Tale

King James Dictionary

TALE, n. See Tell. A story a narrative the rehearsal of a series of events or adventures, commonly some trifling incidents or a fictitious narrative as the tale of a tub. Marmontel's tales idle tales.  Luke 24 .

We spend our years as a tale that is told  Psalms 90

1. Oral relation. 2. Reckoning account set down.  Exodus 5

In packing, they keep a just tale of the number.

3. Number reckoned.

--The ignorant who measure by tale, not be weight.

4. A telling information disclosure of any thing secret.

Birds--are aptest by their voice to tell tales what they find.

In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood.  Ezekiel 22

5. In law, a count or declaration. Tale, in this sense, is obsolete. 6. In commerce, a weight for gold and silver in China and other parts of the E. Indies also, a money of account. In China, each tale  Isaiah 10 maces=100 candareens-1000 cash.

TALE, To tell stories.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Heb. 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   Ezekiel 2:10 , "mourning."

Copyright Statement These dictionary topics are from M.G. Easton M.A., DD Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, published by Thomas Nelson, 1897. Public Domain.

Bibliography Information Easton, Matthew George. Entry for 'Tale'. Easton's Bible Dictionary. https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/eng/ebd/t/tale.html. 1897.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( n.) See Tael.

(2): ( v. i.) 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.

(3): ( v. i.) A count or declaration.

(4): ( v. i.) To tell stories.

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

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

TALE . ‘Tale’ in AV [Note: Authorized Version.] generally means ‘number or sum,’ as   Exodus 5:18 ‘Yet shall ye deliver the tale of bricks.’ And the verb ‘to tell ’ sometimes means ‘to number,’ as   Genesis 15:5 ‘Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them,’ where the same Heb. verb is translated ‘tell’ and ‘number.’

Morrish Bible Dictionary

Number.  Exodus 5:8,18;  1 Samuel 18:27;  1 Chronicles 9:28 .

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

Sometimes means a number, verified by counting,  Exodus 5:8,18;  1 Chronicles 9:28 .

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

tāl ( תּכן , tōkhen , מתכּנת , mithkōneth , מספּר , miṣpār  ; λῆρος , lḗros ): 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 ,  Exodus 5:18; 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 ,  Proverbs 26:22 (the King James Version) and once in Leviticus (  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 ,  1 Samuel 22:22 ); Ziba ( 2 Samuel 16:3;  2 Samuel 19:27 ); and a certain maid-servant ( 2 Samuel 17:17 ). See Slander .