Meaning of SCRIBES

In the OT this word is applied to the official who was in charge of the correspondence of a king, the army, etc., which today is called a secretary (2 Sam. 8:17; 2 Chron. 14:11; Est. 3:12; Isa. 36:3, etc.).

It also applied to those who copied and explained the Scriptures. Thus, Ezra was “a diligent scribe of the law,” “a scribe versed in the commandments of Jehovah,” although he was also a priest (Ezra 7:6, 11; Neh. 8:1-13).

In the NT this term is used only as it applies to Ezra, and the scribes are classified among the chief priests and elders. It is said of them that they sit in the seat of Moses and that what they teach is to be observed; However, their works are not to be imitated (Matt. 7:29; 23:2, 13-33).

Many woes are proclaimed against them. Thus, those men, who should have been an example for others, were publicly denounced because with their actions they denied what they taught with their words. They did not constitute a separate sect in NT times. A scribe could be a Pharisee or a Sadducee. Cp. Acts. 23:9.