35 Bible Verses about Scribes

Most Relevant Verses

2 Samuel 8:16

Joab the son of Zeruiah [was] over the army, and Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud [was] secretary.

1 Chronicles 18:15

And Joab son of Zeruiah [was] over the army, and Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud [was] recorder.

1 Kings 4:3

Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, [were] the secretaries; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud [was] the recorder.

2 Kings 12:10

It happened that when they saw a great deal of money in the chest, the secretary of the king and the high priest would come up, put the money in bags, then count the money found in the temple of Yahweh.

2 Chronicles 24:11

And whenever he brought the chest to the appointee of the king by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that [there was] much money [in it], then the secretary of the king and the officer of the chief priest came and emptied the chest, then they took it and returned it to its place. Thus they did day by day and gathered money in abundance.

Jeremiah 32:12

And I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, {in the presence of} Hanamel, [the son of] my uncle, and {in the presence of} the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, {in the presence of} the Judeans who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

Jeremiah 36:26

And the king commanded Jerahmeel, the son of the king, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh hid them.

2 Kings 18:18

Then they called to the king, so Eliakim the son of Hilkiah who [was] over the palace, Shebna the secretary, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, came out to them.

Isaiah 36:3

And Eliakim son of Hilkiah, who {was in charge of the palace}, came out to him, and Shebna the secretary, and Joah son of Asaph, the reminder.

2 Kings 19:2

He sent Eliakim who [was] over the palace, Shebna the secretary, the elders, and the priests, [all] clothed in sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.

1 Chronicles 27:32

And Jehonathan the uncle of David [was] an adviser, a man of insight, and he was a scribe. And Jehiel the son of Hachmoni [was] with the sons of the king.

2 Kings 25:19

From the city he took one court official who [was] chief officer over the men of war, five men {from the king's council} who were found in the city, the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land being found in the city.

Jeremiah 52:25

And from the city he took one high official who was chief officer over {the soldiers}, and seven men of {the king's advisors} who were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander of the army who levied for military service the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.

2 Kings 22:8

Then Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the scroll of the Torah in the temple of Yahweh," and Hilkiah gave the scroll to Shaphan and he read it.

2 Chronicles 34:18

Then Shaphan the scribe reported to the king, "Hilkiah the priest gave to me a scroll." Then Shaphan read from it before the king.

