Quick Definition
γραμματεύς, έως, ὁ n.m. a scribe, town-clerk, man of learning
Strong's Definition
from 1121. a writer, i.e. (professionally) scribe or secretary
KJV Usage: scribe, town-clerk
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament
noun, m. | -έως | γράφω
53.94 · Religious Activities · Roles and Functions
one who is learned in the Law, expert in the Law, expert in the Law of Moses a recognized expert in Jewish law (including both canonical and traditional laws and regulations)
MAT 2:4 · MAT 5:20 · MAT 7:29 · MAT 8:19 · MAT 9:3 · MAT 12:38 · MAT 15:1 · MAT 16:21 · MAT 17:10 · MAT 20:18 · MAT 21:15 · MAT 23:2 · MAT 23:13 · MAT 23:15 · MAT 23:23 · MAT 23:25 · MAT 23:27 · MAT 23:29 · MAT 26:57 · MAT 27:41 · MRK 1:22 · MRK 2:6 · MRK 2:16 · MRK 3:22 · MRK 7:1 · MRK 7:5 · MRK 8:31 · MRK 9:11 · MRK 9:14 · MRK 10:33 · MRK 11:18 · MRK 11:27 · MRK 12:28 · MRK 12:32 · MRK 12:35 · MRK 12:38 · MRK 14:1 · MRK 14:43 · MRK 14:53 · MRK 15:1 · MRK 15:31 · LUK 5:21 · LUK 5:30 · LUK 6:7 · LUK 9:22 · LUK 11:53 · LUK 15:2 · LUK 19:47 · LUK 20:1 · LUK 20:19 · LUK 20:39 · LUK 20:46 · LUK 22:2 · LUK 22:66 · LUK 23:10 · JHN 8:3 · ACT 4:5 · ACT 6:12 · ACT 23:9
27.22 · Learn · Learn
scholar, teacher a person who has acquired a high level of education in a certain body of literature or discipline In traditional translations γραμματεύς in contexts such as 1CO 1:20 and MAT 13:52 has been rendered as ‘scribe,’ but this generally is misleading since the term ‘scribe’ is usually restricted in meaning to one who writes or copies documents. A γραμματεύς in Jewish life of Bible times would have been an expert in the Law or a scholar in the Holy Scriptures and not a mere copier of manuscripts.
37.94 · Control, Rule · Rule, Govern
town clerk, town secretary a city official with responsibility for the records of a town or city and apparently certain responsibilities for maintaining law and order
UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament © United Bible Societies, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
γραμματεύς, -έως, (acc. plur. -eis, W. 8.9, 2; [Β. 14 (13)]), 6, (γράμμα), Sept. for 35 and "δῷ; 1. in prof. auth. and here and there in the O. T. [e. g. 2S. vill. 17; xx. 25; 2 K. xix. 2; xxv. 19; Ps. xliv. (xlv.) 2], a clerk, scribe, esp. a public scribe, secretary, recorder, whose office and influence differed in different states: Acts xix. 35, (Sir. x. 5); [ef. Lghtfl. in The Contemp. Rey. for 1878, p. 294; Wood, Discoveries at Ephesus, App. Inserr. fr. the Great Theatre, p. 49 n.]. 2. in the Bible, a man learned in the Mosaic law and in the sacred writings, an interpreter, teacher: Mt. xxiii. 34; 1 Co. i. 20, (called also vopixds in Lk. x. 25, and νομοδιδάσκαλος in Lk. v.17; [Meyer (on Mt. xxii. 35), while denying any essential diff. betw. γραμματεύς and νομικύς (cf. Lk. xi. 52, 53 — yet see crit. txts.), regards the latter name as the more specific (a jurisconsult) and Classic, yp- as the more general (a learned man) and Hebraistic ; it is also the more common in the Apoer., where vou. occurs only 4 Mace. v. 3. As teachers they were called νομοδιδάσκαλοι. Cf. Β. D.s. v. Lawyer, also s.v. Scribes I. 1 note]}); Jer. viii. 8 (ef. ii. 8); Neh. viii. 1 sq.; xii. 26, 36; 2 Esdr. vii. 6, 11, and esp. Sir. xxxviii. 24, 31 sqq-; xxxix. 1-11. The γραμματεῖς explained the meaning of the sacred oracles, Mt. ii. 4 [γρ. τοῦ λαοῦ, Josh. i. 10; 1 Mace. v. 42; cf. Sir. xliv. 4]; xvii. 10; Mk. ix. 11; xii. 35; examined into the more difficult and subtile questions of the law, Mt. ix.3; Mk. ii. 6 sq.; xii. 28; added to the Mosaic law decisions of various kinds thought to elucidate its meaning and scope, and did this to the detriment of religion, Mt. v. 20; xv. 1 sqq.; xxiii. 2 sqq.; Mk. vii. 1 sqq.; ef. Lk. xi. 46. Since the advice of men skilled in the law was needed in the examination of causes and the solution of difficult questions, they were enrolled in the Sanhedrin; and accordingly in the N. T. they are often mentioned in connection with the priests and elders of the people: Mt. xxi. 15; xxvi.3 RG; Mk. xi. 18, 27; xiv, 1; xv- ἢ; Lk. xix. 47; xx.1; xxii-2. Cf. Schirer, Neutest. Zeitgesch. § 25 ii.; A/épper in Schenkel v. 247 sqq-; [and thorough articles in BB.DD. 5. v. Scribes; cf. W. Robertson Smith, The O. T. in the Jewish Ch., Lect. iii. ]. 3. univ. a religious teacher: γραμματεὺς pabnrevθεὶς εἰς τὴν βασιλ. τῶν οὐρ. a teacher so instructed that from his learning and ability to teach advantage may redound to the kingdom of heaven, Mt. xiii. 52 [but G T Tr WH read μαθ. τῇ βασιλείᾳ (L ἐν τ. B.); and many interpret made a disciple unto the k. of h. (which is personified); see μαθητεύω, fin.].
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
γραμματεύς grammateus 63x
a scribe; a clerk, town-clerk, registrar, recorder, Acts 19:35; one skilled in the Jewish law, a teacher or interpreter of the law, Mt. 2:4; 5:20, et al. freq.; genr. a religious teacher, Mt. 13:52; by synec. any one distinguished for learning or wisdom, 1 Cor. 1:20
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
γραμματεύς, -έως (acc. pl., -εῖς, v. Bl., §8, 2), ὁ
(< γράμμα), [in LXX always for שׁטר in Hex., elsewhere chiefly for ספר;]
a secretary; γ. τ. πόλεως, a state-clerk: Ac 19:35.
In π., of a military officer (Deiss., BS, 110f.). So Jg 5:14, IV Ki 25:19 (ספר), al.
a scribe, a biblical scholar, teacher of the law (so first in I Es 8:3, II Es 7:6; in Lk 5:17, νομοδιδάσκαλος; in Lk 10:25, νομικός): Mt 7:29, Mk 1:22, and freq. in Gosp. γ. καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς, Mt 2:4, et al.; γ. κ. Φαρισαῖοι, Mt 5:20, et al.; γ. μαθητευθεὶς τῇ βασιλείᾳ τ. οὐρ., Mt 13:52; ποῦ σοφός; ποῦ γ., I Co 1:20 (Cremer, 167; DB, iv, 420, 800).
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
γραμματεύς may illustrate emphasis as the cause of the πηλίκοις γράμμασιν of Gal 64. It is possible, however, that the words may only call attention to the big sprawling letters of the autograph in contrast to the neat scribe’s hand of the amanuensis. The contrast may be met in the case of many signatures to legal and other documents, e.g. Rainer Pap. 215 in Fuhrer durch die Ausstellung Tafel 9: see Milligan Documents, p- 24, for a discussion of the bearing of this on Gal /.c., Deissmann S¢# Pail, p. 51. But it is highly precarious to to draw the inference to which Deissmann inclines: artisans are not the only people who may write a big and clumsy hand ! When γράμμα becomes collective, its primary meaning is ‘“a letter,’’ just as Lat. /ztfera produced “itterae. Thus P Grenf I. 30° (B.c. 103)(= Witkowski 5 p. 107) διὰ ypappaτῶν ἐκρίναμεν σημῆναι, and P Amh II. 143} (iv/a.p.) καὶ τούτω (1. τούτων) χάριν ἀπέστιλα Σαᾶν πρὸς σὲ ὅπως μὴ ἐνετρευθῇ τὰ γράμματα, “I therefore send Saas to you, in order that my letter may not be waylaid” (Edd.). But it may be a paper or document of any kind. Thus it is a **bond” in Lk 168 with which cf. P Tebt II. 39717 (A.D. 198) ἀπὸ μηδενὸς ὁρμωμένη δικαίου ἢ γράμματος ἢ éxipov τινὸς συμβολαίου ἐγγράπτου μηδ᾽ ἀγράφου, ** on the basis of any claim, bond or other agreement, written or unwritten” (Edd.), P Flor ΤΙ. 1418 (a.p. 264) λαμβάνων παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ γράμματα τῆς παραλήμψεως, 2). 2268 (mid. ili/A.D.) καλῶς ποιήσις πέμψας μοι αὐτῶν γράμματα. With ἱερὰ γράμματα as the name for the OT Scriptures in Greek-speaking Judaism, cf. OG/S 5655 (B.c. 239) τῆι ἡμέραι ἐν ἧι ἐπιτέλλει TS ἄστρον Td τῆς Ἴσιος, ἣ νομίζεται διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν γραμμάτων νέον ἔτος εἶναι. Deissmann (LAE, p. 380) has drawn attention to the technical use οἱ the phrase in the East for Imperial letters and decrees, e. g. Syl 415 (A.D. 204), which is headed ἱερὰ γράμματα, and zh. 41835 (A.D. 238), where certain Imperial ordinances are described as τὰ θεῖά σου γράμματα. also The combination is used in a different sense in OG/S 5674 ἱεροῖς γράμμασιν καὶ Αἰγυπτίοις, where “hieroglyphs” are intended, as in 74. 9054 (B.C. 196—the Rosetta Stone). This is comparable rather with P Lond 433 (ii/B.c.) (=I. p. 48), where a mother congratulates her son on having learned Αἰγύπτια γράμματα, so as to be qualified to teach Egyptian children. Reference may le added here to the part which the letters of the alphabet played in divination, as in the magical formula P Oxy VI. 886% (iii/a.p.) (= Selectécns, Ῥ. {τ}: δ᾽ δὲ τρόπος ἐστὶν τὰ περί] τὰ γράμματα κθ δι’ ὧν ὁ Ἑρμῆς κὲ ἡ “Ios ζητοῦσα ἑαυτῆς τὸν ἀδελφὸν Ke ἄνδρα [Οσιρειν, “*the method is concerned with the 29 letters, which were used by Hermes and by Isis, when she was seeking for her brother and husband Osiris.” See Poimandres, pp. 260, 288 ff. There only remains to notice the use of γράμμα as=a “district ’’ or “‘quarter’’ of a town, as when in P Rein 49? (A.D. 215-6) certain liturgies are assigned πρ[ὸς] τῇ κατ᾽ οἰκίαν ἀπογραφῇ [τοῦ βἸῆτα γράμματος of Antinoe. Cf Aristophanes Zeclesiasusae 685 εἰδὼς ὃ λαχὼν ἀπίῃ χαίρων ἐν ὁποίῳ γράμματι Semvet—the cour.s are distinguished hy letters A—-K. further Reitzenstein
Liddell-Scott-Jones — Greek-English Lexicon
γραμματεύς (grammateus) — scribe. 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+]
