Our English translations have very few occurrences of the word “Teacher” in the Hebrew Scriptures, but very extensive in the Greek. Let’s take a look, first at the five verses in HS that speak of teachers, in the NASB (as always, it is good to look at context – in some it will be included here):
• 1 Chronicles 25:8 (NASB) Divisions of Musicians
8 They cast lots for their duties, all alike, the small as well as the great, the teacher (h0995. בִּין ḇiyn) as well as the pupil.
h0995. בִּין ḇiyn means understanding. The implication here is that the teacher is one that already has understanding.
• Job 36:22-23 (NASB)
22 “Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a teacher (h4175. מוֹרֶה môreh) like Him?
23 “Who has appointed Him His way,
And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?
h4175. מוֹרֶה môreh is another noun derived from the root h3384. יָרָה yârâ, meaning teacher or archer.
• Isaiah 30:19-21 (NASB) 19 O people in Zion, inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will weep no longer. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you. 20 Although the Lord (h0136. אֲדֹנָי ’ăḏônây) has given you bread of privation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher (h4175. מוֹרֶה môreh) will no longer hide Himself, but your eyes will behold your Teacher (h4175. מוֹרֶה môreh). 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right or to the left.
• Habakkuk 2:18-20 (NASB)
18 “What profit is the idol when its maker has carved it,
Or an image, a teacher (h3384. יָרָה yârâ) of falsehood?
For its maker trusts in his own handiwork
When he fashions speechless idols.
19 “Woe to him who says to a piece of wood, ‘Awake!’
To a mute stone, ‘Arise!’
And that is your teacher (h3384. יָרָה yârâ)?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
And there is no breath at all inside it.
20 “But YHWH is in His holy temple.
Let all the earth be silent before Him.”
Those are the only occasions in Hebrew Scriptures where we actually see the translators using “Teacher.” Obviously, from the Post on “To Teach,” we saw lots of examples of people or circumstances that teach, and those could be considered as “teachers,” but the point was to make it clear that Teacher is not a common usage in HS, and only one time is it used of people (“ones of understanding”), primarily of YHWH.
However, when we get to the Greek we have a very clear focus on one major point, that the people considered Yeshua as “Teacher.” We will quote a number of passages, but give the full listing as well, so that you can see how extensive this usage is.
• Matthew 8:19 (NASB) [first occurrence]
19 Then a scribe came and said to Him, “Teacher (g1320. διδάσκαλος didaskalos), I will follow You wherever You go.”
• Matthew 10:24-25 (NASB) 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!
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• Matthew 12:38-39 (NASB) 38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
• Matthew 22:15-16 (NASB) 15 Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. 16 And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any.
• Matthew 23:5-12 (NASB) 5 But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men. 8 But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. 10 Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. 11 But the greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.
• Mark 5:35 (NASB)
35 While He was still speaking, they came from the house of the synagogue official, saying, “Your daughter has died; why trouble the Teacher anymore?” (starttofinish.org)
• Mark 12:32-34 (NASB)
32 The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE is One, and there is no one else besides Him; 33 and to love Him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as himself, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
• Luke 7:40 (NASB)
40 And Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he replied, “Say it, Teacher.”
• Luke 18:18-19 (NASB) 18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.
• John 1:38 (NASB)
38 And Jesus turned and saw them following, and *said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi (which translated means Teacher), where are You staying?”
• John 3:1-3 (NASB) 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; 2 this man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
• John 3:10 (NASB)
10 Jesus answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel and do not understand these things?
• John 13:13-15 (NASB) 13 You call Me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.
• John 20:16-17 (NASB) 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’
The same Greek word is used throughout (the one in Acts, of Gamaliel, is a compound of the same word). And g1320. διδάσκαλος didaskalos is not used at all in the Septuagint. Those after the Gospels [in brackets below] are not speaking of Yeshua. All in the Gospels are speaking of Yeshua except in John 3:10, where Yeshua calls Nicodemus teacher (the teacher recognized in John 3:2 that Yeshua was a teacher come from God), and where Yeshua speaks of YHWH as the One Teacher in Matthew 23:8.
