כָּתַב 223 verb write (Late Hebrew
id.; Phoenician
כתב; Aramaic
כְּתַב,
Nabataean
כתב, see especially Nö in Eut
Nab. p. 43; thence Arabic
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
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
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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