַׁל the parable-speaker
H4912 מָשָׁל the ruling saying

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4915-03 וּ/מָשְׁל/וֹ֙ umashelo HC/Ncmsc/Sp3ms and his dominion and his ruler 1
H4915-02 מָשְׁל֑/וֹ mashelo HNcmsc/Sp3ms dominion-his his ruler 1
H4915-01 כְ/מָשְׁל/וֹ֙ khemashelo HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms according to his dominion like his ruler 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4915-03 Zechariah 9:10 וּ/מָשְׁל/וֹ֙ umashelo HC/Ncmsc/Sp3ms and his dominion and his ruler
H4915-02 Job 41:25 מָשְׁל֑/וֹ mashelo HNcmsc/Sp3ms dominion-his his ruler
H4915-01 Daniel 11:4 כְ/מָשְׁל/וֹ֙ khemashelo HR/Ncmsc/Sp3ms according to his dominion like his ruler
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