What does διδαχή (didachḗ) mean in the Bible?
Didachē names teaching, instruction, or the content taught. In the Gospels, crowds respond to Jesus' teaching and He uses teaching to warn against the scribes.
Greek · G1322
διδαχή
Instruction (the act or the matter)
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
διδαχή G1322
Pronunciation didachḗ
What does διδαχή (didachḗ) mean in the Bible?
Didachē names teaching, instruction, or the content taught. In the Gospels, crowds respond to Jesus' teaching and He uses teaching to warn against the scribes.
Reader summary
Full entry for διδαχή (G1322) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G1322?
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include teaching (23), instruction (2), a teaching (1), it was taught (1), of teaching (1).
Where does διδαχή (didachḗ) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 7:28. Its strongest book concentrations include Mark (5), Acts (4), 2 John (3), John (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Didachē names teaching, instruction, or the content taught. In the Gospels, crowds respond to Jesus' teaching and He uses teaching to warn against the scribes. Acts describes a proconsul astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Titus requires an elder to hold the faithful word so that sound teaching can encourage and refute. Revelation exposes teaching that leads a church toward compromise.
The noun is therefore not automatically positive. Teaching must be judged by its source, content, fruit, and faithfulness to Christ. Jesus teaches with authority; apostolic teaching announces the Lord; overseers guard what accords with the faithful word; false teaching can also form communities. The term calls churches to doctrinal care rather than admiration of instruction as a skill by itself.
How the Bible Uses It
Didachē can name Jesus' authoritative instruction, apostolic teaching about the Lord, sound doctrine guarded by elders, or corrupt teaching rejected by Christ. The selected witnesses show that teaching always forms hearers in some direction, so its truth and fruit matter more than novelty or polish.
- Matt.7.28
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were astonished at His teaching,
Matthew 7:28 closes the Sermon on the Mount by recording the crowds' astonishment at Jesus' teaching. The following verse grounds their response in His distinctive authority.
- Mark.12.38
In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
Mark 12:38 introduces Jesus' warning about the scribes within His teaching. Instruction here unmasks religious ambition and prepares hearers to recognize the exploitation described in the next verse.
- Acts.13.12
When the proconsul saw what had happened, he believed, for he was astonished at the teaching about the Lord.
Acts 13:12 says the proconsul believed, astonished at the teaching about the Lord. The miracle serves the advance of the message rather than becoming the final object of attention.
- Titus.1.9
He must hold firmly to the faithful word as it was taught, so that he can encourage others by sound teaching and refute those who contradict it.
Titus 1:9 binds church oversight to the faithful word. An elder must be able both to encourage by sound teaching and to refute contradiction, joining doctrine with responsible care.
- Rev.2.24
But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you
Revelation 2:24 distinguishes believers in Thyatira who do not hold Jezebel's teaching. The verse shows that teaching can normalize grave compromise and that refusing it is part of faithful endurance.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It teaching 23× Matthew 7:28, Matthew 16:12, Matthew 22:33, Mark 1:22
instruction 2× 2 Timothy 4:2, Hebrews 6:2
a teaching 1× 1 Corinthians 14:26
it was taught 1× Titus 1:9
of teaching 1× Romans 6:17
teaching [is] 1× Acts 17:19
teachings 1× Hebrews 13:9
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 7:28 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Matthew 16:12 διδαχῆς to teaching Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular Matthew 22:33 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Mark 1:22 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Mark 1:27 διδαχὴ to teaching Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Mark 4:2 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Mark 11:18 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Mark 12:38 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular Luke 4:32 διδαχῇ to teaching Noun - Dative Feminine Singular John 7:16 διδαχὴ to teaching Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 7:28
Aligned rows 30
Books represented 12
Matthew 3 Mark 5 Luke 1 John 3 Acts 4 Romans 2 1 Corinthians 2 2 Timothy 1 Titus 1 Hebrews 2 2 John 3 Revelation 3
Source forms
διδαχῇ 13x didachē Matthew 7:28, Matthew 22:33, Mark 1:22, Mark 4:2
διδαχὴν 8x didachēn Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Titus 1:9, Hebrews 6:2
διδαχῆς 5x didachēs Matthew 16:12, John 7:17, John 18:19, Acts 5:28
διδαχὴ 2x didachē Mark 1:27, John 7:16
Διδαχαῖς 1x Didachais Hebrews 13:9
διδαχή 1x didachē Acts 17:19
Parsing patterns
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular 13x Matthew 7:28, Matthew 22:33, Mark 1:22, Mark 4:2
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular 8x Romans 16:17, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Titus 1:9, Hebrews 6:2
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular 5x Matthew 16:12, John 7:17, John 18:19, Acts 5:28
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular 3x Mark 1:27, John 7:16, Acts 17:19
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural 1x Hebrews 13:9
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Do not call teaching sound merely because it is eloquent, popular, or associated with signs.