Jeremiah 36:4-32

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh that he had spoken to him on {a scroll}. And Jeremiah instructed Baruch, {saying}, "I [am] held back, I am not able to enter the temple of Yahweh. So you must go and you shall read aloud from the scroll that you have written from my mouth the words of Yahweh in the hearing of the people [in] the temple of Yahweh on a day of fast, and also you shall read aloud in the hearing of all those of Judah who came from their towns.read more.
Perhaps their plea will fall {before} Yahweh and each one will turn away from his evil way, for great [is] the anger and wrath that Yahweh pronounced against this people." And Baruch the son of Neriah did all that Jeremiah the prophet instructed him, to read aloud from the scroll the words of Yahweh [in] the temple of Yahweh. {And then} in the fifth year of Jehoiakim, the son of Josiah, the king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the towns of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast {before} Yahweh. Then Baruch read aloud from the scroll the words of Jeremiah [in] the temple of Yahweh, in the chamber of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, the secretary, in the upper courtyard [at] the entrance of the New Gate of the temple of Yahweh in the hearing of all the people. When Micaiah, the son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, heard all the words of Yahweh from the scroll, he went down [to] the house of the king, to the chamber of the secretary, and look, all the officials [were] sitting there: Elishama the secretary, and Delaiah, the son of Shemaiah, and Elnathan, the son of Achbor, and Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, and Zedekiah, the son of Hananiah, and all the [other] officials. And Micaiah told them all the words that he had heard at the reading aloud of Baruch from the scroll in the hearing of the people. Then all the officials sent Jehudi, the son of Nethaniah, the son of Shelemiah, the son of Cushi, to Baruch, {saying}, "The scroll that you read aloud from in the hearing of the people, take it in your hand and come." And Baruch the son of Neriah took the scroll in his hand and he came to them. And they said to him, "Sit please and read it aloud in our hearing." So Baruch read aloud in their hearing. {And then}, the moment of their hearing all the words, {they turned to one another in alarm} and they said to Baruch, "We must certainly report all these words to the king!" Then they asked Baruch, {saying}, "Tell us please, how did you write all these words, from his mouth?" And Baruch said to them, "From his mouth. He dictated to me all these words and I [was] writing on the scroll with the ink." Then the officials said to Baruch, "Go, hide yourself, you and Jeremiah, and let not a man know where you [are]." And they went to the king, [to the] courtyard, and they {put} the scroll for safe-keeping in the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and they reported all the words in the hearing of the king. Then the king sent Jehudi to take the scroll, and he took it from the chamber of Elishama the secretary, and Jehudi read it aloud in the hearing of the king, and in the hearing of all the officials who stood next to the king. Now the king [was] sitting [in] the quarters of the winter in the ninth month, and a fire-pot [was] burning {before} him. {And then}, as Jehudi read three or four columns, he would cut it up in pieces with the knife of the scribe, and he would throw [it] into the fire that [was] in the fire-pot until the whole of the scroll [was] consumed in the fire that was in the fire-pot. And the king and any of his servants who heard all these words were not startled, and they did not tear their garments. And even [when] Elnathan, and Delaiah, and Gemariah urged the king not to burn the scroll, he would not listen to them. And the king commanded Jerahmeel, the son of the king, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh hid them. And the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah after the king burned the scroll and the words that Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah, {saying}, "{Take again} for yourself another scroll and write on it all the former words that were in the first scroll which Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, has burned. And concerning Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, you shall say, 'Thus says Yahweh, "You have burned this scroll, {saying}, 'Why have you written in it, {saying}, "The king of Babylon will certainly come and he will destroy this land, and he will cause to disappear from it humankind and animals"?'" {Therefore} thus says Yahweh concerning Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, "There will not be for him [one who] sits on the throne of David. And his dead body will be thrown out to the heat in the day and to the frost in the night. And I will punish him, and his offspring, and his servants for their guilt, and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the people of Judah all the disaster with which I have threatened them, but they would not listen." '" Then Jeremiah took another scroll and gave it to Baruch the son of Neriah, the secretary, and he wrote on it from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the scroll that Jehoiakim, the king of Judah, had burned in the fire, and furthermore was added to them many words like these.

Ezra 7:6

this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh the God of Israel gave. The king granted him all his requests, for the hand of Yahweh was upon him.

Nehemiah 8:1-4

All of the people gathered as one to the public square before the Water Gate. They asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses that Yahweh had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly for [each] man and woman to hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the public square before the Water Gate from dawn until noon that day, opposite the men, women, and those with understanding. The ears of all the people [were attentive] to the book of the law.read more.
Then Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden podium that had been made for the occasion. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right. On his left [was] Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam.

1 Chronicles 2:55

And the families of the scribes who lived [at] Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These [were] the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Recab.

Nehemiah 8:9

Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all of the people, "This day is holy to Yahweh your God. Do not mourn nor weep." For all of the people wept when they heard the words of the law.

Nehemiah 12:26

These were in the days of Jehoiakim son of Jeshua, son of Jehozadak, and in the days of Nehemiah the governor and Ezra the priest and scribe.

Matthew 26:3

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,

Mark 14:1

Now after two days it was the Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread, and the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how, [after] arresting him by stealth, they could kill [him].

Luke 22:2

And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how they could destroy him, because they were afraid of the people.

Matthew 21:15

But [when] the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful [things] that he did, and the children shouting in the temple [courts] and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant.

Luke 19:47

And he was teaching every day in the temple [courts], and the chief priests and the scribes and the most prominent men of the people were seeking to destroy him.

Mark 11:18

And the chief priests and the scribes heard [it], and began considering how they could destroy him. For they were afraid of him because the whole crowd was astounded by his teaching.

Matthew 23:27-28

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean! In the [same] way, on the outside you also appear righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 23:1-7

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses. Therefore do and observe everything that they tell you, but do not do as {they do}, for they tell [others to do something] and do not do [it themselves].read more.
And they tie up heavy burdens and put [them] on people's shoulders, but [they] themselves are not willing with their finger to move them And they do all their deeds in order to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries broad and make their tassels long. And they love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces and to be called 'Rabbi' by people.

