Are scribes magicians?
Are scribes unreliable?
Contender/unbeliever/errantist:
The original (ie: Hebrew) word for magician and scribes is one and the same word, telling us the integrity of the scribes of the Bible and the writings themselves.
Let us look into the use of such word/s:-
2Sam20 v25 and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;
No opposition in the grouping. No chance of misunderstanding the scribe as magician.
2Ki22 v8-10
v8 And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of Jehovah. And Hilkiah delivered the book to Shaphan, and he read it.
v9. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen that have the oversight of the house of Jehovah.
v10. And Shaphan the scribe told the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king.The high priest communicated with the scribe, not a forbidden magician. Finding the book of the law has no business with the magician whose profession is condemned by the very law in the book(Deut 18:11-12).
Shaphan the scribe could approach the king for building the house of God. No magic about this. No magic in building the house of God.
In v10 we read that the book that condemns magicians was delivered to the scribe Shaphan who read it before the king. Any magician wanting execution? Apparently the king did not regard him as having dealings condemned by the law of the book. There was no confusion.
1Ch27 v32 Also Jonathan, David's uncle, was a counsellor, a man of understanding, and a scribe: and Jehiel the son of Hachmoni was with the king's sons:
Who would suggest the best king of Israel had a magician as his counsellor, to violate the law of Moses? (Deut 18:11-12)
2Ch24 v11 And it was so, that, at what time the chest was brought unto 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.
Strong's Ref. # 5608 for scribe
Romanized caphar
Pronounced saw-far'The king's scribe was not engaging in magical office, but in position that requires dignity and honesty and integrity.
Again, the word cannot in any time mean magician.
Ezr7 v6 this Ezra went up from Babylon: and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which Jehovah, the God of Israel, had given; and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of Jehovah his God upon him.
The law of Moses condemns magicians. So the word for scribe in the context cannot mean magician at any time. The acts of God is no magic. His spokesman no magician.
The hand of his God was upon him.
Ne8 v9 And Nehemiah, who was the governor, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, This day is holy unto Jehovah your God; mourn not, nor weep. For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law.
The scribe taught the people together with the Levites and the priest. They taught the law of Yhwh.
When are magicians indulging themselves in teaching the people, the nation, and achieve acceptance?
Jer36 v26 And the king commanded Jerahmeel the king's son, and Seraiah the son of Azriel, and Shelemiah the son of Abdeel, to take Baruch the scribe and Jeremiah the prophet; but Jehovah hid them. -asv
The prophet together with the magician? Not a dealing with the God of truth and righteousness.
Strong's Ref. # 5608 for scribe used here.
Jer52 v25 and out of the city he took an officer that was set over the men of war; and seven men of them that saw the king's face, that were found in the city; and the scribe of the captain of the host, who mustered the people of the land; and threescore men of the people of the land, that were found in the midst of the city. -asv
Would a magician by his tricks muster the people of the land?
Strong's Ref. # 5608 for scribe used here. This root is never used for(to mean) magician.
Romanized caphar Pronounced saw-far'
a primitive root; properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate:
KJV--commune, (ac-)count; declare, number, + penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
Sopher #5613b used in the verses stated above. (From 5612 sepher and 5613a saphar - BDB), meaning a secretary, a writer.The root of this caphar #5608 is also used in a few occasion:-
Do magicians indulged their career in writing and recording, and nothing else?
Ezr4 v8-9
v8 Rehum the chancellor and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king in this sort:
v9. 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, -asvIn v8 the scribe wrote a letter with the chancellor.
Strong's Ref. # 5613 - for scribe here
Romanized capher
Pronounced saw-fare'(Aramaic) from the same as HSN5609; a scribe (secular or sacred):
KJV--scribe.
The contenders, and Liberals, and liars are posing themselves above the authorities of dictionaries.
Ezr4 v23 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 unto the Jews, and made them to cease by force and power.
The scribe is for official messages, not tricks.
Strong's Ref. # 2429 for power refers to army power and not magical power. Where is the scribe/s' magical power if they were at any time meant to be magicians?
If they cannot be magicians, how come magicians can be scribes?
