didaskalos · teacher

What it means

didaskalos (διδάσκαλος) is a Greek word of the Bible that means “teacher”.

One who teaches.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. One who instructs; that is what they called Jesus.

From Abbott-Smith (1922) · Thayer (1889)

Word study

Teacher: one who teaches. In the Gospels it is the title by which many address Jesus, and in John it renders the Aramaic Rabbi or Rabbouni. It is the noun of διδάσκω (‘teach’, G1321).

• “Teacher”, when addressing Jesus Luke 10:25Mark 10:17Mark 12:32
• Rabbi, Rabbouni: “which means Teacher” John 20:16John 3:2
• “One is your Teacher” Matthew 23:8John 13:13
• The disciple and the teacher Matthew 10:24Luke 6:40
• Teachers in the assembly Acts 13:11 Corinthians 12:28James 3:1

Historical and cultural background

John 20:16 explains that Mary Magdalene called Jesus “Rabbouni!”, in Hebrew, “which means Teacher”.

How we translate it

“Teacher” 50 times and “teachers” 8; capitalized when it is a title for Jesus. So it is told apart from ῥαββί, which is transcribed “Rabbi”, and from ἐπιστάτης, which in Luke is rendered “Master” (Luke 5:5).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• Teacher ×50
• teachers ×8

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Matthew×12
• Mark×12
• Luke×17
• John×7
• Acts×1
• Romans×1
• 1 Corinthians×2
• Ephesians×1
• 1 Timothy×1
• 2 Timothy×2
• Hebrews×1
• James×1

• Matthew 8:19

  And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.”

• Matthew 9:11

  And seeing this, the Pharisees were saying to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners?”

• Matthew 10:24

  A disciple is not above the teacher, nor a slave above his master.

• Matthew 10:25

  It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they call the members of his household!

• Matthew 12:38

  Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.”

• Matthew 17:24

  Now when they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, “Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?”

• Matthew 19:16

  And look, one man came to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do so that I may have eternal life?”

• Matthew 22:16

  And they send to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and teach the way of God in truth, and you do not care about anyone, for you do not look at the face of people.

• Matthew 22:24

  saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If someone dies not having children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’

• Matthew 22:36

  “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”

• Matthew 23:8

  But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.

• Matthew 26:18

  And he said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; at your house I am keeping the Passover with my disciples.”’”

• Mark 4:38

  And he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they wake him and say to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?”

• Mark 5:35

  While he was still speaking, people come from the synagogue leader’s house, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher any further?”

• Mark 9:17

  And one of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, who has a mute spirit;

• Mark 9:38

  John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.”

• Mark 10:17

  And as he was going out on the way, a man ran up and knelt before him and was asking him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

• Mark 10:20

  And he said to him, “Teacher, all these things I have kept from my youth.”

• Mark 10:35

  And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come up to him, saying to him, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask you.”

• Mark 12:14

  And they came and say to him, “Teacher, we know that you are true and you do not care about anyone; for you do not look at the face of people, but in truth you teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay tax to Caesar, or not? Should we pay, or should we not pay?”

• Mark 12:19

  “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies and leaves behind a wife and does not leave a child, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

• Mark 12:32

  And the scribe said to him, “Well said, Teacher; in truth you have said that he is one and there is no other besides him;

• Mark 13:1

  And as he was going out of the temple, one of his disciples says to him, “Teacher, look, what stones and what buildings!”

• Mark 14:14

  and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’

• Luke 2:46

  And it happened after three days that they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and questioning them.

• Luke 3:12

  And tax collectors also came to be immersed, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

• Luke 6:40

  A disciple is not above the teacher; but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

• Luke 7:40

  And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he says, “Teacher, say it.”

• Luke 8:49

  He was still speaking when someone comes from the synagogue leader’s house, saying, “Your daughter has died; do not trouble the Teacher any longer.”

• Luke 9:38

  And look, a man from the crowd cried out, saying, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, because he is my only child.

• Luke 10:25

  And look, a certain expert in the law stood up to test him, saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

• Luke 11:45

  And one of the experts in the law answered and says to him, “Teacher, in saying these things you insult us also.”

• Luke 12:13

  And someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

• Luke 18:18

  And a certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

• Luke 19:39

  And some of the Pharisees from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

• Luke 20:21

  And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and do not show partiality, but teach the way of God in truth.

• Luke 20:28

  saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if someone’s brother dies having a wife, and he is childless, his brother should take the wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

• Luke 20:39

  And some of the scribes answered and said, “Teacher, you have spoken well.”

• Luke 21:7

  And they asked him, saying, “Teacher, when, then, will these things be, and what will be the sign when these things are about to happen?”

• Luke 22:11

  And you will say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, “Where is the guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’

And 18 more times.