The Teacher Of Righteousness: A Messianic Interpretation Of Joel 2:23

By Michael A. Rydelnik

[Michael A. Rydelnik is professor and program head of Jewish studies at Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, Illinois.

This article will be included in the forthcoming Moody Handbook of Messianic Prophecy, ed. Michael A. Rydelnik and Edwin A. Blum (Chicago: Moody, 2019).]

Abstract

The title of the Qumran leader, the Teacher of Righteousness, seems to be derived from a biblical text, but which specific text has been disputed. The most likely source of the title is Joel 2:23. The Qumran sect was accurate in their understanding of this text, but incorrect in identifying their founder as the referent. Instead, Joel 2:23 predicts the Messiah coming to Israel and ushering in a reign of prosperity and abundance.

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The Qumran sect had a mysterious and revered leader. In the mid- to late-second century BC, they mention the “Teacher of Righteousness” some fifteen times in the published Dead Sea Scrolls.[1] Although he does not appear to be considered the Messiah, the Teacher of Righteousness did have messianic characteristics, including the idea that “fidelity to his inspired teaching [was] considered necessary for salvation.”[2] In attributing messianic qualities to this mysterious teacher, the Qumran scrolls depict him “as a new Moses,” a role also central to Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus as Messiah.[3]

Scholars recognize the Qumran community’s source of the title Teacher of Righteousness as biblical, though the specific reference is disputed. Some attribute it to Hosea 10:12 (“until he comes and sends righteousness on you like the rain,” עַד־יָבוֹא וְיֹרֶה צֶדֶק לָכֶם), while others see it as derived from Joel 2:23 (“because he gives you the autumn rain for your vindication,” כִּי־נָתַן לָכֶם אֶת־הַמּוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה). Still others view it as coming from both verses.[4]

What is pertinent to this discussion is the phrase in Joel 2:23 translated as “autumn rain for your vindication,” which could just as well be translated “the teacher for righteousness.” This is the most likely source of the Qumran community’s founder’s name.[5] Is it possible that the Qumran sect was accurate in their understanding of this phrase in Joel 2:23, seeing it as a prophecy of a future Teacher of Righteousness, but incorrect in identifying their founder as the referent? This article will maintain that the correct translation of Joel 2:23 is “the Teacher for Righteousness” and will affirm it as a prediction of the Messiah coming to Israel and ushering in the messianic era.

The Context Of Joel 2:23

Since the book of Joel does not indicate a specific date or refer to reigning kings, its date of composition cannot be determined categorically. However, its references to Israel’s early enemies Tyre, Sidon, Philistia (Joel 3:4), Egypt, and Edom (v. 19) and the absence of any mention of the nation’s later foes Assyria and Babylon lead to the conclusion that Joel is a fairly early pre-exilic book.

The first chapter of Joel deals with a recent locust plague, an event viewed as God’s judgment. The prophet uses this temporal devastation by God to anticipate and prefigure the eschatological Day of the Lord (1:1–20). The Day of the Lord is described in Joel 2 as a coming devastation of the land of Israel and its ultimate deliverance. Although some have argued that this judgment anticipates the imminent destruction by Babylon, which occurred in 586 BC, it is more likely a reference to the eschatological Day of the Lord.

This is evident in the description of these events as unprecedented and unrepeated (2:2) along with massive terrestrial, solar, and lunar disturbances (vv. 10–11). Moreover, although it was written before the exile, the book was compiled into the Book of the Twelve in the postexilic period. As such, the events described in Joel 2 were not considered as having yet been fulfilled and were still predicting the eschatological Day of the Lord. Just as in the biblical description of a “day,” the Day of the Lord has both an evening and morning (cf. Gen 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31). The evening consists of judgment (Joel 2:1–17) and the morning is composed of blessing (vv. 18–32).

The third and final chapter of Joel continues the description of eschatological judgment but focuses more on God’s end-of-days judgment of the Gentile nations for their mistreatment of Israel (3:1–15). Gathering the nations to the last battle for Jerusalem (cf. Pss 83:1–12; 110:6; Isa 66:18; Jer 25:32; Ezek 39:21; Mic 4:11–12) in the Valley of Jehoshaphat (or “Yahweh Judges”) (Joel 3:2, 12), a title for the Kidron Valley that runs east of Jerusalem, the Lord will judge them for their oppression of Israel (cf. Matt 25:31–46, esp. v. 40). Afterward, as Joel 3:16–21 describes, God will take up residence in Jerusalem and physically restore that city while spiritually renewing the people of Israel in his kingdom.

