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Scribe
Excerpt from the Lexham Bible Dictionary, the most advanced Bible dictionary.
Someone employed for his ability to read and write. Existed throughout the ancient Near East and Mediterranean over several millennia.The Hebrew word for “scribe” (סוֹפֵר‎, sopher) comes from the verbal root meaning “to write.” The participle form of the Hebrew word for scribe means “writer” or “secretary.” In Greek, the word is γραμματεὺς (grammateus).
Lexham Bible Dictionary
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The Lexham Bible Dictionary
Scribe
Scribe (סוֹפֵר‎, sopher; γραμματεὺς, grammateus). Someone employed for his ability to read and write. Existed throughout the ancient Near East and Mediterranean over several millennia.The Hebrew word for “scribe” (סוֹפֵר‎, sopher) comes from the verbal root meaning “to write.” The participle form of the
Scribe, Critical Issues
Scribe, Critical Issues (סוֹפֵר‎, sopher; γραμματεὺς, grammateus). Examines research topics pertaining to scribes, including:• scribal development from Ezra;• scribes and education, literacy, and writing through the Second Temple period;• scribes’ affiliation in the New Testament.
The Anchor Yale Bible Dictionary
Scribes
SCRIBES. The Hebrew word for scribe (sôpēr) comes from the Semitic root spr, originally meaning a written message which was sent, then meaning “writing,” and finally meaning “writer.” The Greek word for scribe (grammateus) comes from the word gramma, which means something drawn and, most commonly,
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible
Scribe
Scribe. Reference in early OT times to those employed for their ability to transcribe information. After the exile, scribes are a class of scholars who teach, copy, and interpret the Jewish Law for the people. They appear in the Gospels primarily as opponents of Jesus.
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised
Scribes
Scribes [Heb. sōp̱erîm; Gk. grammateís]. A class of literate professionals ranging from copiers, secretaries, and government officials in the earlier OT period to special scholars and teachers of the Torah in the postexilic and NT periods. I. In the Preexilic Era II. In the Exilic and Postexilic
Tyndale Bible Dictionary
Scribe
SCRIBE Reference in early OT times to those employed for their ability to transcribe information. After the exile, scribes were a class of scholars who taught, copied, and interpreted the Jewish law for the people. They appear in the Gospels primarily as opponents of Jesus.Scribes in Preexilic Times
The HarperCollins Bible Dictionary (Revised and Updated)
Scribe
scribe, one trained in the formal art of reading and writing, usually with competence in some area such as law, economics, or the like. The word derives from the Latin root for “write” and translates Hebrew and Greek words with similar etymologies. In the ancient Near East the designation “scribe” covered
The Wycliffe Bible Encyclopedia
Scribe
SCRIBE. In the OT the scribe (Heb. sōphēr) was originally one who took a count, a muster officer (2 Chr 26:11; 2 Kgs 25:19; cf. Gen 41:49; 2 Sam 24:10). As a royal official or “secretary” with cabinet status (2 Sam 8:17; 1 Kgs 4:3; 2 Kgs 18:18), such a scribe might serve as the state treasurer (2 Kgs
The New Bible Dictionary, Third Edition
Scribe
SCRIBE. In ancient Israel, following the spread of the alphabet, the scribes’ monopoly of writing was broken, but theirs remained an important profession. The words for ‘scribe’ in Heb. (sôp̱ēr, from sāp̱ar, ‘to count, tell’; Pi‘el,‘to recount’), Canaanite (spr) and Akkad. (šapāru, ‘to send’, ‘write’)
Scribes
SCRIBES (Heb. sōp̱erîm; Gk. grammateis, nomikoi (lawyers) and nomodidaskaloi (teachers of the law)). Scribes were experts in the study of the law of Moses (Torah). At first this occupation belonged to the priests. Ezra was priest and scribe (Ne. 8:9); the offices were not necessarily separate. The
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Scribes
ScribesPersons who can read and write. Their education made them indispensable in many civilizations, as they were needed to keep all military, government, legal, and financial records. Such secular roles for scribes are found in the earliest biblical references to them (e.g., Judg. 5:14; 2 Sam. 8:17;
Eerdmans Bible Dictionary
Scribes
Scribes (Heb. sōp̱ēr; Gk. grammateús).† Interpreters and teachers of the Mosaic law. Because of the centrality that the Torah came to have in Judaism from the time of the restoration (Neh. 8–9), teachers of the law who interpreted its application came to play an important part. At first this
Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels
Scribes
ScribesIn the NT era the scribes (grammateis) were a class of professional exponents and teachers of the Law.*1. Background2. Scribes and Pharisees3. Work of the Scribes4. Scribes in the Gospels5. Jesus and the Scribes
Catholic Bible Dictionary
Scribe
SCRIBE One who writes, especially in an official capacity. Only a small minority of experts could write in ancient times; the majority of the population was illiterate. Scribal duties included a wide range of services, such as recording the collection of taxes, lists for labor and armies, records of
See also
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