Have you ever made a list or studied the occupations mentioned in the Bible? Do you have shepherds, musicians, fishermen, builders, carpenters, priests, Levites, and tentmakers on your list? What about being a scribe?
According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a scribe can be a noun or a verb. If used as a noun, the primary definition is “a member of a learned class in ancient Israel through New Testament times studying the Scriptures and serving as copyists, editors, teachers, and jurists.” If it is used as a verb, it means to “work as a scribe,” to be a secretary or a writer.
In today’s world, Bibles are accessible in print, apps, tablets, and flash drives—just to name a few ways. Would we have the Bible today if scribes had not meticulously copied the Scriptures through the centuries?
To learn more about the subject, read Scribes & Scripture, The Amazing Story of How We Got the Bible by John D. Meade and Peter J. Gurry.
Where Does the Bible First Mention Scribes?
The Bible is 66 books, written by some 40 men, under the inspiration of God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). To understand a scribe’s responsibilities, we need to begin with the fact that they were called upon to write and copy the original Words of God perfectly. They were not the men who were inspired to write with and for God. For example, Moses is not considered a scribe; he is the author of the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.
Other men served as scribes; their job was to write the history and laws a priest or king dictated. Therefore, narrowing the focus of the first mention of scribes is difficult. Several commentaries take us back to the days of King David for the first usage. His administration is described in 2 Samuel 8:15-17 (also 1 Chronicles 18:12). In this passage, we learn Joab was over the army, Jehoshaphat was the recorder, Zadok and Ahimelech were the priests, and Seraiah or Shavsha was his scribe.
What Were the Scribes’ Main Duties?
The answer is simple: copy work. But, it was to be done in a certain way: perfectly. The holy Scriptures or manuscripts were to be protected against corruption, additions, or deletions. The goal, preserve the Scriptures.
David Down and Dr. John Ashton explain in an Answers in Genesis article just how careful the scribes had to be:
“The Jewish scribes, whose duty was to copy the books, built-in certain customs as mechanisms to protect the records these books contained from corruption or amendment. In some instances, they counted every verse, every word, and even every letter in every book of the Old Testament. They also had practices such as recording the word that was in the exact middle of the book so that later copyists could count both ways and be sure they had not left out even a single letter.”
Down and Ashton recommend reading The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce M. Metzger and Michael D. Coogan, for more details about scribes’ work.
Meade and Gurry explain in Scribes and Scriptures that the scribes’ work involved three kinds of copying: conservative, free, and careless.
A conservative scribe adhered to perfection.
A free scribe “would update the text’s spelling, grammar, and vocabulary, and even adapted it according to the community’s interpretations and needs.”
A carefree scribe would have even more mistakes—sometimes skipping entire lines, which other scribes would hopefully catch and add in the margin.
Who Were the Scribes in the Old Testament?
Being an Old Testament scribe required people who were methodical, observant, intentional, ceremonial clean, and accurate.
Let’s consider several well-known scribes. Ezra tops the list, and many commentaries place him as the preeminent scribe in the Bible. He is also a priest, lineage of Aaron, who served during the Exile of the Jews in Babylon. Ezra 7:6 gives us the following description: “This Ezra came up from Babylon; and he was a skilled scribe in the Law of Moses, which the LORD God of Israel had given.”
As you study the life of Ezra, you see not only did he know the Law of Moses, but he also taught the Scripture—and most importantly, he obeyed it. In verse ten, “For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach statues and ordinances in Israel.” Go to Nehemiah 8:4 and see further evidence of Ezra reading and teaching the Law of Moses.
Some consider Jeremiah a scribe and the author of the Book of Jeremiah, based on Jeremiah 36:2. The LORD tells him to take a scroll and write on it. Then in verse four, Baruch, a personal secretary or scribe, is told by Jeremiah to also write on a scroll. Later Jeremiah instructs him to take the scroll, “which you have written at my instruction” (v. 6) and read it in the LORD’s house. He was called upon to read the Word to the people, just as Ezra did.