This discussion of the context of Joel 2:23 is significant because one of the arguments against the translation “teacher of righteousness” is that it does not fit the context of Joel. For example, Michael B. Shepherd says that “early rain” is “seemingly appropriate to the context” but says of the “teacher of righteousness” translation, “It is difficult to see what this would mean in context.”[6] However, Joel 2:23 is located in the section of the book that describes the eschatological restoration and blessing of Israel in the messianic age. Thus, it is appropriate to the context to describe the end-of-days messianic Teacher of Righteousness who will usher in the prosperity of the messianic kingdom.

The Consideration Of Joel 2:23

Interpretative History

The King James Version translates the key phrase הַמּוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה in Joel 2:23 as “the former rain moderately.” This translation understands מוֹרֶה with the unusual sense of “early rain” (the normal word for rain would be יוֹרֶה) and לִצְדָקָה not with its normal sense of “righteousness” or “justice” but with the unusual sense of “moderately,” meaning not too much or too little rain, but just the right amount. The reason for this translation is the second half of the verse, which describes the “rain” that God pours as both “early and latter rain,” using מוֹרֶה with the unusual sense of “early rain.” Thus, translators concluded that both uses of מוֹרֶה should be translated with the unusual meaning of “early rain.”

Most English versions maintain this translation but vary it slightly. For example, the HCSB/CSB2017 translates Joel 2:23 “the autumn rain for your vindication” and the NASB and ESV as “early rain for your vindication.” The NIV adopts “the autumn rains because he is faithful.” The difficulties these translations face are twofold: taking מוֹרֶה with the unusual sense of “early rain” and taking לִצְדָקָה without its normal sense of “righteousness.”

The Septuagint, the earliest translation of Joel from Hebrew, shows that even in ancient times this text was problematic. Translating 2:23 as “food for righteousness” perhaps indicates a variant textual tradition. On the other hand, other ancient versions such as Symmachus, the Vulgate, and the Targums (rabbinic paraphrases in Aramaic) translated the phrase with its plain sense of “teacher of righteousness.” Rashi, the most influential medieval Jewish interpreter, read the phrase as “teacher of righteousness” and understood it to refer to the prophets collectively. The medieval Jewish Karaite interpreter Yefet ben Ali understood it as referring to the messianic Teacher of Righteousness, as did the Jewish medieval interpreter Abarbanel, who translated the phrase as “the Teacher of Righteousness,” saying “this is the King Messiah.”[7]

Among modern translations, a few adopt the translation “teacher” for מוֹרֶה. The Roman Catholic translations Douay and the first edition of the New American Bible follow the Vulgate and translate the phrase “teacher of justice.” Additionally, the Lutheran Missouri Synod’s God’s Word translates it “the Teacher of Righteousness,” as does Young’s Literal Translation.

One significant interpreter who took the phrase to speak of a person and not rain was C. F. Keil, who understood it to refer collectively to all the priests and prophets of Israel culminating in the Messiah “as the final fulfillment of this promise.”[8] G. W. Ahlström interpreted Joel 2:23 as referring to a royal figure, a Davidic leader and teacher, but not the Messiah.[9] Other interpreters who translate the phrase as “Teacher of Righteousness” and understand it as referring exclusively to the Messiah include E. B. Pusey,[10] Theodore Laetsch,[11] and Walter C. Kaiser Jr.[12]

Exegetical Issues

The central exegetical issue is whether to translate the Hebrew phrase הַמּוֹרֶה לִצְדָקָה as “the early rain for your vindication” or as “the teacher of righteousness.” Although “the teacher of righteousness” is the less common translation, it is the more likely one for several reasons. First, the general definition of מוֹרֶה is “teacher.” The singular form of מוֹרֶה is used in seven other places in Scripture (2 Kgs 17:28; 2 Chron 15:3; Job 36:22; Isa 30:20 [twice]; Hab 2:18, 19) and it means “teacher” in each case. Admittedly, there are two possible exceptions to this simple definition, one in Psalm 84:7 [Eng v. 6] and the other in the second half of Joel 2:23.

