Scribe

Scribes in the Bible

In the Old Testament, the scribe was originally a royal record keeper. A scribe appears in the list of David's officials (2 Samuel 8:17). In the time of Josiah, Shaphan the scribe read before the king the book of the Law that had been found in the temple (2 Kings 22). In the Book of Jeremiah, Baruch writes down the prophet's words on a scroll (Jeremiah 36).

After the Babylonian exile, Ezra is introduced as "a ready scribe in the law of Moses" (Ezra 7:6). Ezra read the Law aloud before the people and explained it (Nehemiah 8). From this time on, the term "scribe" came to denote not merely a copyist but one who studied and taught the Law.

In the Gospels, scribes frequently appear alongside the Pharisees. The crowds were astonished that Jesus taught "as one that had authority, and not as the scribes" (Mark 1:22). Jesus rebuked the scribes for their hypocrisy, a piety maintained only in outward appearance (Matthew 23). Scribes also appear, together with the chief priests and elders, as members of the Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council (Mark 14:53).

Background

The Hebrew word sopher is related to words meaning "to count" and "to record." The Greek word grammateus means "one who deals with letters." The New Testament also uses a similar term, nomikos, rendered "lawyer" or "teacher of the law."

In an age when few people could read and write, scribes drafted contracts and official documents. They were also responsible for copying the scrolls of Scripture. In addition, scribes influenced the interpretation of the Law in the synagogue.

The scribes were not a sect like the Pharisees or the Sadducees but a professional class. Many scribes appear to have belonged to the Pharisaic party (compare Acts 23:9). Scholars differ, however, on the extent and nature of this affiliation.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

The Gospels do not portray the scribes in an entirely negative light. One scribe asked about the greatest commandment, answered wisely, and was told, "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:28–34). Jesus also compared "every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven" to a householder who "bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old" (Matthew 13:52).

On the other hand, Matthew 23:4 criticizes the scribes for laying heavy burdens on others while refusing to move them with one of their own fingers. Matthew 5:20 states that the disciples' righteousness must exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. These passages raise the question of whether knowledge of the Law is matched by the way one actually lives.

Interpretation and Points of Discussion

• Translation: The New Korean Revised Version renders the term as seogigwan ("scribe"), while the New Korean Standard Version and the Korean Common Translation render it as yulbeophakja ("teacher of the law"). As a result, the same passage uses different terms depending on the translation.
• Evaluation of scribes as a whole: Opinions differ on whether the Gospels' criticism should be read as a judgment on all scribes. Some scholars hold that this criticism reflects the conflict between the early church and the Judaism of the time. Many evangelical interpreters, by contrast, read it as criticism directed at a particular attitude.
• Traditions outside the text: It is commonly said that scribes washed themselves before writing the name of God or verified their copies by counting letters. These accounts belong to later Jewish tradition and the tradition of the Masoretic Text; they are not stated directly in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, scribes are usually treated together with the Pharisees. They are frequently cited as cautionary examples of a faith that knows the Word well but fails to practice it, as well as of formalism and hypocrisy. Ezra, by contrast, is often presented as an exemplary figure who studied and taught the Word.