Rabbouni
/ˌræb.uːˈniː/noun
A respectful Aramaic title meaning “my teacher” or “my master,” especially used in the New Testament.
Did you know?In the Gospel of John, Mary Magdalene addresses the risen Jesus as “Rabbouni,” preserving an Aramaic expression inside the Greek New Testament.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic
Proto-Semitic
*r-b-b
“A root associated with greatness, abundance, or being great”
Biblical Aramaic
Aramaic
rabb
“Great one, master, or teacher”
1st Century
Aramaic
rabbūnī
“My master or my teacher; formed with a first-person possessive ending”
1st Century
Greek
ῥαββουνί (rhabbouni)
“Aramaic title transliterated into the Greek New Testament”
16th Century
English
Rabbouni
“A title for Jesus in English translations of the New Testament”
Modern English
English
Rabbouni
“An Aramaic address meaning “my teacher” or “my master””