כָּתַב 223 verb write (Late Hebrew
id.; Phoenician
כתב; Aramaic
כְּתַב,
![bdb050703](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb050703.gif)
Nabataean
כתב, see especially Nö in Eut
Nab. p. 43; thence Arabic
![bdb050704](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb050704.gif)
Ethiopic
book, Di
Lex. 852 (as loan-words, Frä
249 DHM
VOJ i (1887), 29); MV Buhl compare Arabic
draw or sew together, conjoin (letters), etc., compare Fl
ZMG 1873, 427) —
Qal Perfect כ׳ Joshua 8:32 +,
כָּתַבְתָּ Jeremiah 36:6 +, suffix
וּכְתַבְתָּם consecutive
Deuteronomy 6:9;
Deuteronomy 11:20, etc. (Perfect +
27 times);
Imperfect יִכְתֹּב Isaiah 44:5,
וַיִּכְתֹּב Exodus 24:4 +, etc. (Imperfect +
39 times);
Imperative כְּתֹב Isaiah 8:1 +
5 times,
כְּתָבֿ Exodus 34:27 +
2 times; suffix
כָּתְבָהּ Isaiah 30:8,
כָּתְבֵם Proverbs 3:3;
Proverbs 7:3; plural
כִּתְבוּ Deuteronomy 31:9 +
3 times;
Infinitive absolute כָּתוֺכ Jeremiah 32:44;
cstr כְּתוֺב Psalm 87:8,
לִכְתֹּב Deuteronomy 31:24;
Joshua 18:8; suffix
כָּתְבוֺ Jeremiah 45:1;
Participle active כֹּתֵב Jeremiah 36:18, plural
כֹּתְבִים Jeremiah 32:12;
Nehemiah 10:1;
passive (
113 times),
כָּתוּב Joshua 1:8 +, feminine
כְּתוּבָה 2 Samuel 1:18 +, plural
כְּתוּבִים 1 Kings 15:7 +,
כְּתֻבִים 1 Kings 11:41 +; feminine plural
כְּתוּבוֺת 2 Chronicles 34:24; —
1. write:
a. with accusative, words
Exodus 34:27, commandments
Exodus 24:12, etc.; accusative of congnate meaning with verb
מכתב Exodus 39:30, compare
כַּמִּכְתָּב Deuteronomy 10:4; with
כְּ, giving purport of writing, also
Esther 8:8; but object also a book,
סֵפֶר Exodus 32:32;
Deuteronomy 24:1;
מְגִלָּה Jeremiah 38:6, compare participle pass,
וְהִיא כְּתוּבָה מָּנִים וְאָחוֺר Ezekiel 2:10)of
מגלה; i.e. written on both sides); a letter,
סֵפָר 2 Samuel 11:14;
2 Kings 10:1 +
4 times,
אִגֶּרֶת 2 Chronicles 30:1; a divorce-certificate
סֵפֶר כְּרִיתֻת Deuteronomy 24:1, etc.; even
לֻחֹת כְּתֻבִים tablets inscribed by the finger of God
Exodus 31:18 compare
Deuteronomy 9:10;
מִשְּׁנֵי עֶבְרֵיהֶם כ׳ ל׳ Exodus 32:15 tables inscribed on both sides (compare
Ezekiel 2:10 above) Here belongs (probably)
וְזֶה יִכְתֹּב יָדוֺ לי׳ Isaiah 44:5 and this one shall inscribe his hand, 'Yahweh's', so
![Greek Version of the LXX](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb_g.svg)
Hi Kn Che Br Du Di, Ges Ew De,
shall sign (with)
his hand unto י׳.
