SOPHER - SCRIBE

He said to them, “Therefore every teacher of the law who has become a disciple in the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old.”

Matthew 13: 52 (NIV)

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”

Matthew 13: 52 (ESV)

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INTRODUCTION

It was full. It was so full that one could almost suffocate. Simon Peter was entertaining the thought of leaving when he remembered whose house he was currently at: his own. The overwhelming feeling of annoyance left him as immediately as it appeared. Yeshua was teaching. He was the reason everyone gathered at Simon Peter’s house today. That was perhaps the number one reason why he would have remained even if this wasn’t his house. Everyone craved for the word of God; they thirsted and starved for His teachings. That is what Yeshua was taught to be by many: a teacher of the law. One with a very unique perspective. 

Yeshua was a teacher among all teachers. In the Old Testament, scribes were those who taught the law of Moses. The Hebrew word for scribe is sopher. Let us take a quick look at this magnificent word.

THE HEBREW WORD FOR SCRIBE - SOPHER

In ancient Israel, the official, authorized teaching of the Law was primarily entrusted to priests, Levites, and elders rather than to every individual. Some of them filled the so-called role of scribes.

The Hebrew word for scribe is sopher, a participle form of the root ס־פ־ר (spr), meaning "to count," or “to write”. It is considered of foreign origin. The word can also mean enumerator and secretary, and is of Canaanite origin. The word first appears in the Song of Deborah (Judg. 5:14). (2, 3) 

SOPHERS COUNT EVERY WORD

Scribes initially occupied a wide variety of governmental and temple offices. Some were also independent and served the public. Their roles may have also included accounting and advisory skills. (3)

In later times, scribes became professional experts in the writing of Torah scrolls, tefillin, mezuzot, and bills of *divorce. They were known as copyists of holy texts or "counters," specifically referencing the 304,805 letters in a Torah scroll. The precise counting of the torah words was important. In the exile period, the line between prophets and scribes began to blend a bit. (3)

YESHUA AND THE SCRIBES

Yeshua had quite a few encounters with the scribes. Some of them were among those who persecuted and eventually managed to kill our Lord and Savior, Yeshua. According to Mark, they were his number one enemy. They put too much emphasis on the precise letter of the law, which Jesus argued overlooked the "weightier matters of the law," namely, justice, mercy, and faith.

CONCLUSION

During His ministry on earth, Yeshua clashed with Israeli scribes on numerous occasions. Scribes were known as copyists of holy texts or "counters." Their job was to write legal documents, Torah scrolls, tefillin, mezuzot, and bills of *divorce. The Hebrew word for scribe is sopher. It is a participle form of the root ס־פ־ר (spr), meaning "to count," or “to write.”

Application

I challenge us during this upcoming week to be better at journaling and cataloguing our experiences and thoughts. 

SOURCES

1. Image was created via canva.com

2. Bible Hub. Sopher. Available at https://biblehub.com/hebrew/5613b.htm

3. Jewish Virtual Library. Scribe. Available at https://jewishvirtuallibrary.org/scribe