Bible Dictionary: Tale

Jump to: ATS • ISBE • Easton's • Webster's • Concordance • Thesaurus • Greek • Hebrew • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Easton's Bible Dictionary

(1.) Hebrews tokhen, "a task," as weighed and measured out = tally, i.e., the number told off; the full number (Exodus 5:18; see 1 Samuel 18:27; 1 Chronicles 9:28). In Ezek. 45:11 rendered "measure."

(2.) Hebrews hegeh, "a thought;" "meditation" (Psalm 90:9); meaning properly "as a whisper of sadness," which is soon over, or "as a thought." The LXX. and Vulgate render it "spider;" the Authorized Version and Revised Version, "as a tale" that is told. In Job 37:2 this word is rendered "sound;" Revised Version margin, "muttering;" and in Ezek. 2:10, "mourning."

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (n.) See Tael.

2. (v. i.) That which is told; an oral relation or recital; any rehearsal of what has occurred; narrative; discourse; statement; history; story.

3. (n.) A number told or counted off; a reckoning by count; an enumeration; a count, in distinction from measure or weight; a number reckoned or stated.

4. (n.) A count or declaration.

5. (v. i.) To tell stories.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

TALE

tal (tokhen, mithkoneth, micpar; leros): In the King James Version of the Old Testament (with one exception, Psalm 90:9) "tale" (in the sing.) means number. "Tell" often has the same meaning, e.g. "I may tell (i.e. reckon) all my bones" (Psalm 22:17). When Moses requested permission to go three days' journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to Yahweh, Pharaoh replied by demanding the full "tale" of bricks from the Israelites although they were compelled to provide themselves with straw (Exodus 5:8, 18; see also 1 Samuel 18:27 1 Chronicles 9:28). In Psalm 90:9, "as a tale that is told" is a doubtful rendering (see GAMES). The Septuagint and the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) render "as a spider's web." The literal and perhaps accurate translation is "as a sigh" (Driver, in the Parallel Psalter, gives "as a murmur"). The word used in this psalm means "to whisper," or "speak sotto voce," as a devout believer repeats to himself the words of a favorite hymn or passage (Psalm 1:2).

The disciples considered the account given by the women in regard to the resurrection as "idle tales" (the King James Version, the Revised Version (British and American) "idle talk"), literally, "nonsensical talk" (Luke 24:11).

In talebearer the word has another meaning, namely, "slanderous talk or gossip." The word occurs 5 times in Proverbs 11:13; Proverbs 18:8; Proverbs 20:19; Proverbs 26:20, 22 (the King James Version) and once in Leviticus (19:16). The word used in Leviticus and also in Proverbs 20:19 means a person who gads about from house to house hawking malicious gossip (compare 1 Timothy 5:13). From the same root comes the Hebrew word for "merchant." In Ezekiel 22:9 for the King James Version "men that carry tales" the Revised Version (British and American) gives "slanderous men," as Doeg (1 Samuel 22:9, 22); Ziba (2 Samuel 16:3; 2 Samuel 19:27); and a certain maid-servant (2 Samuel 17:17).

See SLANDER.

T. Lewis

Greek

3454. muthos -- a speech, story, ie a fable
... story, ie a fable. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: muthos Phonetic
Spelling: (moo'-thos) Short Definition: an idle tale, fable Definition: an ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3454.htm - 6k

3026. leros -- silly talk
... word Definition silly talk NASB Word Usage nonsense (1). idle tale. Apparently
a primary word; twaddle, ie An incredible story -- idle tale. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3026.htm - 6k

1126. graodes -- characteristic of old women, anile
... denoting similarity) Definition characteristic of old women, anile NASB
Word Usage fit only (1), old women (1). silly, wives' tale. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1126.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

8506. token -- a measurement
... quota (1). measure, tale. From takan; a fixed quantity -- measure, tale. see
HEBREW takan. 8505, 8506. token. 8507 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/8506.htm - 6k

4557. mispar -- number, tally
... time* (1). abundance, account, all, infinite, tale, telling, time. From caphar;
a number, definite (arithmetical) or indefinite (large ...
/hebrew/4557.htm - 6k

4971. mathkoneth -- measurement, tally, proportion
... quota (1), specifications (1), standard (1). composition, measure, state,
tale. Or mathkuneth {math-koo'-neth}; from takan in the ...
/hebrew/4971.htm - 6k

1899. hegeh -- a rumbling, growling, moaning
... mourning, sound, tale. From hagah; a muttering (in sighing, thought, or as thunder) --
mourning, sound, tale. see HEBREW hagah. 1898, 1899. hegeh. 1900 . ...
/hebrew/1899.htm - 6k

8510. tel -- a mound
... 8509, 8510. tel. 8511 . a mound. Transliteration: tel Phonetic Spelling:
(tale) Short Definition: heap. Word Origin from an unused ...
/hebrew/8510.htm - 6k

4390. male -- to be full, to fill
... accomplish, confirm, + consecrate, be at an end, be expired, be fenced, fill, fulfil,
(be, become, X draw, give in, go) full(-ly, -ly set, tale), (over-)flow ...
/hebrew/4390.htm - 7k

1980. halak -- to go, come, walk
... X more and more, move (self), needs, on, pass (away), be at the point, quite, run
(along), + send, speedily, spread, still, surely, + tale-bearer, + travel(-ler ...
/hebrew/1980.htm - 8k

8521. Tel Charsha -- "mound of a craftsman," a city in Babylon
... Tel Charsha. 8522 . "mound of a craftsman," a city in Babylon. Transliteration:
Tel Charsha Phonetic Spelling: (tale khar-shaw') Short Definition: Tel-harsha. ...
/hebrew/8521.htm - 6k

