γραμματεύς
scribe
also: a clerk, esp.a public servant, secretary, recorder fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Thayer's Greek Lexicon
From Thayer's Greek Lexicon
Where this word appears
See every Nominative-case word in the Greek New Testament →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Case
- Nominative
- The case of the subject (and the predicate nominative).
- Genitive
- The case of source, possession, or “of” — answers “whose / from what.”
- Vocative
- The case of direct address (“O Lord”).
- Accusative
- The case of the direct object and of extent.
- Dative
- The case of the indirect object, means, or location — “to / for / with / in.”
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one.
- Singular
- One.
6 distinct verses where G1122 appears in the Vocative case, across 1 book. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Greek form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Greek New Testament; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences of this word are not indexed here.
Matthew 6 verses
- Matthew 23:13 γραμματεῖς n voc pl masc "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
- Matthew 23:15 γραμματεῖς n voc pl masc Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves.
- Matthew 23:23 γραμματεῖς n voc pl masc "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.
- Matthew 23:25 γραμματεῖς n voc pl masc "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness.
- Matthew 23:27 γραμματεῖς n voc pl masc "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.
- Matthew 23:29 γραμματεῖς n voc pl masc "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous,
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
γραμματευς (grammateús) is a Greek noun most often rendered “scribe.” It first appears in Matthew 2:4. It turns up in 63 verses across 6 books, a moderately common footprint. It concentrates in Matthew, which alone accounts for 35% of its uses. The lexical range runs to 3 senses — “scribe” plus “a clerk”, “esp.a public servant”, and “secretary”. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's G1122 catalogs a Greek word from the Greek New Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Greek New Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 63
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 63 distinct verses.
- 6 / 27
- NT books
- The word appears in 6 of 27 New Testament books.
- #259
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Greek words (rank 259 of 5,347 Greek words by occurrence).
View all 63 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the New Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Some books belong to more than one corpus (Luke is in both the Gospels and the Lukan corpus, and so on), so these shares overlap and need not total 100%. Each figure is a share of the word’s 63 distinct verses.
- Gospels 58 verses · 92%
- Lukan (Luke–Acts) 18 verses · 29%
- Johannine 1 verse · 2%
- Pauline corpus 1 verse · 2%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
- King James Version: Scribes 61×, Scribe 3×
- American Standard Version: Scribes 57×, Scribe 3×
- Berean Standard Bible: Scribes 58×, Scribe 3×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Scribes 59×, Scribe 3×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders G1122 across 67 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders G1122 across 64 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders G1122 across 63 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 2 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders G1122 across 65 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in Thayer's
The 3 senses Thayer's distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency or importance). The full entry — with sub-senses — is in the Lexicon Entry tab.
- a clerk, scribe, esp.a public servant, secretary, recorder, whose office and influence differed in different states
- in the Bible…
- a religious teacher: so instructed that from his learning and ability to teach advantage may redound to the kingdom of…
Word origin
Derived from γραμμα (grámma) (G1121) — letter.
From G1121 ; a writer that is (professionally) scribe or secretary : - scribe town-clerk.
— Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (1890), public domain.
Forms in the corpus
The 5 distinct written forms G1122 takes in the Greek New Testament, most frequent first — each parse links to that case’s occurrences in the concordance.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| γραμματεῖς grammateîs | Noun, Nominative, Plural, Masculine | Matthew 7:29 | 39 |
| γραμματέων grammatéōn | Noun, Genitive, Plural, Masculine | Matthew 5:20 | 17 |
| γραμματεὺς grammateùs | Noun, Nominative, Singular, Masculine | Matthew 8:19 | 3 |
| γραμματεύς grammateús | Noun, Nominative, Singular, Masculine | Mark 12:32 | 2 |
| γραμματεῦσιν grammateûsin | Noun, Dative, Plural, Masculine | Matthew 20:18 | 2 |
Septuagint usage
The same Greek word γραμματευς appears 74 times in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), across 73 verses in 16 books.
- 74
- LXX occurrences
- Tagged occurrences of this Greek word in the Septuagint.
- 73
- verses
- Distinct Septuagint verses containing this word.
