--- title: "A Teacher Or A Fear?" author: "Milad Habibi" date: 2026-06-14 slug: a-teacher-or-a-fear canonical: /blog/a-teacher-or-a-fear/ --- $$$Image fileName=fear-or-teacher.jpg$$$ ## A Teacher Or A Fear? The language matters. During the history of humanity we see spikes of consciousness. From the holy ten commandments all the way to the industrial revolution of 18th century in England, there are patterns repeating again and again. The way we use the words matter. The history of languages is a magnificent field of study and I don't want to discuss such a vast universe in a short blog post. The topic of discussion is one beautiful Psalm and how two different world views can affect the translation and the message that the verse is carrying. Let's see the verse first according to mainstream Hebrew-English translation, $$$Image fileName=psalms-9-21-sefaria.jpeg$$$ This is a screenshot from Sefaria, a free public repository of Hebrew writings. You can check the verse $$$ToPageLinker keyword=here toRoute=https://www.sefaria.org/Psalms.9.21?lang=bi $$$ We can discuss about the translation a bit and see if we can have an alternative translation. The word שִׁיתָה in general means to set. It ends with a paragogic hey ( ה ָ ), acting as an emphatic ending to make the request from Adonay quite strong but at the same time polite. The second word is the Tetragrammaton, the holy name, which in translation is mentioned as "ETERNAL One". The vocative case is expected because this is a plea to the lord. Now, we reach the third word. This is where the meaning of the verse can completely shift. The word מוֹרָה is translated as "Fear" but is it the only possible translation? Of course not. There is an alternative. Actually, the word מוֹרֶה in Hebrew means a teacher. This is from the root יר״ה , the same root that the word Torah ( תוֹרָה ) meaning a teaching or instruction. This combination is derived from Hifil binyan in Hebrew which gives a causative meaning to the root. So Morah, is the one who causes the act of teaching hence becoming a teacher. If we consider this word being מוֹרֶה then how it became מוֹרָה , so changing ֶ (Segol) to ָ (Kamats)? This change can be explained by the rules of pausal forms in Hebrew Bible. Because there is a Revia on top of the word מוֹרָה and specifically on top of ר ( Resh ) then the Segol is changing to Kamats. This is a known pattern and not unique to this word. $$$AlertBox type=INFO title=Different Manuscripts message=In some of the Hebrew manuscripts the word is mentioned with an א at the end, which makes it more close to the meaning of fear but Kamats-Hey is accepted spelling. $$$ Next word is לָהֶם meaning either upon them or to them, so giving a sense of ownership. Then, the important word of יֵדְעוּ which again is in Binyan Hifil, giving a causal meaning: [So that] they become aware. The rest of the verse we can keep as it is, of course the meaning of mortal has some room for discussion. If we consider the translation using the alternative mode the verse becomes as: $$$Verse original= שִׁ֘יתָ֤ה יְהֹוָ֨ה ׀ מוֹרָ֗ה לָ֫הֶ֥ם יֵדְע֥וּ גוֹיִ֑ם אֱנ֖וֹשׁ הֵ֣מָּה סֶּֽלָה׃ {פ} translation= O ETERNAL One, appoint A teacher for them, [so that] nations become aware, mortal they are, SELAH. location=Psalms 9:21 direction=rtl$$$ One of the interesting cases for this verse, is the prophet Jonah (PBUH). He approached the king of Nineveh with a clear mission. A question we can ask is that was his mission dominated by fear or teaching? Now interestingly, if we check the Septuagint translation, we see it accepting the teacher or as it is mentioned in Koine Greek, a lawgiver! $$$AlertBox type=HINT title=What is Septuagint? message= Septuagint or LXX is the first translation of Hebrew Bible in Koine Greek. This is done thanks to 70 translators (Hence the name LXX or Septuagint taken from Latin) back in 3rd Century BCE in Alexandria, Egypt. Although, as it seems the translation of Psalms is done later by a different group of translators. $$$ $$$Verse original= κατάστησον, Κύριε, νομοθέτην ἐπ᾽ αὐτούς, γνώτωσαν ἔθνη ὅτι ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν. διάψαλμα. translation= Appoint, Lord, a lawgiver over them; let the nations know that they are men. Selah. location=Septuagint, Psalms 9:21 direction=ltr$$$ Finally, both ideas are also discussed in multiple verses in Quran. The fact that every nation had its own teacher, or in a more technical term, their prophets, is emphasised in Quran, $$$Verse original= وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولًا أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ translation= Indeed, We sent forth among every nation a Messenger, saying: 'Serve you God, and eschew idols'... location=Surah The Bee, verse 36a (16:36a) direction=ltr$$$ Well, it seems we are talking about short-term and long-term solutions here. Fear works for short-term for sure, but when it comes to a sustainable solution, teaching is the answer. After all, by the judgment of wisdom, the best way of teaching is to appoint a good teacher, just as a father that cares about his children and looks for the best teacher for them; This is another amazing Psalm, empowered by its poetic structure, carrying multiple meanings at the same time. Let's teach each other about the beauties, sharing the beauties is the beginning of a successful teaching journey... ;) Judaism, this masterpiece of humanity definitely can be called the source of teaching, the first teacher. It's enough to point to the name of יְרוּשָלַיִם (Yerushalaim - Jerusalem) which is shaped from the root we mentioned above meaning, "They shall teach peace!" Or simply "Teach Peace!". Of course when we also go deeper in the meaning of the root של״ם we can see the concept of Completeness! Now, to add to the beauty we should notice that this name is in dual form, so there are two types of teaching of this completeness... The Hebrew language is deep and heavy in the amount of consciousness it transfers. As you can see there is no limit to the meanings. Wishing you all the moments full of observation of the beauties.