Mark 12:38-39

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

Luke 20:45-46

And [while] all the people were listening, he said to the disciples, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and who love greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

From Thematic Bible


Blindness » Instances of » Scribes

Pride » Exemplified » Scribes

Mark 12:38-39

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

Scribes » Acted as » Secretaries to kings

2 Samuel 20:25

Shiya [was] secretary, and Zadok and Abiathar [were] priests.

2 Samuel 8:17

Zadok the son of Ahitub and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar [were] priests and Seraiah [was] scribe.

2 Kings 12:10

It happened that when they saw a great deal of money in the chest, the secretary of the king and the high priest would come up, put the money in bags, then count the money found in the temple of Yahweh.

Esther 3:12

And the king's secretaries were called in the first month on the thirteenth day, and [a decree] was issued, according to all that Haman commanded, to the satraps of the king and to the governors who [were] over all the provinces, and to [the] officials of all the people, to each province according to [its own] script and to all people according to their own language; [it was] written in the name of King Ahasuerus and [was] sealed with the king's ring.

Scribes » Acted as » Keepers of the muster-rolls of the host

2 Kings 25:19

From the city he took one court official who [was] chief officer over the men of war, five men {from the king's council} who were found in the city, the secretary of the commander of the army who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men from the people of the land being found in the city.

Jeremiah 52:25

And from the city he took one high official who was chief officer over {the soldiers}, and seven men of {the king's advisors} who were found in the city, and the secretary of the commander of the army who levied for military service the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the midst of the city.

2 Chronicles 26:11

And Uzziah had troops {trained and ready for war} in divisions according to the number of their enrollment at the hand of Jeuel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah of the king's commanders.

Scribes » Modern » Regarded as interpreters of scripture

Mark 12:35

And continuing, Jesus said [while] teaching in the temple [courts], "How can the scribes say that the Christ is David's son?

Matthew 2:4

and [after] calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired from them where the Christ was to be born.

Matthew 17:10

And the disciples asked him, saying, "Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"

Scribes » Families celebrated for furnishing » Levi

1 Chronicles 24:6

And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them before the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the {families} of the priests and Levites, one father's house drawn by Lot for Eleazar and one drawn by lot for Ithamar.

2 Chronicles 34:13

[were] over the porters and were directing all who worked {on each task}. And some of the Levites [were] scribes, officials, and gatekeepers.

Scribes » Modern » Often offended at out lord's conduct and teaching

Matthew 21:15

But [when] the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful [things] that he did, and the children shouting in the temple [courts] and saying, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant.

Mark 2:6-7

Now some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, "Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who is able to forgive sins except God alone?"

Scribes » Modern » Persecuted the early Christians

Acts 6:12

And they incited the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came up [and] seized him and brought [him] to the Sanhedrin.

Acts 4:5

And it happened that on the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes came together in Jerusalem,

Acts 4:18

And they called them [back] [and] commanded [them] not to speak or to teach at all in the name of Jesus.

Scribes » Acted as » Secretaries to prophets

Jeremiah 36:26

And the king commanded Jerahmeel, the son of the king, and Seraiah, the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah, the son of Abdeel, to arrest Baruch the secretary and Jeremiah the prophet, but Yahweh hid them.

Jeremiah 36:4

Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of Yahweh that he had spoken to him on {a scroll}.

Scribes » Modern » Were doctors of the law

Matthew 22:35

And one of them, a legal expert, put a question to [him] to test him:

Mark 12:28

And one of the scribes came up [and] heard them debating. [When he] saw that he answered them well, he asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"

Scribes » Modern » Active in procuring our lord's death

Matthew 26:3

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,

Luke 23:10

And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there vehemently accusing him.

Scribes » Modern » Their manner of teaching contrasting with that of Christ

Matthew 7:29

because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.

Mark 1:22

And they were amazed at his teaching, because he was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like the scribes.

Scribes » Modern » Esteemed wise and learned

1 Corinthians 1:20

Where [is] the wise person? Where [is] the scribe? Where [is] the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

Scribes » Generally men of great wisdom

1 Chronicles 27:32

And Jehonathan the uncle of David [was] an adviser, a man of insight, and he was a scribe. And Jehiel the son of Hachmoni [was] with the sons of the king.

Scribes » Families celebrated for furnishing » Kenites

1 Chronicles 2:55

And the families of the scribes who lived [at] Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These [were] the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Recab.