- Do not use doctrinal vigilance as permission for quarrelsome or unaccountable leadership.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not call teaching sound merely because it is eloquent, popular, or associated with signs.
- Do not use doctrinal vigilance as permission for quarrelsome or unaccountable leadership.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. Teaching as both the act of instructing and the content being taught; often emphasizes doctrinal content.
Strong's G1322
Lexical occurrences 30 verses Greek text appearances 30 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 30 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link 1 Corinthians 14:6 Source Gloss
instruction (the act or the matter)
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 30 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 7:28 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Matthew 16:12 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
διδαχῆς didachv
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Matthew 22:33 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Mark 1:22 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Mark 1:27 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
διδαχὴ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Mark 4:2 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Mark 11:18 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Mark 12:38 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Luke 4:32 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse John 7:16 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
διδαχὴ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse John 7:17 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
διδαχῆς, didachv
teaching, doctrine
Read verse John 18:19 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
διδαχῆς didachv
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Acts 2:42 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Acts 5:28 Noun Genitive Singular Feminine
διδαχῆς didachv
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Acts 13:12 Noun Dative Singular Feminine
διδαχῇ didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verse Acts 17:19 Noun Nominative Singular Feminine
διδαχή; didach
teaching, doctrine
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 5 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 5 Aligned forms 30 Case pattern Dative (14) Number pattern Singular (29)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Feminine Mark 1:27 · John 7:16 · Acts 17:19 3×
Genitive · Singular · Feminine Matt 16:12 · John 7:17 · John 18:19 · Acts 5:28 · Rom 6:17 5×
Dative · Singular · Feminine Matt 7:28 · Matt 22:33 · Mark 1:22 · Mark 4:2 · Mark 11:18 · Mark 12:38 · Luke 4:32 · Acts 2:42 · Acts 13:12 · 1 Cor 14:6 · 2 Tim 4:2 · 2 John 1:9 13×
Dative · Plural · Feminine Heb 13:9 1×
Accusative · Singular · Feminine Rom 16:17 · 1 Cor 14:26 · Titus 1:9 · Heb 6:2 · 2 John 1:10 · Rev 2:14 · Rev 2:15 · Rev 2:24 8×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
Active sense, the process or act of instructing others in assembly
Objective sense, the doctrine or content of Christ's instruction that must be maintained
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 30 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
διδαχή is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Didachē matters because Christian teaching is never mere information transfer. Jesus' instruction confronts hearers with His authority and exposes religious hypocrisy. The mission in Acts advances through teaching about the Lord, even when signs accompany it. Titus places sound teaching within the qualifications of an elder who clings to the faithful word, encourages believers, and answers contradiction.
Revelation shows the other side of formation: corrupt teaching can give theological permission to practices Christ condemns. Churches therefore need more than gifted communicators. They need teaching whose content accords with the apostolic gospel, whose handling is honest, and whose fruit is faith, holiness, love, and endurance. The noun itself does not certify orthodoxy.
Christ and His word judge the teaching, while shepherds bear responsibility to guard, explain, and apply it for the good of the flock.
Anchor passage
Titus.1.9
Doctrinal connections
- Christology: Jesus teaches with personal authority, and apostolic instruction is teaching about the Lord.
- Revelation and authority: sound teaching is bounded by the faithful word already received.
- Church leadership: elders must use doctrine to encourage and to answer contradiction.
- Sanctification: teaching forms conduct and must not provide cover for idolatry or sexual immorality.
- Mission: Acts presents teaching about the Lord as central to gospel advance.
- Discernment: churches must distinguish impressive instruction from teaching Christ approves.
Didachē may refer to the act of teaching or, more often in these settings, the instruction or body of teaching communicated. Its evaluation is supplied by qualifiers such as "sound" and by the source and content named in context.
From Old to New Testament
Deuteronomy charges Israel to teach God's words diligently, wisdom literature forms hearers in the fear of the Lord, and the prophets condemn leaders who mislead. New Testament teaching is centered on Christ and guarded through the apostolic deposit.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain