---
title: סֹפֵר — enumerator · The Tanakh dictionary
description: סֹפֵר (lemma:סֹפֵר), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 54 times: enumerator. BDB 1906: n.m. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# סֹפֵר

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«סֹפֵר» in the Tanakh dictionary: **enumerator** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 54 times · **Key:** lemma:סֹפֵר · **BDB:** סֹפֵר

### Glosses

scribe (29); secretary (6); the.scribe (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

enumerator [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/lemma_3a_5e1_5b9_5e4_5b5_5e8/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/lemma_3a_5e1_5b9_5e4_5b5_5e8/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. ψ 45:2 enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe (proposes pt. of סָפַר; Aramaic סַפְרָא, ܣܳܦܪܳܐ id., cf. ܣܦܺܝܪ doctus, literatus; Old Aramaic ספרא id., Lzb330 Cook85; Ph. ספר Lzb330);—abs. סֹפֵר Ju 5:14 +, סוֹפֵר 2 S 8:17 +; cstr. סֹפֵר 2 K 12:11 + 2 times, + Je 52:25 (Gie GFM read הַסּ׳ as ‖ 2 K 25:19); pl. סֹפְרִים 1 K 4:3; Je 8:8, סוֹ׳ 1 Ch 2:55; 2 Ch 34:13; cstr. סֹפְרֵי Est 3:12; 8:9;— enumerator muster-cfier, in description of leaders of Isr. משְׁבִים בְּשֵׁבֶט ס׳ Ju 5:14. king’s official = secretary 2 S 8:17 = 20:25 = 1 Ch 18:16; 2 K 18:18, 37 = Is 36:3, 22; Sol. has two 1 K 4:3 (in all these disting. from מַזְכִּיר); also 2 K 19:2 = Is 37:2; Je 36:10, 12, cf. לִשְׁכַּת הַסּ׳ v 12, 20, 21, בֵּית הַסּ׳ 37:15, 20; acting as treasurer and paymaster 2 K 12:11 = 2 Ch 24:11,—cf. Zadok Ne 13:13;—2 K 22:3, 8, 9, 10, 12 = 2 Ch 34:15, 18, 20; 1 Ch 24:6 (Levite); הַסּ׳ שַׂר הַצָּבָא 2 K 25:19 = Je 52:25 (si vera l. in K) implies military authority (but שַׂר הַצּ׳ perhaps gloss GFM Ju 5:14); Ew Sta al. read (as Je) scribe of general. in Persia, secretaries who wrote out (king’s) decrees, according to Est 3:12; 8:9. 2 Ch 26:11 uses ס׳ for muster-officer; 1 Ch 2:55 mentions families of סוֹפְרִים; 2 Ch 34:13 knows ס׳ as Levites; ס׳ 1 Ch 27:32 = man of learning. professional class of learned men, ‘scribes,’ able to read and write Je 36:26, 32; with writing implements, עֵט ס׳ מָהִיר ψ 45:2, קֶסֶת הַסּ׳ Ez 9:2, 3, תַּעַר הַסּ׳ Je 36:23; especially learned in the law, and assuming to issue its precepts, עֵט שֶׁקֶר סֹפְרִים 8:8. specif. of Ezra, at once priest (כֹּהֵן) and learned in the law (סֹפֵר), Ezr 7:11, ס׳ דִּבְרֵי מִצְוֹת י׳ v 11 \[cf. Aramaic v 12, 21\], ס׳ מָהִיר בְּתוֹרַת משֶׁה v 6; Ne 8:1, 4, 9, 13; 12:26, 36.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 52 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (7 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «סֹפֵר» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1505/lemma_3a_5e1_5b9_5e4_5b5_5e8/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[2 Samuel 20:25](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/2SA.20.25/)

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וּשְׁוָ֖א סֹפֵ֑ר וְצָד֥וֹק וְאֶבְיָתָ֖ר כֹּהֲנִֽים׃

*Word for word:* and Sheva \[was\].secretary and Zadok and Abiathar \[were\].priests

*JPS 1917:* and Sheva was scribe; and Zadok and Abiathar were priests;

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[1 Kings 4:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/1KI.4.3/)

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אֱלִיחֹ֧רֶף וַאֲחִיָּ֛ה בְּנֵ֥י שִׁישָׁ֖א סֹפְרִ֑ים יְהוֹשָׁפָ֥ט בֶּן־אֲחִיל֖וּד הַמַּזְכִּֽיר׃

*Word for word:* Elihoreph and Ahijah the.sons of.Shisha \[were\].scribes Jehoshaphat the.son of.Ahilud \[was\].the recorder

*JPS 1917:* Elihoreph and Ahijah, the sons of Shisha, scribes; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud, the recorder;

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- ← previous: [סָפַר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e1_5b8_5e4_5b7_5e8.md)
- next →: [סְפָרַד](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/5614.md)
- ↑ back to [ס](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1505-2.md)