As to the reference in Psalm 84:7, Keil rightly notes that this passage is not useful as evidence for “early rain,” since the meaning of מוֹרֶה there is disputed.[13] In fact, translating מוֹרֶה as “early rain” in that verse requires emending the Masoretic text, changing the word “blessings” to “pools” as in the NET Bible.[14] With regard to the reference in the second half of Joel 2:23, it is possible that מוֹרֶה means “autumn rain,” but this is an extremely unusual form (it would normally be יוֹרֶה). Possibly, this was an intentional bit of wordplay, revealing that when the Teacher (הַמּוֹרֶה) arrives, he will bring the blessing of rain (מוֹרֶה). Another possibility is that the second מוֹרֶה in Joel 2:23 was originally יוֹרֶה, the normal word for “autumn rain.” According to the BHS critical apparatus, multiple manuscripts have יוֹרֶה.15 Therefore, these two exceptions do not mitigate against understanding the first use of הַמּוֹרֶה in Joel 2:23 as “the Teacher.”

Second, the use of the article (הַמּוֹרֶה) supports the translation “teacher.” Keil notes that the words for rain, both former (יוֹרֶה) and latter (מַלְקוֹשׁ), never use the article. As he states, “No reason can be discovered why moreh should be defined by the article here if it signified early rain.”[16]

Third, understanding הַמּוֹרֶה as “Teacher” avoids the redundancy that comes from saying that God will give autumn rain and then promising that he will give rain, the autumn and spring rain. Pusey notes that, based on the use of what he calls the “vav conversive,” the phrase “he sends showers for you” must relate “to a separate action, later, in order of time or of thought than the former action. But if the former word moreh signified early rain, both would mean one and the same thing.”[17]

Fourth, לִצְדָקָה (“of righteousness”) is appropriate only if describing “the Teacher” rather than precipitation. Translating לִצְדָקָה as “vindication” or “just measure” is farfetched. The plain meaning of לִצְדָקָה is “righteousness”; it consistently has a moral/ethical sense.[18] It is utterly inapplicable to the word “rain.”

So who is this Teacher of Righteousness? Joel’s use of the definite article—“the Teacher” (הַמּוֹרֶה)—indicates that he is speaking of a particular person. Moreover, linking “the Teacher” with the word “for righteousness” indicates that this Teacher acts with righteousness and grants it to others. He fully personifies righteousness.[19] Joel 2:23 is saying that the blessings described will occur when God the Father gives the Messiah, “the Teacher of Righteousness,” to the people of Zion,[20] who should “rejoice and be glad.”

At the same time, God will send blessing to Israel in the form of the autumn and spring rains so that the land will have great productivity, an idea introduced and promised in the Torah (Deut 11:10–15; 28:12).

The next verse (Joel 2:24) describes the resulting agricultural abundance (“the threshing floors will be full of grain”) and great prosperity (“the vats will overflow with new wine and fresh oil”). Along with the physical restoration, God promises to repay Israel for their losses and take away their shame (vv. 25–26). Ultimately, Israel will understand that God is present with them and that he alone is God. Kaiser notes that in the latter part of this chapter (vv. 28–32), in addition to God sending literal rain in the eschaton, he will also send a metaphorical downpour of the Holy Spirit (v. 29). According to Kaiser, Pentecost was merely the down payment of this downpour; “the mighty force of it still awaits a final enactment by God.”[21]

The Confirmation Of Joel 2:23

As confirmation of the messianic meaning of Joel 2:23, Isaiah 30:19–26 provides an intertextual reference. There Isaiah predicts an eschatological Teacher who will guide Israel upon his arrival and that God will send rain and prosperity.

Isaiah begins this paragraph with comfort for Zion, a term encompassing Jerusalem and the Jewish people. Despite their past failures, the Lord mercifully calls on Israel to cry to him for help. Then God will respond to their voices when the people long for him, and he will answer them (v. 19). The Lord disciplines his people for just cause, to instruct them for a specific purpose. His discipline of limiting their food to the bread of privation and water of oppression was designed to direct them back to him. At this difficult time they will be receptive to their great messianic Teacher and his message; then Israel’s “Teacher will not hide any longer” (v. 20).

The word “teacher” is key to the text but somewhat of a puzzle. The problem is that the word “teacher” (מוֹרֶיךָ) is a plural form but the Hebrew verb “hide” (יִכָּנֵף) is a third-person masculine singular form. Therefore, some translations understand the word “teacher” as a plural, referring to many teachers (NIV, NET, KJV, ISV). Thus, the translation would be “your teachers will no longer be hidden,” indicating that the verse promises true teachers (but not the Messiah) who will be revealed to Israel when the nation repents.

