---
title: חַרְטֹם — engraver · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חַרְטֹם (2748), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 11 times: engraver. BDB 1906: n.m. engraver, writer. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חַרְטֹם

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«חַרְטֹם» in the Tanakh dictionary: **engraver** — 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:** 11 times · **Key:** 2748 · **BDB:** חַרְטֹם

### Glosses

soothsayer-priests (8); the.soothsayer-priests (3)

### Meaning (OSHB)

engraver [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2748/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. engraver, writer [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2748/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Ex 7:22 engraver, writer, only in deriv. sense of one possessed of occult knowledge, diviner, astrologer, magician (prob. = ם + חֶרֶט, v. Di Ol§ 216, 5 Sta§§ 295, 327 a)—only pl. abs. חַרְטֻמִּים Gn 41:24 + 4 times; חַרְטֻמִּם Ex 8:15; 9:11; cstr. חַרְטֻמֵּי Gn 41:8 + 2 times;— magicians of Egypt Gn 41:8 (E; ‖ חֲכָמִים), v 24 (E), Ex 8:3, 14, 15; 7:11 (‖ חֲכָמִים, מְכַשְּׁפִים), v 22 9:11(×2) (all P). magicians of Babylon Dn 1:20; 2:2 (‖ אַשָּׁפִים, מְכַשְּׁפִים, כַּשְׂדִּים). the fact that the word is always applied to Egypt. magicians, except Dn 2:2 (late), suggests Egypt. origin, but no agreement among Egyptologists: HarkavyJAs, 1870, Mars–Avril, 169 proposes xar, speak + tum, hidden = teller of hidden things; WiedSamml 44: thinks Heb. word perhaps imitating an Egypt. cher-ṭem-t, he who holds the book; FCCook ‘Speaker’s’ Comm. i. 279 proposes cher-tum = bearer of sacred words.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 10 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חַרְטֹם» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2748/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Exodus 8:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.8.3/)

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וַיַּֽעֲשׂוּ־כֵ֥ן הַֽחֲרְטֻמִּ֖ים בְּלָטֵיהֶ֑ם וַיַּעֲל֥וּ אֶת־הַֽצְפַרְדְּעִ֖ים עַל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃

*Word for word:* and they.did thus the soothsayer-priests by enchantments their and they.brought.up (et) the frogs on the.land of.Egypt

*JPS 1917:* And the magicians did in like manner with their secret arts, and brought up frogs upon the land of Egypt.

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[Exodus 7:11](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.7.11/)

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וַיִּקְרָא֙ גַּם־פַּרְעֹ֔ה לַֽחֲכָמִ֖ים וְלַֽמְכַשְּׁפִ֑ים וַיַּֽעֲשׂ֨וּ גַם־הֵ֜ם חַרְטֻמֵּ֥י מִצְרַ֛יִם בְּלַהֲטֵיהֶ֖ם כֵּֽן׃

*Word for word:* and he.summoned also Pharaoh (to).the wise men and (to) the sorcerers and they.did also they the.soothsayer-priests of.Egypt by enchantments their thus

*JPS 1917:* Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers; and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did in like manner with their secret arts.

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