In addition, Matthew 9:11, 17:24, 19:16, 22:24, 22:36, 26:18; Mark 4:38, 9:17, 9:38, 10:17, 10:20, 10:35, 12:14, 12:19, 12:32, 13:1, 14:14; Luke 3:12, 6:40, 8:49, 9:38, 10:25, 11:45, 12:13, 19:39, 20:21, 20:28, 20:39, 21:7, 22:11; John 8:4 (a section not in earliest manuscripts), 11:28; [Acts 5:34; Romans 2:20; 1 Timothy 2:7; 2 Timothy 1:11]
One conclusion that can be drawn is that in Hebrew Scriptures, the picture is one that any person or circumstance can be one to teach us (the caveats are the idols and the false teachers, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which may lead us astray). Commonly the ones teaching are those appointed by YHWH, such as noted in the Post “To Teach.”
The contrast in the Greek Scriptures is that the people, both friendly to Yeshua’s cause, and adversaries, seemed to recognize him specifically as “Teacher.” So, what and where did he teach? There is another list of passages talking about his teaching below. As you read them, you will see that he frequently taught in synagogues and in the Temple, although we also have witness of his teaching in the countryside as well. For certain in the synagogues and the Temple he would have been teaching from the Hebrew Scriptures. As we proceed into later Posts tying together Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, you will see that he primarily (if not exclusively) taught from the Hebrew Scriptures, and indeed his biggest caution was in those who taught commandments of men as opposed to God’s commandments as doctrine.
Frequently in these passages you will see in most common Christian translations “the gospel” (g2098. εὐαγγέλιον euaggelion) which means “a good message” or “good news.” The Hebrew word is h1319. בָּשַׂר ḇâśar, also meaning news, good news, as is noted in Isaiah 61:1 and quoted in Luke 4:18-19. His teaching in that setting was from Isaiah, 1 Kings and 2 Kings. In those references, good news was brought to the poor, to a poor widow, and to a leper (the widow and leper being foreigners). His teaching in this setting made those who were “comfortable” uncomfortable.
In John 18, in conversation with Pilate before his execution, he spoke of his purpose:
• John 18:37 (ESV)
37 Then Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.” (emphasis added)
The follow-up, of course is Pilate’s famous response:
τί ἐστιν ἀλήθεια
What is truth?
Verses about Yeshua’s teaching: Matthew 4:23, 7:28, 9:35, 21:23, 26:55; Mark 1:21, 2:13, 8:31, 12:35; Luke 4:31, 5:17, 20:1; John 6:59, 7:14, 7:16, 7:28, 8:28, 18:20, 18:37.
Specifically from John, some verses to be shared:
• John 7:14-19 (ESV) 14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple and began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore marveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning, when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not Moses given you the law? Yet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” (note here “the law” is Torah, the teaching)
• John 8:26-30 (ESV Strong’s) 26 I have much to say about you and much to judge, but he who sent me is true, and I declare to the world what I have heard from him.” 27 They did not understand that he had been speaking to them about the Father. 28 So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. 29 And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” 30 As he was saying these things, many believed in him.
It would seem that Yeshua, from what we have seen here, would be teaching from the Hebrew Scriptures. And we know that in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, his defense against the adversary was to quote from the Torah. One more passage will be shared here, not as an answer, but to indicate an area where there is much disagreement today about interpretation.
• Matthew 5:17-19 (ESV) 17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
The one word that seems to divide many in this passage is “fulfill…” we will have a Post dedicated to that topic, to see what answer Scripture can give us, upcoming soon. For now, we can definitively state that Yeshua was seen by those in his time to be a teacher, well substantiated in the GS. Next, a venture into strengthening the connections between the Hebrew and Greek Scriptures, to help readers get much more out of Bible reading and study.
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