‘Rabbi’ was a Hebrew word meaning ‘my teacher’ or ‘my master’. Pupils used the word when addressing their teachers (Matthew 23:7; Mark 9:5; John 1:38; John 3:25-26), and it was a common title that Jesus’ disciples used in addressing him (Matthew 26:25; John 6:25; John 9:2; John 13:13-14; John 20:16). People in general used the word as a title of respect for prominent teachers in the community (Luke 3:12; Luke 10:25; John 1:49; John 3:2). The word also had a more specialized meaning as a formal title for the Jewish teachers of the law known as scribes (cf. Luke 2:46; Matthew 23:7; Acts 5:34; Acts 22:3; see SCRIBES).