Lexical Summary lamad: To learn, to teach, to instruct Original Word: לָמַד Strong's Exhaustive Concordance to teach, to goad, A primitive root; properly, to goad, i.e. (by implication) to teach (the rod being an Oriental incentive):(un-) accustomed, X diligently, expert, instruct, learn, skilful, teach(-er, - ing). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to exercise in, learn NASB Translation accept (1), expert (1), instruct (1), instructors (1), learn (15), learned (5), really learn (1), skillful (1), taught (15), teach (30), teachers (1), teaches (3), teaching (1), teaching and again (1), train (1), trained (2), trains (3), untrained* (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs לָמַד verb exercise in, learn (Late Hebrew id., be accustomed to, learn; Aramaic לְמַד (rare) learn; Syriac  Pa`el accustom, combine; Ettaph`al be taught, etc.; Assyrian lamâdu, learn, DlProl. 29); — Qal Perfect3masculine singular ׳ל Isaiah 26:10; 1singular לָמַדְתִּי Proverbs 30:3 3t. Perfect; Imperfect3masculine singular יִלְמַד Deuteronomy 17:19; 1singular אֶלְמְדָה Psalm 119:73; 3plural יִלְמְדוּן Deuteronomy 4:10 12t. Imperfect; Imperative לִמְדוּ Isaiah 1:17; Infinitive absolute לָמֹד Jeremiah 12:16; construct suffix לָמְדִי Psalm 119:7; Participle pass construct לְמוּדֵי 1 Chronicles 5:8; — learn something, with accusative Deuteronomy 5:1; Psalm 119:7; Psalm 119:71; Psalm 119:73; Psalm 106:35; Proverbs 30:3; Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 26:9,10; Isaiah 29:24; Jeremiah 12:16 (twice in verse); Micah 4:3; with אֶל Jeremiah 10:2; with infinitive Deuteronomy 18:9; Isaiah 1:17; Ezekiel 19:3,6; לְיִרְאָה Deuteronomy 4:10; Deuteronomy 14:23; Deuteronomy 17:19; Deuteronomy 31:13; וְיָרְאוּ Deuteronomy 31:12; לְמוּדֵי מִלְחָמָה trained to war 1 Chronicles 5:18. Piel Perfect3masculine singular לִמַּד Ecclesiastes 12:9; 2masculine suffix לִמַּדְתָּנִי Psalm 71:17 7t. Perfect; Imperfect יְלַמֵּד Psalm 25:9; יְלַמֶּדֿ Job 21:22; 2masculine singular suffix תְּלַמְּדֶנּוּ Psalm 94:12; 1singular אֲלַמְּדָה Psalm 51:15; 3masculine plural יְלַמֵּד֑וּן Deuteronomy 4:10 12t. Imperfect; Imperative suffix לַמְּדֵנִי Psalm 25:4 12t. Imperative; Infinitive לַמֵּד Jeremiah 32:33 9t.; Participle מְלַמֵּד Deuteronomy 4:1 7t. Participle; — teach, absolute 2 Chronicles 17:7,9 (twice in verse); Psalm 60:1; teach some one something, with double accusative Deuteronomy 4:5,14; Deuteronomy 5:28; Deuteronomy 11:19; Deuteronomy 31:19,22; Judges 3:2; 2 Samuel 1:18 (?), Psalm 25:4; Psalm 25:9; Psalm 34:12; Psalm 51:15; Psalm 94:10; Psalm 119:12; Psalm 119:26; Psalm 119:64; Psalm 119:66,67,68,108,124,135,171; Psalm 132:12; Ecclesiastes 12:9; Isaiah 40:14; Jeremiah 2:33; Jeremiah 9:13,19; Jeremiah 13:21; Daniel 1:4; with accusative of person Deuteronomy 4:10; Psalm 25:5; Psalm 71:17; Songs 8:2; Isaiah 48:17; Jeremiah 31:34; Jeremiah 32:33 (twice in verse); Ezra 7:10; accusative of thing Job 21:22; accusative of person ל of thing 2 Samuel 22:35 = Psalm 18:35; Psalm 144:1; accusative of thing ל person Job 21:22; accusative of person מִן of thing Psalm 94:12; accusative of person בְּ of thing Isaiah 40:14; accusative of person infinitive of thing Deuteronomy 4:1; Deuteronomy 6:1; Deuteronomy 20:8; Psalm 143:10; Jeremiah 9:4; Jeremiah 12:16; מְלַמְּדַי my teachers Psalm 119:99; Proverbs 5:13. Pual Perfect3masculine singular לֻמָּ֑ד Jeremiah 31:18; Participle plural construct מְלֻמְּדֵי 1 Chronicles 25:7; Songs 3:8; feminine מְלֻמָּדָה Isaiah 29:13; Hosea 10:11; — trained, as soldiers Songs 3:8; singers 1 Chronicles 25:7; a bullock to the yoke Hosea 10:11; taught, of a human command Isaiah 29:13. Topical Lexicon Overviewלָמַד (lamad) embraces both the receptive side of “learning” and the active side of “teaching,” appearing about eighty-six times across the Old Testament. The root spans covenant instruction, skill training, prophetic admonition, and eschatological promise. It depicts the conveyance of truth that calls the learner into obedient relationship with the LORD and thus undergirds Israel’s faith, worship, and communal life. Covenant Instruction in the Pentateuch 1. Parental pedagogy. Deuteronomy repeatedly binds the family to the Torah. “Teach them to your children, speaking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road” (Deuteronomy 11:19). Here lamad secures generational continuity: parents are the primary catechists of the covenant. 2. National assembly. Moses gathers “men, women, children, and foreigners” so that they may “listen and learn to fear the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 31:12-13). Learning is public, corporate, and aimed at reverent obedience. 3. Moral separation. Israel must not “learn to imitate the detestable practices” of Canaan (Deuteronomy 18:9). Lamad warns that pedagogy can either sanctify or corrupt. Training for Skill and Warfare The same verb governs martial competence: “He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze” (Psalm 18:34; 2 Samuel 22:35). Judges 3:2 explains that the LORD left certain nations “to teach warfare” to the inexperienced generation. Thus spiritual formation and practical skill share a common vocabulary, hinting at the holistic scope of divine instruction. Wisdom and Personal Piety Psalm 119 uses lamad twelve times in the pleas, “Teach me Your statutes” (verse 12, etc.). Here the psalmist models ongoing discipleship: revelation is continually sought, treasured, and obeyed. Similar cries arise in Psalm 25:4-5; 27:11; 143:10. In Proverbs 5:13 the repentant son laments, “I did not obey my teachers,” illustrating the peril of rejecting godly counsel. Prophetic Critique and Promise 1. Corruption of pedagogy. Jeremiah exposes societal decay: “They teach their tongues to lie” (Jeremiah 9:5). Isaiah indicts ritual formalism sustained by “rules taught by men” (Isaiah 29:13). 2. Call to righteousness. “When Your judgments come upon the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9). Lamad links divine discipline with ethical transformation. 