On the other hand, others translate it as a singular, “Teacher” (HCSB, ESV, NASB, CEV, JPS1917, GW, RSV), focusing on the singular verb corresponding to it. The resulting thought is “your Teacher will no longer be hidden.”

Yet the problem of the singular verb not agreeing with the plural noun remains. A few possible solutions have been employed to interpret the noun “Teacher” as a singular. First, there is the possibility that the noun is a plural of majesty, being plural only in form, but not in meaning. Such an honorific plural would indicate an individual, highly important “Teacher.” This solves the problem of verb/noun agreement and reveals a glorious teacher. As Kaiser says, “In that case, the ‘Teacher’ is God’s Messiah.”[22]

A second possible solution to the difficulty is to note that the Hebrew pronominal suffix (“your”) on the noun “Teacher” (מוֹרֶיךָ) begins with a consonant. In biblical Hebrew, as Gesenius, Kautzsch, and Cowley point out, when a suffix begins with a consonant, it can yield a form change so that a true singular is formed as a plural yet remains singular.[23] This yields the translation “your Teacher will not hide himself any longer. Your eyes will see your Teacher” (v. 20). Understanding the Hebrew suffix in this way seems to be an appropriate solution to the grammatical issue of agreement, identifying the Teacher as an individual who will reveal himself to Israel. When Israel turns to the Lord, the Teacher will guide them in obedience to the ways of the Lord, whispering in their ears, “This is the way. Walk in it” (v. 21).

In addition to the revelation of the messianic Teacher to the people of Israel here in Isaiah 30:23–26, as in Joel 2:23, God also promises prosperity to the land by sending rain. Rain is an evidence of God’s blessing for obedience (Lev 26:4; Deut 11:13–15) and will water the ground to such an extent as to bring forth crops enough to feed even the livestock plentifully (Isa 30:23). The blessing of rain in conjunction with the revelation of the Teacher supports the messianic interpretation of Joel 2:23. Both here in Isaiah and in Joel, when the great messianic Teacher comes to Israel, God will provide both the former and the latter rains and will bring rich and abundant harvests.

God will bless Israel with such a great quantity of grain that they will give their oxen and donkeys salted fodder (Isa 30:24) that has had the chaff removed, a particularly extravagant animal feed.

Furthermore, verse 25 notes that the abundance of rain will produce great flows of streams and watercourses in the mountains and hills so there will be no fear of drought in any area.

The coming of the Teacher Messiah will be attended by extraordinary light. His appearance ushers in a time of brightness that will drive away darkness. First, the moon will be as bright as the sun and the sevenfold increase in the sun’s brightness indicates the power of the light. Second, the combination of healing and light is a brilliant contrast to that of disease and darkness. Next, God is presented as a physician who will heal the brokenness and injuries of his people (v. 26). In the messianic age, God will heal his people not only physically but also emotionally and spiritually. The future characterized by the Lord’s healing of his people and illumination of his world is a glimpse of the coming restoration. Isaiah’s description of God’s actions, taking place after the arrival of the Teacher, are very like the restoration of Israel described in Joel 2:25–27, when God not only will grant prosperity but also will heal the nation of their shame.

The association of Isaiah 30:19–26 with Joel 2:23 should not be overlooked.[24] In both passages the Messiah comes as a Teacher to guide Israel to God’s truth. In so doing, the Messiah ushers in the messianic age, bringing the blessing of rain and thus providing great agricultural abundance and prosperity.[25]

Conclusion

It seems that the Qumran community understood correctly that Joel 2:23 promised “the Teacher of Righteousness,” though they were mistaken in identifying him as their revered leader. The verse actually predicts someone far more important and much greater. Joel 2:23 reveals the great eschatological Teacher of Righteousness, the Messiah, who will usher in the messianic age, bringing rain and prosperity. This passage clearly indicates that the fulfillment of these words will take place at the end of days, when Israel turns to the Messiah to save the nation (Zech 12:10; Rom 11:26). Though the passage will find its complete fulfillment in the future, Jesus of Nazareth inaugurated its fulfillment in his earthly ministry. He accepted the title of teacher, frequently being called that by his own disciples (Mark 9:38; 10:35), by scribes and Pharisees (Matt 8:19; 12:38), by Herodians and Sadducees (22:16; 23–24), and by the people in general (19:16). James Smith has noted that “of the sixty instances of the use of the word didaskolos (teacher) in the New Testament, more than thirty are in reference to Jesus, mostly in direct address.”[26]

