“Elichoref and Achiyah the sons of Shisha, secretaries;
Y’hoshafat the son of Achilud, secretary of state;”
1 Kings 4:3
In verse 3, Elichoref and Achiyah are called secretaries, but they were really scribes.
If you ever wanted to know what a Scribe is in the Scriptures, this is the post for you.
There are 3 Hebrew words used to describe the office of Scribe in the Bible.
They are: CAPHOR, CAPHER, and SOPHAR.
CAPHER, with an “er” at the end, is actually an Aramaic word.
However, there are many debates about the origin of the word SOPHAR.
So why is the office of a Scribe so difficult to explain?
Well, here’s the thing, homies.
The office evolved and changed quite a bit over the centuries.
During the eras of David and Solomon, literacy was as rare as a donkey with wings.
Since most communication was verbal, there wasn’t much need for written records.
Reading and writing only became important when diplomatic treaties had to be drafted or for accounting records during trading and commerce.
Interestingly, the idea that the written word is superior to verbal communication is a newer development in mankind’s history.
In fact, Scripture itself was originally transmitted orally from generation to generation.
While the written word trumps verbal communication in terms of precision, when it comes to context and being able to colorfully express nuance, you can’t beat the spoken word.
Ya feeling me?
In the Biblical era, only the most advanced societies recorded their kingdom laws in writing.
The issue was that the majority population was illiterate.
In fact, in many cases, even the King himself couldn’t read or write.
Given this situation, I think you can see now why Scribes were so needed and valuable.
The King counted on his Scribes to transcribe his diplomatic messages to other kingdoms with accuracy.
Given their skills, they were much higher up the social ladder than your average homie, and in many cases, they were the kids of government officials.
So it was only natural that they eventually took on leadership responsibilities.
We ain’t talking about simple transcribers here.
They were NOT like neutral court reporters who weren’t involved with the strategy behind what they were writing.
The very title “Scribe” itself set them apart as those who possessed the rare power of the written word.
So how did their role evolve?
As the centuries passed, demand exploded for those who could read and write.
The role of the scribe evolved into that of a royal recorder or court historian who documented events and composed the language used in treaties and legal codes.
Later, Scribes also took on roles as teachers and, at times, interpreters of language.
By then, their position was no longer limited to nobles or government officials.
So, given this, whenever you come across a scribe (sometimes called “secretaries”) in the Scripture, you gotta understand their role within the context of the specific historical period they lived in.
Alrighty, so what takeaway can we extract from all of this?
Simple.
Recognize the awesome yet simplistic power of the written word.
There is something beautiful yet dangerous when pen meets paper.
Or when the index finger meets the keyboard.
Words are not just abstract symbols on a screen or a piece of paper.
They contain the power to change minds and persuade somebody to pull out their credit card to purchase something.
In fact, this ability alone separates us from any other living species on the planet.
This is one gift that truly reflects that we have been created in God’s image.
Embrace it.
Develop it.
And don’t take that ability for granted.
Done.
CONNECTING THIS TEACHING TO THE NEW TESTAMENT
“In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
Through him all things were made;
Without him, nothing was made
that has been made.
In him was life,
and that life was the light of men.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.”
-John 1:1-5
“Yeshua performed many other miracles
in the presence of the disciples,
which are not recorded in this book.
But these have been written down so
that you may trust that
Yeshua is the Messiah, the Son of God…”
-John 20:30-31
“For whatever was written in the past
was written for our instruction,
so that through perseverance and
the encouragement of the Scriptures
we might have hope.”
-Romans 15:4
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