Interestingly, Jeremiah had to write the same thing twice. Look at Jeremiah 36:17-19; after the scroll is read in the palace, Baruch is asked, “How did you write all these words—at his instruction?” and his reply, “He (Jeremiah) proclaimed with his mouth all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink in the book.” He was taking dictation! Read the rest of the chapter and how the king destroyed the original scroll, yet in God’s sovereignty, Jeremiah and Baruch wrote “all the words of the Book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire.”
In 1 Chronicles 27:32, Jehonathan, King David’s uncle, is “a counselor, a wise man, and a scribe.” We learn about a scribe’s chamber in Jeremiah 36:12 and another scribe named Elishama. Here are additional Bible verses about scribes.
Josh McDowell has an excellent video providing more information about scribes and how their work shows us the Bible is reliable. He also wrote about the subject in his book, God-Breathed: The Undeniable Power and Reliability of Scripture.
What Were the Scribes Like in Jesus’s Day?
The best way to learn about the scribes in Jesus’s day is to study the Gospels. Whenever you see the word “scribe,” write it to the side of the margin or put a sticky marker on the page. Make a note regarding their attitude, methods, their manufactured traditions, and additions to the law.
The scribes in the New Testament were often but not always Pharisees (Matthew 5:20; 12:38). They are usually listed together, sometimes only “the scribes” or “a scribe.” Their primary duty was to know and preserve the law and lead the people. They were responsible for teaching (Mark 1:22) and interpreting the law. They also handled all legal matters regarding property, estates, and contracts.
By Jesus’ time, the scribes had added a variety of extra traditions to their teachings. Sadly, their man-made traditions hindered the people from truly knowing God—sometimes going against Scripture’s idea. Jesus addressed this issue in Matthew 15:1-20: “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition?” Jesus gives a specific example of honoring a father or mother and Pharisee traditions that allegedly gave people exceptions to this command. Taking it one step further, Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of wearing a mask of holiness.
Many scribes and Pharisees opposed Jesus—constantly judging, lurking in the background to “catch Him” in doing something wrong according to their laws.
Yet, time after time, Jesus pointed out their hypocrisy (Matthew 23), their attitude of superiority (John 7:49), and their vain worship (Mark 7:1-13). They wanted the glory, the praise of men, rather than hearts that wanted to love, obey, and come humbly before God.
Ultimately, Jesus’ opponents had him arrested, beaten, and hung on the cross. But they didn’t know God was orchestrating His plan, providing a once for all blood sacrifice. With Jesus as our high priest, we become free of legalism and other sins the scribes had fallen into.
Another mention of scribes appears in Acts 6:12. We learn that the scribes were there when Stephen was stoned.
What Can We Learn from the Scribes?
There were good and bad scribes in both eras. We’ve discussed a few good scribes in the Old Testament. An example of a great scribe in the New Testament is Tertius, who worked for the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:22).
Let’s return to Ezra and look at some things he can teach us about being a scribe. He was disciplined in the Scriptures because we are told he had a prepared heart (Ezra 6:10). Later in Nehemiah, he used the opportunity to read the Scriptures to the people from a platform. He spoke the Word of God, and the power of the spoken Word brought them to repentance. Ezra praised God, bringing glory to His name (Nehemiah 8) and himself.
Let’s return to the question asked at the beginning of this article. How would you answer it? Do you have an attitude of gratitude for the way the scribes so meticulously preserved the Scriptures? Whenever an individual reads the Scriptures, their hearts should be filled with awe, deep reverence, and thankfulness.
Photo Credit: © Getty Images/Shaiith
Laura Lee Leathers is a writer and speaker. Imagine Lois Lane, over sixty-five, and living on a farm. Her metropolis is the area of freelance writing. Her primary love interest is the Word of God. She digs for information, interviews fascinating people, offers a cup of biblical hospitalit-tea, encourages, and helps others with the ‘how-to’s’ of life. To sign up for her newsletter, connect with her at http://lauraleeleathers.com - - - “Helping You Flourish in Faith & Finish Well by His Word”
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