We now turn to Greek for comparison:-
#1122 grammateus from #1121 gramma from 1125 grapho - to write.
No hint of meaning to trick, to blind, to deceive. The primary function of our graphs and grammar is not for deception. A professional of grammar and language is not primarily a magician whose primary function is not writing.
Matt8 v19 And there came a scribe, and said unto him, Teacher, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.
Strong's Ref. # 1122 for scribe
Romanized grammateus Pronounced gram-mat-yooce'
from GSN1121. a writer, i.e. (professionally) scribe or secretary:
KJV--scribe, town-clerk.
Is it the primary function of a secretary to deceive?
Mk12 v32 And the scribe said unto him, Of a truth, Teacher, thou hast well said that he is one; and there is none other but he:
If the scribe is a magician, how come he is more interested in the truth than deception and falsehood?
1Co1 v20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?
When are magicians ranked with the philosophers?
The scribes here are liken to the wisdom of the world; not somebody related to spiritual and magical power having wisdom of another reality.
Act23 v9 And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?
The scribes here were Pharisees, people who are concerned with following and exhibiting the allegiance to the law of Moses. No trick.
They were more concerned with speech and revelation of Paul. No magic.
Let us now turn to the usage of words for magicians. These terms have never been used to designate scribes and prophets.
Da2 v10 The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter, forasmuch as no king, lord, or ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
The king was requiring a rare thing. It is not a job of the scribes to interpret dreams.
#2749 - chartom [1093d] magician (Ara.) corr. to #2748 [355a] an engraver, writer; from the same as #2747 cheret [354d] from an unused word; engraving tool, stylus.
Making a case out of an unused word is questionable.
Ac13 v6,8 v6. And when they had gone through the whole island unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-Jesus;
v7. who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of understanding. The same called unto him Barnabas and Saul, and sought to hear the word of God.
v8. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn aside the proconsul from the faith.#3097 - magos, an oriental astrologer, by implication a magician.
The sorcerer, Bar-Jesus was a false prophet, not a scribe who was a true prophet. A sorcerer cannot be a prophet of truth.
Elymas did not seek to work with scribes to interpret or write scripture. He did not seek to argue from the word.
Gn41 v8 And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh.
Magicians ranked with the wise men, but not the scribes who are recorders, secretaries.
Scribes are not called for to interpret dreams. It is a job of the sorcerer and sootsayers.
Scribes are not necessarily prophets who can interpret dreams. They are not in the office of dream interpretation.
Strong's Ref. # 2748
Romanized chartom
Pronounced khar-tome'from the same as HSN2747; a horoscopist (as drawing magical lines or circles):
KJV--magician.
They draw and write magic spells rather than records and history. They do not equate scribes who are secretaries.
Ex7 v22 And the magicians of Egypt did in like manner with their enchantments: and Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as Jehovah had spoken.
Strong's Ref. # 2748
Romanized chartom
Pronounced khar-tome'from the same as HSN2747; a horoscopist (as drawing magical lines or circles)
The magicians did not engage themselves in recording the events. They acted with spiritual/magical power.
Da2 v27 Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king;
Strong's Ref. # 2749 - magician
Romanized chartom Pronounced khar-tome'
(Aramaic) the same as HSN2748:
KJV--magician.
Strong's Ref. # 826 - conjruer
Romanized 'ashshaph Pronounced ash-shawf'
(Aramaic) corresponding to HSN0825:
KJV--astrologer
None ever translated as scribe/s.
Matt2 v7 Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared.
Magi #3097 - magos, an oriental astrologer, by implication a magician.
There is a parallel between wise-man and magician; but no parallel with scribe and secretary. These wise-men are not seen engaging in recording and writing, and reading out of records.
Is the issue settled? They just do not equate, although by implication we seem to have a link of the 2. And after all the 2 groups of people do breathe, eat, walk, move about and have many similarities. That does not imply they are the same kind and professionals, being interchangable.
I, David C S Lim, ªL§Ó¸Û, can be reached by internet Preacher.html
meshiahe-mail jesussaves91@hotmail.com
A Life changing show