What does ῥαββί (rhabbí) mean in the Bible?
rhabbi is a form of address meaning Rabbi, teacher, or master. In the Gospels it is used by disciples, inquirers, opponents, and Judas when addressing Jesus.
Greek · G4461
ῥαββί
My master, i.e Rabbi, as an official title of honor
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ῥαββί G4461
Pronunciation rhabbí
What does ῥαββί (rhabbí) mean in the Bible?
rhabbi is a form of address meaning Rabbi, teacher, or master. In the Gospels it is used by disciples, inquirers, opponents, and Judas when addressing Jesus.
Reader summary
Full entry for ῥαββί (G4461) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4461?
The BSB source-word alignment has 15 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include Rabbi (14), of ‘Rabbi (1).
Where does ῥαββί (rhabbí) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 23:7. Its strongest book concentrations include John (8), Matthew (4), Mark (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Rhabbi is a form of address meaning Rabbi, teacher, or master. In the Gospels it is used by disciples, inquirers, opponents, and Judas when addressing Jesus. John 1 explains the term for readers as Teacher, while Matthew 23 warns disciples not to build status around being called Rabbi because they have one Teacher and are brothers. The word can appear in sincere confession, partial understanding, ordinary inquiry, fear, or betrayal.
Its theological weight comes from the identity of Jesus as the true Teacher and Messiah, not from the title alone. This companion should honor the address while showing that calling Jesus Rabbi must move toward obedience, faith, and recognition of who He truly is.
How the Bible Uses It
The selected passages move from Jesus' warning about status titles, to Judas's hollow address, to disciples and seekers calling Jesus Rabbi, and to confession, inquiry, and danger under His teaching authority.
- Matt.23.8
But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
Jesus warns His disciples not to be called Rabbi because they have one Teacher and are brothers. The title must not become a ladder for religious status.
- Matt.26.49
Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
Judas greets Jesus as Rabbi while betraying Him. The title can be spoken with the mouth while the heart acts treacherously.
- John.1.38
Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
John explains Rabbi as Teacher when the first disciples ask Jesus where He is staying. The address begins a discipleship encounter.
- John.1.49
“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
Nathanael calls Jesus Rabbi and confesses Him as Son of God and King of Israel. The title opens into a fuller confession of Jesus' identity.
- John.3.2
He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.”
Nicodemus calls Jesus Rabbi and recognizes Him as a teacher from God because of His signs. The address is respectful but still requires new-birth understanding.
- John.11.8
“Rabbi,” they replied, “the Jews just tried to stone You, and You are going back there?”
The disciples address Jesus as Rabbi while fearing danger in Judea. The title appears in the tension between loyalty, fear, and Jesus' mission.
Book contextPassage context
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 Rabbi 14× Matthew 23:8, Matthew 26:25, Matthew 26:49, Mark 9:5
of ‘Rabbi 1× Matthew 23:7
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 23:7 Ῥαββί to of ‘Rabbi Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 23:8 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Matthew 26:25 ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular Matthew 26:49 ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular Mark 9:5 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular Mark 11:21 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular Mark 14:45 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular John 1:38 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular John 1:49 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular John 3:2 Ῥαββί to Rabbi Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 23:7
Aligned rows 15
Books represented 3
Matthew 4 Mark 3 John 8
Source forms
Ῥαββί 13x Rhabbi Matthew 23:7, Matthew 23:8, Mark 9:5, Mark 11:21
ῥαββί 2x rhabbi Matthew 26:25, Matthew 26:49
Parsing patterns
Noun - Vocative Masculine Singular 13x Matthew 26:25, Matthew 26:49, Mark 9:5, Mark 11:21
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 2x Matthew 23:7, Matthew 23:8
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Call readers beyond respectful language for Jesus into obedient discipleship.
- Use title warnings to cultivate humility, not contempt for teachers who serve under Christ.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim Rabbi is always a hypocritical title.
- Do not claim calling Jesus Rabbi is enough apart from faith and obedience.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. A respectful address for Jewish teachers; Christ's disciples used it, though Jesus discouraged such titles.
Strong's G4461
Lexical occurrences 15 verses Greek text appearances 17 times 16 shown below Word forms 2 forms 15 references Verse guides 0 guides
Source Gloss
my master, i.e Rabbi, as an official title of honor
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 17 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 23:7 Hebrew
ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Matthew 23:7 Hebrew
ῥαββί· rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Matthew 23:8 Hebrew
ῥαββί· rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Matthew 26:25 Hebrew
ῥαββί; rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Matthew 26:49 Hebrew
ῥαββί· rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Mark 9:5 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Mark 11:21 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Mark 14:45 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse Mark 14:45 Hebrew
ῥαββί· rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 1:38 Hebrew
Ῥαββί rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 1:49 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 3:2 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 3:26 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 4:31 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 6:25 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
Read verse John 9:2 Hebrew
Ῥαββί, rabbi
Rabbi, my master, teacher
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 2 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 2 Aligned forms 15 Case pattern Vocative (13) Number pattern Singular (15)
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 23:7 · Matt 23:8 2×
Vocative · Singular · Masculine Matt 26:25 · Matt 26:49 · Mark 9:5 · Mark 11:21 · Mark 14:45 · John 1:38 · John 1:49 · John 3:2 · John 3:26 · John 4:31 · John 6:25 · John 9:2 · John 11:8 13×
Cross-Language Connections
Hebrew roots and equivalents that share conceptual or etymological ground with this Greek word.
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
Rhabbi is a title of address, but the Gospels make its use spiritually searching. Jesus forbids His disciples from craving the title because they have one Teacher and belong together as brothers. John translates Rabbi as Teacher and shows people approaching Jesus with questions, confession, curiosity, and fear. Nathanael's address rises quickly into confession that Jesus is the Son of God and King of Israel.
Nicodemus respectfully recognizes Jesus as a teacher from God, but he still needs to understand new birth. The disciples call Jesus Rabbi while struggling with the danger of His mission. Judas uses the same title in betrayal, proving that respectful words can mask rebellion. The companion therefore teaches readers to move from title to truth: Jesus is not honored by religious address alone, but by humble trust, obedience, and confession of who He is.
Anchor passage
Matt.23.8
Doctrinal connections
- G1320 Didaskalos, teacher: John 1 explains Rabbi with teacher language.
- G2519 kathegetes, instructor: Matthew 23 warns that disciples have one Instructor, the Christ.
- G3101 Mathetes, disciple: Rabbi language belongs in the relationship of learners to Jesus.
- G5547 Christos, Christ: Matthew 23 ties true instruction to the Christ.
- G5207 Huios, Son: Nathanael's confession moves from Rabbi to Son of God.
- G935 Basileus, king: Nathanael also confesses Jesus as King of Israel.
Rhabbi is an address, not a full doctrinal title by itself. Its meaning depends on who says it and how the speaker responds to Jesus. In John 1:38 the Gospel explicitly explains it for readers as Teacher.
From Old to New Testament
Israel's Scriptures honor the Lord as teacher of His people and warn against leaders who love status without obedience. Jesus fulfills true teaching authority and gathers disciples under His word.
Canonical synthesisPastoral application
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