Make known to me your ways, O Lord; teach me to walk in your paths. (Psalm 25:4))
דְּרָכֶ֣יךָ יְ֭הוָה הוֹדִיעֵ֑נִי אֹ֖רְחוֹתֶ֣יךָ לַמְּדֵֽנִי׃
τὰς ὁδούς σου, κύριε, γνώρισόν μοι καὶ τὰς τρίβους σου δίδαξόν με.
Vias tuas Domine demonstra mihi: et semitas tuas edoce me.
“There was a time when we were learning to walk. The first independent step, supported and safeguarded, was a success and a source of joy for parents. Even today we remain continually in the process of learning. Together with the Psalmist, we see that God’s paths lie open before us. To abandon the paths of falsehood and the blind alleys of self-satisfaction, we must learn divine navigation through our daily lives. The gift of understanding ensures that learning does not “lead us astray.” Latin expressed this ability to learn with the beautiful word docibilitas, also understood as receptiveness. In the Book of Psalms, this verb appears nearly 30 times, showing how often we need to be taught—that is, to be those whose teacher is God Himself. There is a difference between “I learn” and “I am taught.” In the latter, we enter into divine possibilities, into the “cloud of unknowing,” into “learned ignorance,” taking our first steps under the safeguarding guidance of the Holy Spirit.
לָמַד [lâmaḏ]
The Hebrew word לָמַד [lâmaḏ] means “to learn” or “to be taught” and in the Bible expresses the process of forming the human person by God through His Law and wisdom, leading to a life in accordance with His will (cf. Deut 5:1; Ps 119:66), emphasizing that true learning is an act of obedience and relationship with the Lord. The word comes from the root ל־מ־ד [l-m-d], connected with practice and formation. The Greek biblical equivalent is μανθάνω [manthánō] – to learn.