Predating the expansion of the European Seven Sages narratives, composed some time before 1275, the Hebrew Mishle Sendebar (משלי סנדבר, Parables of Sendebar) is part of the broad Book of Sindbad tradition, sharing many elements with the Syriac, Greek, Persian, Arabic, and Old Spanish versions. Like the other Eastern texts, Mishle Sendebar highlights the wisdom of a particular philosopher, Sendebar (also known as Sindbad, Syntipas, Sindban, etc.). Additionally, all the sages here tell two stories to every single story told by the empress (see story order, below).
However, Mishle Sendebar is also distinct from the other Eastern texts in some ways. Some of these differences are related to the distinct Hebrew literary tradition, evidenced in analogues or references to the Book of Esther and elements from the Torah, but some variations are also shown in the plot. Epstein identifies the fact that the empress forgiven at the end, once her crimes are revealed, as reflecting something specific about Hebrew literary and cultural norms (though this also occus in some of the other Book of Sindbad narratives as well) (Epstein (1967)). Additionally, the Hebrew version alone of all the Eastern texts shares critical features with the Western Seven Sages tradition, as Morris Epstein explains in his introduction. As in the Seven Sages, in Mishle Sendebar the sages are named, and compete to secure the role of instructing the prince. The sages are named some variation of: Sendebar (Sndbad, Sndbr), Ipokras (Yofkot, Biars, Avpkrt), Apulin (Apuliyon, Aplbin, Upilin), Lukman (Luknin, Lukian, Lukmo, Ukmo, Ukimun), Aristalin (Aristotlie, Astile, Aristotilus, Istlin), Bind (Binr, Nishum, Bindi, Hind, Binur, Kind) and Amami (Amur, Amia, Amri, Amud, Omd, Amuz). The king is named Bibar (or similar), and his first wife's name is Beria; the son and the empress-figure are unnamed.
The story-order given below reflects Epstein's 1967 edition, which combines the story-order given in several Group A texts with the additional storymatter found in the anomalous Group B texts (namely Jusjurandum, Fur et Luna, and Ingenia).
However, Epstein titles the fifth story 'Catula', but other scholarship refers to this narrative as 'Canicula'; the title given here reflects broader scholarly consensus and (in particular) Nishimura's references to the narrative.