כפרה

Professional scholars and copyists of the law who served as interpreters and teachers of Scripture in ancient Israel. Ezra was the model scribe — 'a teacher well versed in the Law of Moses' (Ezra 7:6). By Jesus' time, scribes were influential authorities on legal and religious matters. Jesus often grouped them with the Pharisees in his critiques (Matthew 23:2-7), yet praised a scribe who understood the greatest commandment as 'not far from the kingdom of God' (Mark 12:28-34). Their meticulous copying of manuscripts preserved the biblical text across centuries, contributing to the remarkable accuracy of the Hebrew Scriptures.