διδάσκοντες (didaskontes) in Matthew 28:20: Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
διδάσκοντες (didaskontes) in Matthew 28:20
Textual Witness
The witness reads διδάσκοντες at the opening of Matthew 28:20 before αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
The grammar keeps teaching connected to the main commission and points readers toward obedience to Jesus' commands.
How To Communicate It
Use this form to explain that teaching in the Great Commission is active, ongoing, and aimed at learned obedience.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Do not separate teaching from observing what Jesus commanded.
- Do not treat masculine grammatical agreement as a theological restriction.
- Do not make this participle define every teaching role or setting by itself.
What Does The Label Mean?
Verb: the form is a participle, so it carries verbal action while also describing how the implied commissioned agents act in the clause. Here it describes teaching as part of carrying out the disciple-making commission.
Present: often views the action as in progress, customary, or presently in view. Context decides the exact force.
Active: presents the subject as doing or carrying the action.
Participle: carries a verbal idea while also functioning like a descriptive or adverbial clause element. Context decides its role.
Nominative: the participle agrees with the implied acting group in the commission.
Plural: the form points to more than one participant in the action.
Masculine: the masculine form marks grammatical agreement and does not by itself make a theological gender claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
αὐτοὺς and the infinitive τηρεῖν
The participle continues the pattern under the main imperative μαθητεύσατε from Matthew 28:19.
It names teaching as an ongoing commissioned action, and the following infinitive specifies that the teaching aims at observing all Jesus commanded.
It does not detach teaching from obedience, and it does not reduce disciple-making to information transfer alone.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: The participle explains how disciple-making continues through teaching toward obedience.
Teaching participle under the disciple-making command. describes teaching as part of carrying out disciple-making. Attached to the disciples being taught. Governed by the main imperative μαθητεύσατε. The following infinitive τηρεῖν keeps the teaching aimed at obedience to Jesus' commands.
What kind of teaching belongs to the commission? Teaching that trains disciples to observe everything Jesus commanded.
Direct: The form directly supports the participial rendering "teaching."
The participle is not a detached command but a carried-out action under the main imperative. Teaching must be read with the infinitive that follows, not as bare information transfer.
Teaching equals information only: The sentence defines the teaching by the aim that disciples observe Jesus' commands.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads διδάσκοντες at the opening of Matthew 28:20 before αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν.
The lemma διδάσκω means to teach or instruct, so the form names instruction in the commission.
The present active participle describes a continuing action carried out by the commissioned agents, and the following infinitive τηρεῖν gives the obedience-oriented content of that teaching.
Disciple-making includes teaching people to observe everything Jesus commanded.
The form fits Matthew's concern for Jesus' authoritative teaching and for disciples who hear and do his words.
In teaching, explain this form together with τηρεῖν so that instruction is seen as ordered toward obedient discipleship.
Do not use the participle to reduce discipleship to classroom content, and do not make grammar alone define every setting or office of teaching.