3790. kethab
Lexical Summary
kethab: writing, written, wrote

Original Word: כְּתַב
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kthab
Pronunciation: keh-thawb'
Phonetic Spelling: (keth-ab')
NASB: writing, written, wrote, write down, wrote the down
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H3789 (כָּתַב - written)]

1. write(-ten)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
written

(Aramaic) corresponding to kathab -- write(-ten).

see HEBREW kathab

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to kathab
Definition
to write
NASB Translation
write down (1), writing (2), written (2), wrote (2), wrote the down (1).

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The term describes an official inscription or document—often a royal letter, decree, or recorded message—whose authority derives from the person issuing it and whose permanence underscores the trustworthiness of its contents. Across the eight occurrences in Ezra and Daniel the word consistently highlights the power of written testimony to preserve truth, convey judgment, and advance God’s redemptive purposes.

Occurrences and Narrative Setting

1. Ezra 4:8
2. Ezra 5:7
3. Ezra 5:10
4. Ezra 6:2
5. Daniel 5:5
6. Daniel 5:5 (second instance in the verse, specifying the act of writing)
7. Daniel 6:25
8. Daniel 7:1

Each text falls within the post-exilic or exilic period, when God’s people lived under foreign rule. The word therefore emerges in contexts where imperial power intersects with divine sovereignty.

Administrative Correspondence in Ezra

Ezra 4:8; 5:7; 5:10 present hostile Persian officials drafting an accusatory letter against the Jews who were rebuilding the temple. The repeated mention of the “text of the letter” stresses (1) the calculated precision of the opposition and (2) the vulnerability of God’s people to bureaucratic maneuvering. Yet the very preservation of these documents within Scripture demonstrates the Lord’s ability to turn adversarial paperwork into a witness that vindicates His plan.

Imperial Decree and Covenant Continuity

Ezra 6:2 recounts the discovery of Cyrus’s original decree: “a scroll was found on which was written”. The written decree, forgotten in a Persian archive, resurfaces at the exact moment needed to authorize the completion of the temple. God’s covenant faithfulness is thus mediated through the fixed nature of written law, reminding readers that divine promises do not fade with political turnover.

Divine Writing and Judgment in Daniel 5

Daniel 5:5 twice notes the supernatural inscription on Belshazzar’s wall: “the fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote”. Unlike the Persian letters of Ezra, this writing issues directly from God, bypassing human agents and immediately pronouncing judgment. The scene underscores that earthly kings who trust in their own records and chronicles still fall under a higher, unalterable decree.

Royal Proclamation and Evangelistic Foreshadowing

Daniel 6:25 shifts from judgment to proclamation: “Then King Darius wrote to the people of every nation and language throughout the land”. The edict exalts the God of Daniel before a multicultural empire, prefiguring the global spread of the gospel. A pagan ruler’s written statement becomes an instrument for international witness, displaying that God can employ secular administration to broadcast His glory.

Prophetic Documentation of Vision

Daniel 7:1 links the term with prophetic literature: “He wrote down the dream”. Here the emphasis is personal rather than imperial. Daniel commits his vision to writing so that future generations will understand God’s unfolding kingdom plan. The record stands as an inspired guarantee that the revelation will not be lost or distorted.

Theological Themes

• Sovereignty Over Kings: Whether coming from Artaxerxes, Cyrus, Darius, or the heavenly hand, every inscription serves God’s overarching purpose (Proverbs 21:1).
• Permanence of Revelation: Written words outlast political regimes, showcasing Scripture’s enduring reliability (Psalm 119:89).
• Accountability: The irrevocable nature of written decrees mirrors the finality of divine judgment (Hebrews 9:27).
• Mission: Royal circulars that reach “every nation and language” anticipate the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).

Practical Ministry Application

1. Record God’s Works: Like Daniel, believers should document testimonies of God’s faithfulness for the edification of future generations.
2. Engage the Public Square: Ezra’s experience invites wise, respectful interaction with governmental processes, trusting God to overturn hostile paperwork when necessary.
3. Preach the Written Word: The power of the wall inscription reminds preachers that Scripture itself, not eloquence alone, convicts hearts (Hebrews 4:12).
4. Cultivate Integrity in Documentation: Church leaders who draft statements, policies, or covenants should do so with the awareness that God values clear, truthful records.

Intertextual Echoes

The motif of authoritative writing reverberates through Scripture: the stone tablets at Sinai (Exodus 32:16), the “scroll of remembrance” (Malachi 3:16), and the “handwriting of requirements” nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Each foreshadows the final inscription in Revelation 20:12, where books are opened and judgment rendered.

Conclusion

From imperial archives to palace walls, from a royal circular to a prophet’s diary, every usage of this word testifies that the Lord both governs and preserves history through written means. His people, therefore, cherish the Scriptures and trust that no decree—human or divine—falls outside His righteous plan.

Forms and Transliterations
וְכָֽתְבָן֙ וכתבן כְּ֠תַב כְּתִ֣יב כְּתִ֥יב כְּתַ֛בוּ כְתַ֔ב כָתְבָֽה׃ כתב כתבה׃ כתבו כתיב נִכְתֻּ֥ב נכתב chateVah cheTav ḵā·ṯə·ḇāh ḵāṯəḇāh kə·ṯa·ḇū kə·ṯaḇ ḵə·ṯaḇ kə·ṯîḇ kəṯaḇ ḵəṯaḇ kəṯaḇū Ketav keTavu kəṯîḇ keTiv nichTuv niḵ·tuḇ niḵtuḇ vechateVan wə·ḵā·ṯə·ḇān wəḵāṯəḇān
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Ezra 4:8
HEB: וְשִׁמְשַׁי֙ סָֽפְרָ֔א כְּתַ֛בוּ אִגְּרָ֥ה חֲדָ֖ה
NAS: the scribe wrote a letter
KJV: and Shimshai the scribe wrote a letter
INT: and Shimshai the scribe wrote A letter a

Ezra 5:7
HEB: עֲל֑וֹהִי וְכִדְנָה֙ כְּתִ֣יב בְּגַוֵּ֔הּ לְדָרְיָ֥וֶשׁ
NAS: a report to him in which it was written thus:
KJV: him, wherein was written thus;
INT: unto thus written wherein to Darius

Ezra 5:10
HEB: לְהוֹדָעוּתָ֑ךְ דִּ֛י נִכְתֻּ֥ב שֻׁם־ גֻּבְרַיָּ֖א
NAS: so as to inform you, and that we might write down the names
KJV: to certify thee, that we might write the names
INT: to inform who write the names of the men

Ezra 6:2
HEB: חֲדָ֑ה וְכֵן־ כְּתִ֥יב בְּגַוַּ֖הּ דִּכְרוֹנָֽה׃
NAS: was found and there was written in it as follows:
KJV: [was] a record thus written:
INT: a follows written and therein Memorandum

Daniel 5:5
HEB: יַד־ אֱנָ֔שׁ וְכָֽתְבָן֙ לָקֳבֵ֣ל נֶבְרַשְׁתָּ֔א
NAS: emerged and began writing opposite
KJV: hand, and wrote over against
INT: hand of a man's writing opposite the lampstand

Daniel 5:5
HEB: יְדָ֖ה דִּ֥י כָתְבָֽה׃
NAS: of the hand that did the writing.
KJV: the part of the hand that wrote.
INT: of the hand did the writing

Daniel 6:25
HEB: דָּרְיָ֣וֶשׁ מַלְכָּ֗א כְּ֠תַב לְֽכָל־ עַֽמְמַיָּ֞א
NAS: the king wrote to all
KJV: king Darius wrote unto all people,
INT: Darius the king wrote to all the peoples

Daniel 7:1
HEB: בֵּאדַ֙יִן֙ חֶלְמָ֣א כְתַ֔ב רֵ֥אשׁ מִלִּ֖ין
NAS: then he wrote the dream
KJV: then he wrote the dream,
INT: then the dream wrote the summary of the matters

8 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 3790
8 Occurrences


ḵā·ṯə·ḇāh — 1 Occ.
ḵə·ṯaḇ — 1 Occ.
kə·ṯaḇ — 1 Occ.
kə·ṯa·ḇū — 1 Occ.
kə·ṯîḇ — 2 Occ.
niḵ·tuḇ — 1 Occ.
wə·ḵā·ṯə·ḇān — 1 Occ.

3789
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