Scribes » Acted as » Notaries in courts of justice

Jeremiah 32:11-12

Then I took the deed of the purchase, the sealed [copy containing] the commandments and the rules, together with the [one] that was open. And I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, {in the presence of} Hanamel, [the son of] my uncle, and {in the presence of} the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, {in the presence of} the Judeans who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard.

Scribes » Acted as » Writers of public documents

1 Chronicles 24:6

And Shemaiah the son of Nethanel, the scribe, from the Levites, recorded them before the king, the princes, Zadok the priest, Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the {families} of the priests and Levites, one father's house drawn by Lot for Eleazar and one drawn by lot for Ithamar.

Scribes » Acted as » Religious teachers

Nehemiah 8:2-6

So Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly for [each] man and woman to hear with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it facing the public square before the Water Gate from dawn until noon that day, opposite the men, women, and those with understanding. The ears of all the people [were attentive] to the book of the law. Then Ezra the scribe stood on a wooden podium that had been made for the occasion. And beside him stood Mattithiah, Shema, Anaiah, Uriah, Hilkiah, and Maaseiah on his right. On his left [was] Pedaiah, Mishael, Malkijah, Hashum, Hashbaddanah, Zechariah, and Meshullam. read more.
Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, because he was above all of the people. When he opened it all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed Yahweh the great God, and all of the people answered, "Amen! Amen!" while lifting their hands. Then they bowed down and worshiped Yahweh [with their] noses to the ground.

Scribes » Modern » Wore long robes and loved pre-eminence

Mark 12:38-39

And in his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like walking around in long robes and greetings in the marketplaces and the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets,

Scribes » Modern » Condemned by Christ for hypocrisy

Matthew 23:15

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees--hypocrites!--because you travel around the sea and the dry [land] to make one convert, and when he becomes [one], you make him twice as much a son of hell [as] you [are]!

Scribes » Illustrated of well-instructed ministers of the gospel

Matthew 13:52

And he said to them, "For this [reason] every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the master of the house who brings out of his storeroom new [things] and old [things]."

Scribes » Wore an inkhorn at their girdles

Ezekiel 9:2-3

And look! Six men coming from the way of {the upper gate} that faced {northward}, and each [with] his weapon for shattering in his hand; and one man [was] in the midst of them, dressed in linen, and the writing case of the scribe [was] at his side. And they came and stood beside the bronze altar. And the glory of the God of Israel lifted itself up from upon the cherub that he was on [and went] to the threshold of the house, and he called to the man who [was] clothed in linen {with a scribal writing case at his side}.

Scribes » Modern » Sat in moses' seat

Scribes » Families celebrated for furnishing » Zebulun

Judges 5:14

From Ephraim [is] their root into Amalek, after you, Benjamin, with your family; from Makir [the] commanders went down, and from Zebulun [those] carrying [the] scepter of [the] military commander.

Scribes » Antiquity of

Judges 5:14

From Ephraim [is] their root into Amalek, after you, Benjamin, with your family; from Makir [the] commanders went down, and from Zebulun [those] carrying [the] scepter of [the] military commander.

Scribes » Were ready writers

Psalm 45:1

My heart is moved [with] a good word; I recite my {compositions} to [the] king. My tongue [is the] pen [of] a skilled scribe.

Scribes » Modern » Were frequently pharisees

Acts 23:9

And there was loud shouting, and some of the scribes from the party of the Pharisees stood up [and] contended sharply, saying, "We find nothing wrong with this man! But [what] if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"

Scribes » Modern » Tempted our lord

John 8:3

Now the scribes and the Pharisees brought to him a woman caught in adultery. And standing her in [their] midst,

Scribes » Often learned in the law

Ezra 7:6

this Ezra went up from Babylonia. He was a scribe skilled in the law of Moses, which Yahweh the God of Israel gave. The king granted him all his requests, for the hand of Yahweh was upon him.

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Related Readings

Theasaurus: Scribes

Document (19 instances)
Epistle (14 instances)
Inscribe (11 instances)
Letter (103 instances)
Parchment (2 instances)
Record (146 instances)
Scribe (61 instances)
Scroll (176 instances)
Signature (4 instances)
Signed (12 instances)
Stylus (7 instances)
Writing-Table (1 instance)
Written (388 instances)
Wrote (85 instances)