Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him, “Rabboni!” which is to say, “Teacher!”
- KJV Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
- NKJV Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
- NASB Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).
- NLT “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus calls her by name, 'Mary,' and she recognizes him. The Good Shepherd's voice awakens recognition and joy.
Overview
At the personal word 'Mary,' recognition floods in, and she responds 'Rabboni,' Teacher. This fulfills Jesus' own teaching that his sheep know his voice and he calls them by name (John 10:3-4). The moment is intensely personal, showing that the risen Christ knows and calls each of his own.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 25
- John 10:3The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen for his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
- John 1:38Jesus turned and saw them following. “What do you want?” He asked. They said to Him, “Rabbi” (which means Teacher), “where are You staying?”
- John 5:2Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool with five covered colonnades, which in Hebrew is called Bethesda.
- Song 5:2I sleep, but my heart is awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking: “Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my flawless one. My head is drenched with dew, my hair with the dampness of the night.”
- Acts 10:3One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
- Gen 22:1Some time later God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Matt 23:7–10the greetings in the marketplaces, and the title of ‘Rabbi’ by which they are addressed.
- John 11:28After Martha had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary aside to tell her, “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.”
- Gen 22:11Just then the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.
- Song 2:8–17Listen! My beloved approaches. Look! Here he comes, leaping across the mountains, bounding over the hills.
- Luke 10:41“Martha, Martha,” the Lord replied, “you are worried and upset about many things.
- Song 3:4I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held him and would not let go until I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
- Exod 33:17So the LORD said to Moses, “I will do this very thing you have asked, for you have found favor in My sight, and I know you by name.”
- Isa 43:1Now this is what the LORD says—He who created you, O Jacob, and He who formed you, O Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine!
- John 3:2He 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.”
- John 1:49“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
- Exod 3:4When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from within the bush, “Moses, Moses!” “Here I am,” he answered.
- Gen 45:12Behold! You and my brother Benjamin can see that I, Joseph, am the one speaking with you.
- John 6:25When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here?”
- Matt 14:27But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
- John 13:13You call Me Teacher and Lord, and rightly so, because I am.
- 1 Sam 3:10Then the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant is listening.”
- Acts 9:4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?”
- 1 Sam 3:6Once again the LORD called, “Samuel!” So Samuel got up, went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you have called me.” “My son, I did not call,” Eli replied. “Go back and lie down.”
- John 20:28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 20:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.