3. Messianic hope. Isaiah 54:13 heralds restoration: “All your children will be taught by the LORD.” Micah 4:2 and Isaiah 2:3 foresee the nations streaming to Zion, pleading, “He will teach us His ways.” Jeremiah 31:34 climaxes the theme: under the new covenant “they will no longer teach their neighbor…for they will all know Me.” God as the Ultimate Teacher The LORD self-identifies as instructor: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go” (Isaiah 48:17). His pedagogy is personal, benevolent, and effectual, contrasting sharply with the futile tutelage of idols (Habakkuk 2:18-19). Human Mediators of Instruction 1. Priests: “For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth” (Malachi 2:7—verbally echoing lamad’s function). 2. Kings: Deuteronomy 17:18-20 requires the monarch to copy and read the Torah “so that he may learn to fear the LORD.” 3. Prophets and scribes: Ezra “set his heart to study the Law of the LORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutes” (Ezra 7:10), reflecting lamad’s triad of learn–obey–teach. From External Law to Internalization The movement from Deuteronomy’s repeated commands to Jeremiah’s promise of innate knowledge underlines Scripture’s unified trajectory: God’s instruction moves from tablets of stone to hearts of flesh, culminating in the Spirit’s indwelling ministry (compare John 14:26; 1 John 2:27). Historical Background In ancient Israel, instruction began at home, was reinforced in festivals, and expanded through Levitical towns and later synagogues. Post-exilic emphasis on scribal teaching (Nehemiah 8) institutionalized lamad as public reading plus explanation, safeguarding orthodoxy amid diaspora pressures. Ministry Application Today • Preaching and teaching derive their mandate from lamad. Faithful ministers expound Scripture so hearers “learn and fear” (Deuteronomy 31:12). • Discipleship mirrors the Deuteronomic pattern: parents, elders, and congregations transmit doctrine and practice. • Spiritual warfare training (Psalm 144:1) anticipates New Testament calls to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). • Mission reflects the prophetic vision: the gospel goes forth “that the nations may learn righteousness.” Key Representative Texts Deuteronomy 4:10; 6:1; 11:19; 31:12-13 Psalm 18:34; 25:4-5; 32:8; 119:12, 66, 71, 108, 124, 135 Proverbs 1:5; 5:13 Isaiah 2:3; 26:9-10; 48:17; 54:13 Jeremiah 9:5, 20; 12:16; 31:34 Conclusion לָמַד weaves a unifying thread through Scripture: God teaches, His people learn, and in turn teach others. The verb summons the covenant community—and ultimately the nations—to receive, embody, and transmit the truth that leads to life. Forms and Transliterations אֲלַ֫מְּדֵ֥ם אֲלַמְּדָ֣ה אֲלַמֶּדְכֶֽם׃ אֶלְמַ֥ד אלמד אלמדה אלמדכם׃ אלמדם בְּ֝לָמְדִ֗י בלמדי הַֽמְלַמֵּ֖ד הַֽמְלַמֵּ֣ד המלמד וְ֝לִֽמְלַמְּדַ֗י וְ֝לַמְּדֵ֗נִי וְֽלַמְּדֵ֗נִי וְאֶלְמְדָ֥ה וְלִמַּדְתֶּ֥ם וְלַמְּדָ֥הּ וְלַמֵּ֔ד וְלַמֵּ֤ד וְלַמֵּ֤דְנָה וְלָ֣מְד֔וּ וִֽילַמֵּ֖ד וַֽ֝יִּלְמְד֗וּ וַֽיְלַמְּד֖וּ וַֽיְלַמְּדֵ֖הוּ וַֽיְלַמְּדָ֖הּ וַֽיְלַמְּדוּ֙ וַיְלַמְּדֵ֣הוּ וַיִּלְמַ֥ד וּֽלֲלַמְּדָ֥ם וּלְלַמֵּ֥ד וּלְמַדְתֶּ֣ם וּלְמוּדֵ֖י ואלמדה וילמד וילמדה וילמדהו וילמדו וללמד וללמדם ולמד ולמדה ולמדו ולמדנה ולמדני ולמדתם ולמודי ולמלמדי יְלַמְּד֣וּ יְלַמְּד֤וּ יְלַמֵּדֽוּן׃ יְלַמֶּד־ יִלְמְד֗וּ יִלְמְד֜וּן יִלְמְד֥וּ יִלְמְד֥וּן יִלְמְדוּ֩ יִלְמְדוּ־ יִלְמַ֗ד ילמד ילמד־ ילמדו ילמדו־ ילמדון ילמדון׃ לְלַמְּדָ֖ם לְלַמֵּ֖ד