Scribes (šōṭerîm) in Deuteronomy

Abstract

A review of the seven uses of šōṭēr in Deuteronomy and the eighteen occurrences elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible indicates that the best translation in all cases is “scribe.” By the Hellenistic period and the writing of Chronicles, šōṭerîm were classified as Levites, i.e. those “bound” by oath to royal or imperial service but based in principle in the temple, even though, like judges and possibly some gate-keepers, many worked “externally.” The temple cult is of little interest to those whose ideology is reflected in most of Deuteronomy. Nevertheless, it is possible to suggest that the Levites, who may contrast with the priests and the Levitical priests in the book, were conceived of more specifically as scribes, šōṭerîm, by profession.