- 16 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 16 of the 39 Old Testament books.
Sample Septuagint occurrences
- Exodus 5:6 γραμματεύς
- Numbers 11:16 γραμματεύς
- Deuteronomy 20:5 γραμματεύς
- Joshua 1:10 γραμματεύς
- Judges 5:14 γραμματεύς
- 2 Samuel 8:17 γραμματεύς
- 1 Kings 2:46 γραμματεύς
- 2 Kings 12:11 γραμματεύς
- 1 Chronicles 2:55 γραμματεύς
- 2 Chronicles 19:11 γραμματεύς
- Ezra 4:8 γραμματεύς
- Esther 3:12 γραμματεύς
Septuagint occurrences (same lexeme)
Every verse where the same Strong’s number (G1122) appears in the Greek Septuagint — showing the first 50 of 73. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context; the Greek form is the matched word — the English is not keyword-highlighted.
- Exodus 5:6 γραμματεύς The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying,
- Exodus 5:10 γραμματεύς The taskmasters of the people went out, and their officers, and they spoke to the people, saying, This is what Pharaoh says: "I will not give you straw.
- Exodus 5:14 γραμματεύς The officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, "Why haven't you fulfilled your quota both yesterday and today, in making brick as before?"
- Exodus 5:15 γραμματεύς Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, saying, "Why do you deal this way with your servants?
- Exodus 5:19 γραμματεύς The officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble, when it was said, "You shall not diminish anything from your daily quota of bricks!"
- Numbers 11:16 γραμματεύς Yahweh said to Moses, Gather to me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them to the tent of meeting, that they may stand there with you.
- Deuteronomy 20:5 γραμματεύς The officers shall speak to the people, saying, What man is there who has built a new house, and has not dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man dedicate it.
- Deuteronomy 20:8 γραμματεύς The officers shall speak further to the people, and they shall say, What man is there who is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and return to his house, lest his brother's heart melt as his heart.
- Deuteronomy 20:9 γραμματεύς It shall be, when the officers have made an end of speaking to the people, that they shall appoint captains of hosts at the head of the people.
- Joshua 1:10 γραμματεύς Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
- Joshua 3:2 γραμματεύς It happened after three days, that the officers went through the midst of the camp;
- Joshua 9:2 γραμματεύς that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord.
- Joshua 23:2 γραμματεύς that Joshua called for all Israel, for their elders and for their heads, and for their judges and for their officers, and said to them, I am old and well stricken in years:
- Joshua 24:1 γραμματεύς Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.
- Judges 5:14 γραμματεύς Out of Ephraim [came down] they whose root is in Amalek; After you, Benjamin, among your peoples; Out of Machir came down governors, Out of Zebulun those who handle the marshal's staff.
- 2 Samuel 8:17 γραμματεύς and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Seraiah was scribe;
- 2 Samuel 20:25 γραμματεύς and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
- 1 Kings 2:46 γραμματεύς So the king commanded Benaiah the son of Jehoiada; and he went out, and fell on him, so that he died. The kingdom was established in the hand of Solomon.
- 1 Kings 4:3 γραμματεύς Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;
- 2 Kings 12:11 γραμματεύς They gave the money that was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of Yahweh: and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders, who worked on the house of Yahweh,
- 2 Kings 18:18 γραμματεύς When they had called to the king, there came out to them Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebnah the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder.
- 2 Kings 18:37 γραμματεύς Then came Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah the son of Asaph the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes torn, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.
- 2 Kings 19:2 γραμματεύς He sent Eliakim, who was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and the elders of the priests, covered with sackcloth, to Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz.
- 2 Kings 22:3 γραμματεύς It happened in the eighteenth year of king Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan, the son of Azaliah the son of Meshullam, the scribe, to the house of Yahweh, saying,
- 2 Kings 22:8 γραμματεύς Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh. Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
- 2 Kings 22:10 γραμματεύς Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book. Shaphan read it before the king.
- 2 Kings 22:12 γραμματεύς The king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
- 2 Kings 25:19 γραμματεύς and out of the city he took an officer who was set over the men of war; and five men of those who saw the king's face, who were found in the city; and the scribe, the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and sixty men of the people of the land, who were found in the city.