8512. Tel Abib -- "hill of grain," a place in Babylon
... 8511, 8512. Tel Abib. 8513 . "hill of grain," a place in Babylon. Transliteration:
Tel Abib Phonetic Spelling: (tale aw-beeb') Short Definition: Tel-abib. ...
/hebrew/8512.htm - 6k

988. batal -- to cease
... 987, 988. batal. 989 . to cease. Transliteration: batal Phonetic Spelling:
(baw-tale') Short Definition: idle. Word Origin a prim. ...
/hebrew/988.htm - 5k

Library

Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom
Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom. <. Gathering Clouds:
A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom Frederic William Farrar. ...
/.../farrar/gathering clouds a tale of the days of st chrysostom/

A Tale About Words
... A TALE ABOUT WORDS. ... This fairy-tale comes from France, and it is told by Katherine
Pyle in her book, "Fairy-Tales from Many Lands." A widow had two daughters. ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/a tale about words.htm

Whether Tale-Bearing is a Sin Distinct from Backbiting?
... OF TALE-BEARING [*'Susurratio,' ie whispering] (TWO ARTICLES) Whether
tale-bearing is a sin distinct from backbiting? Objection ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether tale-bearing is a sin.htm

Whether Backbiting is a Graver Sin than Tale-Bearing?
... OF TALE-BEARING [*'Susurratio,' ie whispering] (TWO ARTICLES) Whether
backbiting is a graver sin than tale-bearing? Objection 1: It ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether backbiting is a graver.htm

Of Tale-Bearing [*'susurratio,' IE Whispering] (Two Articles)
... OF TALE-BEARING [*'Susurratio,' ie whispering] (TWO ARTICLES). We must now consider
tale-bearing: under which head there are two points of inquiry: ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/of tale-bearing susurratio i e whispering.htm

Life a Tale
... LIFE A TALE. We spend our years as a tale that is told. Psalm 90:9. We bring
our years to an end like a thought, is the proper rendering ...
//christianbookshelf.org/chapin/the crown of thorns/life a tale.htm

That Tale-Bearers are Accursed.
... Third Book. 110. That tale-bearers are accursed. In Ecclesiasticus, in Solomon:
"The talebearer and the double-tongued is accursed ...
/.../110 that tale-bearers are accursed.htm

Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom
Gathering Clouds: A Tale of the Days of St. Chrysostom. <. ... Title Page. GATHERING
CLOUDS A TALE OF THE DAYS OF ST. CHRYSOSTOM. BY THE SAME AUTHOR. ...
/.../farrar/gathering clouds a tale of the days of st chrysostom/title page.htm

Preface
... Everywhere, everywhere,. A tale is told to me". It is told in the sunny air,. ... The
tale is told to me,. The sweetest tale and the best. Of all the tales that be. ...
/.../bevan/hymns of ter steegen and others second series/preface 2.htm

Light.
... What makes this tale the good news? Is everything in the story of Christ's life
on earth good news? ... What makes it fit, I repeat, to call the tale good news? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/macdonald/unspoken sermons/light.htm

Thesaurus

Tale (7 Occurrences)
... and Vulgate render it "spider;" the Authorized Version and Revised Version,
"as a tale" that is told. ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. TALE. ...
/t/tale.htm - 12k

Tale-bearer (7 Occurrences)
Tale-bearer. Talebearer, Tale-bearer. Talebearers . Multi-Version
Concordance Tale-bearer (7 Occurrences). Leviticus ...
/t/tale-bearer.htm - 8k

Talebearer (8 Occurrences)

/t/talebearer.htm - 8k

Slander (34 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A false tale or report maliciously uttered, tending to injure the reputation
of another; the malicious utterance of defamatory reports; the ...
/s/slander.htm - 21k

Self-inflicted (2 Occurrences)
... Proverbs 18:8 The words of a tale-bearer 'are' as self-inflicted wounds, And
they have gone down 'to' the inner parts of the heart. (YLT). ...
/s/self-inflicted.htm - 7k

Judith (1 Occurrence)
... Though a tale of Jewish patriotism written originally in Hebrew, this book was never
admitted into the Hebrew Canon, and the same applies to the Book of Tobit. ...
/j/judith.htm - 27k

Story (92 Occurrences)
... 3. (n.) The relation of an incident or minor event; a short narrative; a tale;
especially, a fictitious narrative less elaborate than a novel; a short romance. ...
/s/story.htm - 34k

Tobit
... sources, Biblical and non-Biblical, and he shows no regard for correctness of facts
so long as he succeeds in making the teaching clear and the tale interesting ...
/t/tobit.htm - 34k

Anaharath (1 Occurrence)
... sources, Biblical and non-Biblical, and he shows no regard for correctness of facts
so long as he succeeds in making the teaching clear and the tale interesting ...
/a/anaharath.htm - 87k

Bible Concordance

Tale (7 Occurrences)

Luke 24:11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
(Root in KJV WEY DBY WBS RSV)

Exodus 5:8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
(KJV JPS)

Exodus 5:18 Go therefore now, and work; for there shall no straw be given you, yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.
(KJV JPS)

1 Samuel 18:27 Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.
(KJV)

1 Chronicles 9:28 And certain of them had the charge of the ministering vessels, that they should bring them in and out by tale.
(KJV JPS)

Psalms 65:3 Iniquities prevail against me: As for our transgressions, thou wilt forgive them.
(See JPS)

Psalms 90:9 For all our days are passed away in thy wrath: we spend our years as a tale that is told.
(KJV JPS WBS)

Subtopics

Tale

Related Terms

Tale-bearer (7 Occurrences)

Talebearer (8 Occurrences)

Slander (34 Occurrences)

Self-inflicted (2 Occurrences)

Judith (1 Occurrence)

Story (92 Occurrences)