γραμμᾰτ-εύς G1122
scribe / expert in the Law; town clerk / civic secretary
2. town clerk / civic secretary — A municipal official or town clerk, specifically the city secretary of Ephesus who addressed the crowd in the theater during the riot caused by Demetrius the silversmith (Acts 19:35). This is a distinct civic administrative role, not a religious scholar. Spanish uses 'secretario' (secretary); Hindi uses 'नगर लेखक' (nagar lekhak, city writer/clerk); Arabic uses 'الكاتب' (al-katib, the clerk); Korean uses '서기관이' (seogigwan, clerk); Swahili uses 'karani' (clerk), a distinctly different term from 'mwandishi' used for Jewish scribes. 1×
AR["الْكَاتِبُ"]·ben["নগর-কর্মচারী"]·DE["Schriftgelehrter"]·EN["clerk"]·FR["scribe"]·heb["סוֹפֵר"]·HI["नगर-लेखक-ने"]·ID["panitera-kota"]·IT["scriba"]·jav["juru-tulis"]·KO["서기관이"]·PT["escrivão"]·RU["секретарь"]·ES["secretario"]·SW["karani"]·TR["kâtip"]·urd["شہری-مُنشی-نے"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. scribe / expert in the Law — A Jewish scribe, an expert and teacher of the Mosaic Law and traditions, frequently appearing alongside Pharisees and chief priests as religious authorities who interact with or oppose Jesus. The singular and plural forms represent the same role. Spanish uses 'escribas/escriba'; Hindi uses 'शास्त्री/शास्त्रियों' (shastri, law expert); Arabic uses 'كتبة/كاتب' (kataba/katib, scribes/scribe); Korean uses '서기관들/서기관' (seogigwan, scribes); Swahili uses 'waandishi/mwandishi' (writers/writer). This is the dominant NT usage referring to Jewish religious scholars. 63×
AR["الكَتَبَةُ","الكَتَبَةِ","الْكَتَبَةُ","الْكَتَبَةِ","كَتَبَةً","كَتَبَةٌ","كَتَبَةِ","يا-كَتَبَةُ"]·ben["শাস্ত্রবিদদের","শাস্ত্রবিদরা","শাস্ত্রবিদেরা","শাস্ত্রিরা","শাস্ত্রীদের","শাস্ত্রীরা"]·DE["Schriftgelehrter"]·EN["scribes"]·FR["scribe"]·heb["הַסּוֹפְרִים","סוֹפְרִים"]·HI["शअस्त्रिगन","शअस्त्रियोन-ने","शअस्त्रियोनोन","शास्त्रियो","शास्त्रियों","शास्त्रियों-को","शास्त्रियों-में-से","शास्त्रियों-से","शास्त्री"]·ID["ahli-Taurat","ahli-ahli-Taurat"]·IT["scriba"]·jav["ahli-Kitab","ahli-Kitab,","ahli-Toret","ahli-Torèt","ahli-kitab","para-ahli-Toret","para-ahli-Torét"]·KO["서기관들","서기관들-을","서기관들-이","서기관들과","서기관들이"]·PT["escribas","escribas,"]·RU["книжниками","книжники","книжники,","книжников"]·ES["escribas"]·SW["-","na","waandishi","wao"]·TR["yazıcılar","yazıcılardan","yazıcıları","yazıcıların"]·urd["فقیہ","فقیہو","فقیہوں","فقیہوں-سے","فقیہوں-نے","فقیہوں-کے"]
Matt 2:4, Matt 5:20, Matt 7:29, Matt 9:3, Matt 12:38, Matt 15:1, Matt 16:21, Matt 17:10, Matt 21:15, Matt 23:2, Matt 23:13, Matt 23:14 (+38 more)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
γραμμᾰτ-εύς, έως, ὁ, secretary, registrar, title of officials at Athens and elsewhere, NT+5th c.BC+; γ. τοῦ θεοῦ Refs 5th c.BC+; also of subordinate officials, clerk, sometimes a term of contempt, ὄλεθρος γ. Refs 4th c.BC+; ἡ γ., in joke, Refs 5th c.BC+ __2 metaphorically, recorder, of memory, Refs 5th c.BC+ __3 scholar, γ. σαφής Refs 4th c.BC+ __4 one who traces or marks out, of Egyptian embalmers, Refs 1st c.BC+