- 1 Chronicles 2:55 γραμματεύς The families of scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came of Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
- 1 Chronicles 5:12 γραμματεύς Joel the chief, and Shapham the second, and Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.
- 1 Chronicles 18:16 γραμματεύς and Zadok the son of Ahitub, and Abimelech the son of Abiathar, were priests; and Shavsha was scribe;
- 1 Chronicles 23:4 γραμματεύς Of these, twenty-four thousand were to oversee the work of the house of Yahweh; and six thousand were officers and judges;
- 1 Chronicles 24:6 γραμματεύς Shemaiah the son of Nethanel the scribe, who was of the Levites, wrote them in the presence of the king, and the princes, and Zadok the priest, and Ahimelech the son of Abiathar, and the heads of the fathers' [houses] of the priests and of the Levites; one fathers' house being taken for Eleazar, and one taken for Ithamar.
- 1 Chronicles 27:1 γραμματεύς Now the children of Israel after their number, the heads of fathers' [houses] and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, and their officers who served the king, in any matter of the divisions which came in and went out month by month throughout all the months of the year--of every division were twenty-four thousand.
- 1 Chronicles 27:32 γραμματεύς Also Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counselor, a man of understanding, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons:
- 2 Chronicles 19:11 γραμματεύς Behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of Yahweh; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the ruler of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters: also the Levites shall be officers before you. Deal courageously, and Yahweh be with the good.
- 2 Chronicles 24:11 γραμματεύς It was so, that whenever the chest was brought to the king's officers by the hand of the Levites, and when they saw that there was much money, the king's scribe and the chief priest's officer came and emptied the chest, and took it, and carried it to its place again. Thus they did day by day, and gathered money in abundance.
- 2 Chronicles 26:11 γραμματεύς Moreover Uzziah had an army of fighting men, who went out to war by bands, according to the number of their reckoning made by Jeiel the scribe and Maaseiah the officer, under the hand of Hananiah, one of the king's captains.
- 2 Chronicles 34:13 γραμματεύς Also they were over the bearers of burdens, and set forward all who did the work in every manner of service: and of the Levites there were scribes, and officers, and porters.
- 2 Chronicles 34:15 γραμματεύς Hilkiah answered Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Yahweh. Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan.
- 2 Chronicles 34:18 γραμματεύς Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest has delivered me a book. Shaphan read therein before the king.
- 2 Chronicles 34:20 γραμματεύς The king commanded Hilkiah, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Abdon the son of Micah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
- Ezra 4:8 γραμματεύς Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:
- Ezra 4:9 γραμματεύς then [wrote] Rehum the chancellor, and Shimshai the scribe, and the rest of their companions, the Dinaites, and the Apharsathchites, the Tarpelites, the Apharsites, the Archevites, the Babylonians, the Shushanchites, the Dehaites, the Elamites,
- Ezra 4:17 γραμματεύς [Then] sent the king an answer to Rehum the chancellor, and to Shimshai the scribe, and to the rest of their companions who dwell in Samaria, and in the rest [of the country] beyond the River: Peace, and so forth.
- Ezra 4:23 γραμματεύς Then when the copy of king Artaxerxes' letter was read before Rehum, and Shimshai the scribe, and their companions, they went in haste to Jerusalem to the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
- Ezra 7:6 γραμματεύς this Ezra went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Yahweh, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Yahweh his God on him.
- Ezra 7:11 γραμματεύς Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the priest, the scribe, even the scribe of the words of the commandments of Yahweh, and of his statutes to Israel:
- Ezra 7:12 γραμματεύς Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect and so forth.
- Ezra 7:21 γραμματεύς I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers who are beyond the River, that whatever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done with all diligence,
These are occurrences of the same Greek lexeme (G1122) in the Septuagint — not a translation of any one Hebrew word. The store carries no word-level Hebrew↔Greek alignment, so no Hebrew original is asserted here. Counts come from the recovered LXX Strong's tagging — high-frequency vocabulary is well covered, while rare or late forms may be untagged — so they reflect tagged occurrences and may slightly undercount.