b. more often write something on, or in (עַלֿ + 85 times, בְ + 44 times, אֶלֿ + 3 times) a tablet, roll, book, etc. (object various, as above): —
c. other uses of perp. with
כ׳ are: —
בְּ instrumental,
בְּחֶרֶט אֱנוֺשׁ כ׳ Isaiah 8:1,
בְּעֵט בַּרְזֶל כ׳ Jeremiah 17:1;
כְּתֻבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים Deuteronomy 9:10;
Exodus 31:18;
אֶלֿ כ׳ unto, of person to whom letter, etc., is addressed
2 Samuel 11:14;
2 Kings 10:6;
Esther 9:13;
עַלֿ substantive for
אֶלֿ (late)
2 Chronicles 30:1;
Ezra 4:7;
Esther 8:8; the fuller construction is
ספר וישׁלח (אֶלֿׅ כ׳ 2 Kings 10:1;
Esther 8:10;
Esther 9:20 +;
אֶלֿ כ׳ write down for the benefit or use of some one,
Judges 8:14;
לְ to or for,
Deuteronomy 17:18;
Deuteronomy 24:1 +; note especially
אֶכְתָּו֯בלֿוֺ רֻבֵּו֯ תּוֺרָתִי Hosea 8:12, i.e. either,
I write (keep writing) for them ever so many (We,
רֹב, compare
![bdb050707](/assets-v3/images/lexicon/bdb/bdb050707.gif)
Ew and most
רִבּוֺ(אׅ a myriad)
of my directions, or
'Though I write,' 'Were I to write,' etc.;
כ׳ followed by
ל with infinitive of purpose
2 Chronicles 32:17;
Esther 8:5; with
מִן in phrase
מִמִּי פ׳ כ׳ write from the mouth of any one i.e. from dictation,
Jeremiah 36:2,
32;
Jeremiah 38:6,
17,
27;
Jeremiah 45:1.
3. =
register enroll Isaiah 10:19 (= record the number),
1 Chronicles 24:6; especially passive
הַכְּתוּבִים Numbers 11:26 those enrolled compare
Nehemiah 12:22;
בְּשֵׁמוֺת הַכּ׳ 1 Chronicles 4:41 those recorded by name; in prediction,
אֶתהָֿאִישׁ כ׳ הַזֶּה עֲרִירִי Jeremiah 22:30 register this man as childless; with eschatological reference,
כָּלהַֿכָּתוּב לַחַיִּים Isaiah 4:3 all those enrolled (i.e. appointed)
unto life; and, more explicitly,
כָּלהַֿנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר Daniel 12:1;
עַפִּים בִּכְתוֺב עַמִּים י׳ Psalm 87:6 י׳ shall reckon, when he registers (note absence of suffix)
the peoples, etc.
4. =
decree,
תִּכְתֹּב עָלַי מְרֹרוֺת Job 13:26 thou (
י׳)
decrest against me bitter things.
†Niph. (chiefly late, especially Esther),
Imperfect יִכָּתֵב Esther 1:19 +,
3rd person feminine singular תִּכָּ֫תֶב זֹאת Psalm 102:19;
3rd person masculine plural יִכָּתֵ֑בוּ Jeremiah 17:13 +
3 times,
יִכָּֽתְבוּן Job 19:23;
Participle נִכְתָּב Esther 3:12 +
2 times; —
1. be written, subject words
Job 19:23, book
Malachi 3:16;
be written בְּסֵפֶר Esther 2:23;
Esther 9:23,
in, or among ב the laws
Esther 1:19; once, with
עַלֿ,
עַלסִֿפְרְךָ כֻּלָּם יִכָּתֵ֑בוּ Psalm 139:16 in thy י׳'s
book all of them (my members)
are written, i.e.
written down, recorded (see below); absolute
כְּתָב אֲשֶׁר נִכְתָּב בְּשֵׁם הַמֶּלֶךְ Esther 8:8 a writing which is written in the king's name, compare (impersonal)
Esther 3:12; impersonal also
וַיִּכָּתֵב כְּכָלאֲֿשֶׁר צִוָּה Esther 3:12;
Esther 8:9;
יִכָּ׳ followed by
לְ =
for Psalm 102:19; followed by
לְ + infinitive (really = a subject-cl., — the contents of the letter)
Esther 3:9;
Esther 8:5.
2. be written down, recorded,
Ezra 8:34;
enrolled,
בִּכְתָב בית ישׂראל לֹא יִכָּתֵ֑בוּ Ezekiel 13:9 in the enrolement of the house of Israel they are not enrolled (eschatological);
וְעִםצַֿדִּיקִים אַליִֿכָּתֵ֑בוּ Psalm 69:29 (||
חַיִּים יִמָּחוּ מִסֵּפֶר) —
בָּאָרֶץ יִכָּתֵ֑בוּ Jeremiah 17:13 is difficult; Gie reads, plausibly,
מֵאֶרֶץ יִכָּרֵ֑תוּ (compare
Psalm 34:17;
Psalm 101:8, etc.)
Pi. frequently,
Perfect and
Participle, only
כִּתֵּ֑בוּוּמְכַתְּבִים עָמָל Isaiah 10:1 and
busy writers that make a business of writing oppression (i.e. register unjust sentences, compare
Qal 4; ||
הַחֹקֲקִים חִקֲקֵיאָֿוֶן).
See related Aramaic BDB entry
H3790.
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Unabridged, Electronic Database.
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