לְלַמֵּ֣ד לְלַמֵּ֥ד לְלַמֵּֽד׃ לִמְּד֖וּם לִמְּד֧וּ לִמְּדוּ֙ לִמְד֥וּ לִמַּ֣דְתִּי לִמַּ֨דְתְּ לִמַּדְתַּ֥נִי לִמַּד־ לִמַּ֖דְתְּ לַמְּדֵ֑נִי לַמְּדֵ֤נִי ׀ לַמְּדֵ֥נִי לַמְּדֵֽנִי׃ לָמְד֖וּ לָמַ֣ד לָמַ֥דְתִּי לָמֹ֣ד לֻמָּ֑ד ללמד ללמד׃ ללמדם למד למד־ למדו למדום למדני למדני׃ למדת למדתי למדתני מְלַמְּדַ֥י מְלַמֵּ֣ד מְלַמֵּ֥ד מְלַמֶּדְךָ֣ מְלֻמְּדֵ֖י מְלֻמְּדֵי־ מְלֻמָּדָֽה׃ מְלֻמָּדָה֙ מלמד מלמדה מלמדה׃ מלמדי מלמדי־ מלמדך תְּלַמְּדֵ֑ם תְּלַמְּדֵ֑נִי תְלַמְּדֵ֣נִי תְלַמְּדֶֽנּוּ׃ תִּלְמַ֗ד תִּלְמָ֔דוּ תִלְמַ֣ד תלמד תלמדו תלמדם תלמדנו׃ תלמדני ’ă·lam·mə·ḏāh ’ă·lam·mə·ḏêm ’ă·lam·meḏ·ḵem ’ălamməḏāh ’ălamməḏêm ’ălammeḏḵem ’el·maḏ ’elmaḏ alammeDah alammedChem aLammeDem bə·lā·mə·ḏî belameDi bəlāməḏî elMad ham·lam·mêḏ hamlamMed hamlammêḏ lā·maḏ lā·maḏ·tî lā·mə·ḏū lā·mōḏ lam·mə·ḏê·nî laMad lāmaḏ laMadti lāmaḏtî lameDu lāməḏū lammeDeni lamməḏênî laMod lāmōḏ lə·lam·mə·ḏām lə·lam·mêḏ lelamMed ləlammêḏ lelammeDam ləlamməḏām lim·ḏū lim·maḏ- lim·maḏ·ta·nî lim·maḏ·tî lim·maḏt lim·mə·ḏū lim·mə·ḏūm limDu limḏū limmad limmaḏ- limMadt limmaḏt limmadTani limmaḏtanî limMadti limmaḏtî limmeDu limməḏū limmeDum limməḏūm lum·māḏ lumMad lummāḏ mə·lam·mə·ḏay mə·lam·mêḏ mə·lam·meḏ·ḵā mə·lum·mā·ḏāh mə·lum·mə·ḏê mə·lum·mə·ḏê- melamMed məlammêḏ melammeDai məlamməḏay melammedCha məlammeḏḵā melummaDah məlummāḏāh məlumməḏê məlumməḏê- melummedei tə·lam·mə·ḏê·nî ṯə·lam·mə·ḏê·nî tə·lam·mə·ḏêm ṯə·lam·mə·ḏen·nū telammeDem təlamməḏêm telammeDeni təlamməḏênî ṯəlamməḏênî telammeDennu ṯəlamməḏennū til·mā·ḏū til·maḏ ṯil·maḏ tilMad tilmaḏ ṯilmaḏ tilMadu tilmāḏū ū·lă·lam·mə·ḏām ū·lə·lam·mêḏ ū·lə·maḏ·tem ū·lə·mū·ḏê ulalammeDam ūlălamməḏām ulelamMed ūləlammêḏ ulemadTem ūləmaḏtem ūləmūḏê ulemuDei vaiyilMad vaiyilmeDu vaylammeDah vaylammeDehu vaylammeDu veelmeDah veLameDu velamMed velammeDah velamMedenah velammeDeni velimlammeDai velimmadTem vilamMed way·lam·mə·ḏāh way·lam·mə·ḏê·hū way·lam·mə·ḏū way·yil·maḏ way·yil·mə·ḏū waylamməḏāh waylamməḏêhū waylamməḏū wayyilmaḏ wayyilməḏū wə’elməḏāh wə·’el·mə·ḏāh wə·lā·mə·ḏū wə·lam·mə·ḏāh wə·lam·mê·ḏə·nāh wə·lam·mə·ḏê·nî wə·lam·mêḏ wə·lim·lam·mə·ḏay wə·lim·maḏ·tem wəlāməḏū wəlammêḏ wəlamməḏāh wəlammêḏənāh wəlamməḏênî wəlimlamməḏay wəlimmaḏtem wî·lam·mêḏ wîlammêḏ yə·lam·mə·ḏū yə·lam·mê·ḏūn yə·lam·meḏ- yelammed yəlammeḏ- yelammeDu yəlamməḏū yelammeDun yəlammêḏūn yil·maḏ yil·mə·ḏū yil·mə·ḏū- yil·mə·ḏūn yilMad yilmaḏ yilmeDu yilməḏū yilməḏū- yilmeDun yilməḏūnLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 4:1 HEB: אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָֽנֹכִ֛י מְלַמֵּ֥ד אֶתְכֶ֖ם לַעֲשׂ֑וֹת NAS: which I am teaching you to perform, KJV: and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do INT: which I am teaching to perform so Deuteronomy 4:5 Deuteronomy 4:10 Deuteronomy 4:10 Deuteronomy 4:14 Deuteronomy 5:1 Deuteronomy 5:31 Deuteronomy 6:1 Deuteronomy 11:19 Deuteronomy 14:23 Deuteronomy 17:19 Deuteronomy 18:9 Deuteronomy 20:18 Deuteronomy 31:12 Deuteronomy 31:13 Deuteronomy 31:19 Deuteronomy 31:22 Judges 3:2 2 Samuel 1:18 2 Samuel 22:35 1 Chronicles 5:18 1 Chronicles 25:7 2 Chronicles 17:7 2 Chronicles 17:9 2 Chronicles 17:9 86 Occurrences |
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