Jesus not only accepted the title of teacher but also taught with authority (7:29), with great skill in interpretation, as in the Sermon on the Mount (5–7), and with true-to-life and intriguing stories (13:11–13). These observations lead to the conclusion that Jesus saw himself as the promised Teacher of Righteousness, who would also fulfill Joel 2:23 upon his return. Therefore, Jesus reminded all his disciples, “You have one Teacher and . . . you have one Instructor, the Messiah” (Matt 23:8, 10).

Notes

1. Jacob Neusner and William Scott Green, eds., “The Teacher of Righteousness,” in Dictionary of Judaism in the Biblical Period (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999), 619–20.
2. Ibid.
3. M. O. Wise, “Dead Sea Scrolls,” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, ed. Joel B. Green, Scot McKnight, and I. Howard Marshall (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992), 146.
4. John C. Reeves, “The Meaning of Moreh Ṣedeq in the Light of 11QTorah,” Revue de Qumrân 13, no. 1–4 (1988): 289.
5. The Qumran sect used the title מוֹרֶהצֶדֶק and not הַמּוֹרֶהלִצְדָקָה as found in Joel 2:23, causing some to object to seeing Joel as the source of the name. However, since no biblical text uses the Qumran title verbatim, it makes sense that they only derived the title from Joel 2:23 and did not quote it directly.
6. Michael B. Shepherd, The Book of the Twelve: The Minor Prophets (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2018), 127. Shepherd does recognize that the “early rain” translation “is not without its problems,” which he lists.
7. E. B. Pusey, The Minor Prophets: A Commentary, 2 vols. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1967), 1:190.
8. C. F. Keil, Minor Prophets, vol. 10 of Commentary on the Old Testament, by C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), 207.
9. G. W. Ahlström, Joel and the Temple Cult of Jerusalem, Supplements to Vetus Testamentum 21 (Leiden: Brill, 1971), 107–9.
10. Pusey, The Minor Prophets, 1:190–92.
11. Theodore Laetsch, The Minor Prophets (St. Louis: Concordia, 1956), 125–27.
12. Walter C. Kaiser Jr., The Messiah in the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 139–42.
13. Keil, Minor Prophets, 205.
14. The HCSB translation “the autumn rain will cover it with blessings” does not make much sense. However, the NET Bible emends בְּרָכוֹת (blessings) to בְּרֵכוֹת(pools) to make it read “the rain even covers it with pools of water.” Alternatively, the teacher could be a source of blessing. Thus, the translation “autumn rain” is not certain. See the discussion in Laetsch, The Minor Prophets, 125–26.
15. Laetsch states that 34 manuscripts have יוֹרֶה (The Minor Prophets, 126). One reason to adopt the unusual reading מוֹרֶה for rain is that it certainly is the harder reading. The variant reading יוֹרֶהcould just be an early attempt to eliminate the difficulty of the strange rendering of מוֹרֶהfor rain. On the other hand, מוֹרֶה could just as well be the result of a kind of dittography error, where the scribe inadvertently wrote a second mem, having just used it for the word “teacher” (מוֹרֶה) in the previous phrase.
16. Keil, Minor Prophets, 206.
17. Pusey, The Minor Prophets, 1:190.
18. Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament, 141.
19. Ibid.
20. Some might object to the idea that God “gives” the Messiah to Israel; yet Isaiah says, “A son will be given to us” (Isa 9:6).
21. Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament, 141–42.
22. Ibid., 172, see plurals in Judges 11:24; 16:23; 1 Kings 11:33; 18:24; Isaiah 1:3.
23. E. Kautzsch, Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. A. E. Cowley, 2nd English ed. (1910; repr., Oxford: Clarendon, 1982), 273–74, §93ss.
24. Kaiser, The Messiah in the Old Testament, 172.
25. In similar fashion, Psalm 72:5–7 depicts the Messiah as one who would bring great abundance. He will be “like rain that falls on the cut grass, like spring showers that water the earth.” At the coming of the Messiah and the messianic age both abundant rain and spiritual blessing will shower the earth.
26. James Smith, What the Bible Teaches about the Promised Messiah (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1993), 228.