---
title: כְּתָב — writing · The Tanakh dictionary
description: כְּתָב (3791), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 17 times: writing. BDB 1906: n.m. writing. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# כְּתָב

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«כְּתָב» in the Tanakh dictionary: **writing** — 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:** 17 times · **Key:** 3791 · **BDB:** כְּתָב

### Glosses

to (5); the.writing (4); document (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

writing [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3791/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.m. writing [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3791/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.m. Ezr 4:7 writing (late Aramaic; Biblical Aramaic כְּתָב, Syriac ܟܬܳܒ);—כ׳ abs. 1 Ch 28:19 + 4 times; cstr. Ez 13:9 + 4 times; sf. כְּתָבָהּ Est 1:22 + 2 times; כְּתָבָם Ezr 2:62 + 3 times;—writing: register, enrolment, Ez 13:9 Ezr 2:62 = Ne 7:64. = mode of writing, character, letter, וּכ׳ הַנִּשְׁתְּוָן כָּתוּב אֲרָמִית Ezr 4:7 and the writing of the document was written in Aramaic (characters; so prob., v. Be-Ry Ryle, cf. NH Hoffm ZAW i. (1881), 334 ff.); cf. Est 1:22; 3:12; 8:9(×2). = letter, 2 Ch 2:10 Est 9:27. of a royal enactment, edict 2 Ch 35:4 (‖ מִכְתָּב), Est 3:14; 8:8, 13; more fully כְּתָב־הַדָּת 4:8. of a writing with divine authority 1 Ch 28:19; כ׳ אֱמֶת Dn 10:21; i.e. a book of truth.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 15 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (2 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «כְּתָב» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1499/3791/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[1 Chronicles 28:19](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/1CH.28.19/)

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הַכֹּ֥ל בִּכְתָ֛ב מִיַּ֥ד יְהוָ֖ה עָלַ֣י הִשְׂכִּ֑יל כֹּ֖ל מַלְאֲכ֥וֹת הַתַּבְנִֽית׃פ

*Word for word:* (the) everything in writing from the.hand of.Yahweh on me he.made.clear all the.works of the.pattern

*JPS 1917:* 'All this do I give thee in writing, as the LORD hath made me wise by His hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern.'

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[Ezra 2:62](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/EZR.2.62/)

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אֵ֗לֶּה בִּקְשׁ֧וּ כְתָבָ֛ם הַמִּתְיַחְשִׂ֖ים וְלֹ֣א נִמְצָ֑אוּ וַֽיְגֹאֲל֖וּ מִן־הַכְּהֻנָּֽה׃

*Word for word:* these they.sought document their \[those who.had\].had.themselves.enrolled and not they.were.found and they.were.defiled from the priesthood

*JPS 1917:* These sought their register, that is, the genealogy, but it was not found; therefore were they deemed polluted and put from the priesthood.

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- ← previous: [כָּתַב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/3789.md)
- next →: [כָּתַב](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5db_5b8_5bc_5ea_5b7_5d1.md)
- ↑ back to [כ](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1499-3.md)