Bible Dictionary
Scrip
A scrip was a small leather bag or wallet used by shepherds and travelers to carry food and other necessities. Jesus instructed His disciples in certain missions not to take such a bag.
Definition
A scrip was a small bag or wallet, usually made of leather and carried by a shepherd or traveler. It was used to hold food, scraps, and other necessities and could be fastened to a girdle or slung over the shoulder.
Biblical Usage
David carried a shepherd’s bag. Jesus instructed his disciples on certain missions not to take a scrip, emphasizing their dependence on the provision associated with their mission.
Historical Background
The word is connected with “scrap,” either because the bag was made from a scrap of skin or because it carried scraps of food. Modern versions often render it “wallet.”
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A small bag or wallet usually fastened to the girdle (1 Sam. 17:40); “a shepherd’s bag.” In the New Testament it is the rendering of Gr. pera, which was a bag carried by travellers and shepherds, generally made of skin (Matt. 10:10; Mark 6:8; Luke 9:3; 10:4). The name “scrip” is meant to denote that the bag was intended to hold scraps, fragments, as if scraped off from larger articles, trifles.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
The Hebrew word thus translated appears in (1 Samuel 17:40) as a synonym for the bag in which the shepherds of Palestine carried their food or other necessities. The scrip of the Galilean peasants was of leather, used especially to carry their food on a journey, and slung over their shoulders. (Matthew 10:10; Mark 6:8; Luke 9:3; 22:35) The English word “scrip” is probably connected with scrape, scrap, and was used in like manner for articles of food.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>skrip: A word connected with "scrap," and meaning a "bag," either as made from a "scrap" (of skin) or as holding "scraps" (of food, etc.). the King James Version has "scrip" in 1Sa 17:40 and 6 times in New Testament; the English Revised Version has "wallet" in the New Testament, but retains "script" in 1Sa 17:40; the American Standard Revised Version has "wallet" throughout.</p><p>See BAG.</p>