H3790 H3790
To write, record in writing; an Aramaic verb for composing letters, decrees, and visions.
An Aramaic verb meaning 'to write' or 'to record in writing,' appearing in the Peal (active) and Peʿil (passive) stems across Ezra and Daniel. Its eight occurrences span the full range of ancient scribal activity: composing official letters of accusation (Ezr 4:8), recording legal findings in archives (Ezr 5:7; 6:2), and the supernatural writing on the wall at Belshazzar's feast (Dan 5:5). Spanish captures the active sense with escribieron and escribió, while the passive was-written appears in official formulae.
Senses
1. write (Aramaic) — To compose, inscribe, or record in writing — encompassing both human scribal activity and supernatural inscription. In Ezra, the verb describes officials writing an accusation letter (Ezr 4:8, 3mp perfect), the Jewish elders recording names for the king (Ezr 5:10, 1cp imperfect nikhtub), and archival notation 'thus was written in it' (Ezr 5:7; 6:2, passive peʿil). In Daniel 5:5, it describes the disembodied fingers that 'were writing' (katbevan, feminine plural participle) on the palace wall, and in 7:1 Daniel himself writes down a vision. Spanish escribieron/escribió and English wrote/was-written reflect the active-passive distribution. 8×
AR["كانَ-مَكْتُوبًا", "كَتَبَ", "كَتَبَا", "كَتَبَتْ", "نَكْتُبَ", "وَ-كَتَبَتْ"]·ben["এবং-লিখছিল", "লিখছিল", "লিখতে-পারি", "লিখলেন", "লেখা-ছিল"]·DE["[וכתבן]", "[כתבה]", "[כתבו]", "[כתיב]", "[נכתב]", "schrieb"]·EN["and-wrote", "he-wrote", "was-written", "we-wrote", "written", "wrote"]·FR["[וכתבן]", "[כתב]", "[כתבה]", "[כתבו]", "[כתיב]", "[נכתב]"]·heb["ו-כותבות", "כותבת", "כתב", "כתבו", "כתיב", "נכתב"]·HI["और-लिख-रही-थीं", "लिख-रही-थी", "लिखा", "लिखा-था", "हम-लिखें"]·ID["dan-menulis", "ia-tuliskan", "kami-tulis", "menulis", "tertulis"]·IT["[וכתבן]", "[כתב]", "[כתבה]", "[כתבו]", "[כתיב]", "[נכתב]"]·jav["katulis", "lan-serat", "nyerat", "piyambakipun-nyerat", "serat", "supados"]·KO["그리고-기록하되", "기록되었다", "기록하는", "기록하였으니", "기록했다", "썼다", "쓰게하다-우리"]·PT["e-escreviam", "escreveram", "escreveu", "escrevia", "escrevêssemos", "estava-escrito"]·RU["записал", "и-писали", "написал", "написали", "написано", "написать", "писала"]·ES["escribieron", "escribiésemos", "escribió", "escribía", "escrito", "estaba-escrito", "y-escribían"]·SW["aliandika", "iliandika", "imeandikwa", "na-zikaandika", "tuandike", "waliandika"]·TR["ve-yazdılar", "yazalim", "yazdilar", "yazdı", "yazilmis"]·urd["اور-لکھتیں-تھیں", "لکھا", "لکھا-ہوا", "لکھتی-تھی", "لکھیں-ہم"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כְּתַב vb. write (v. BH);— Pe. Pf. 3 ms. כ׳ Dn 6:26 ל pers. + orat. rect., 7:1 acc. rei; 3 mpl. כְּתַ֫בוּ Ezr 4:8 acc. אִגְּרָה; 1 pl. נִכְתּוּב 5:10, acc. rei; Pt. act. abs. fs. כָּֽתְבָה Dn 5:5, subj. יְדָא, fpl. כָּֽתְבָן v 5, subj. אֶצְבְּעָן. Peʿîl (WCG 224) Pf. 3 ms. כִּדְנָה כְּתִיב Ezr 5:7 thus (it) was written, so כֵּן כ׳ 6:2.