# Aramaic: כְּתָב



## Madeeha719

Hi

I read that כְּתָב could mean not only "writing" or "order" or "limit" or "decree" but also "as one who returns". Does anyone know how that would work? What would the root letters be then?

Thank you so much.


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## Ali Smith

No, 'one who returns' would be תָּאֵב in Aramaic.

תָּאֵב verbal adj. (act. part.) m.s. abs. G תוב 'to return (int.)'

Compare קָאֵם in

[אַנְתָּה כ] (אַ֣נְתְּ ק) מַלְכָּ֗א חָזֵ֤ה הֲוַ֙יְתָ֙ וַאֲל֨וּ צְלֵ֥ם חַד֙ שַׂגִּ֔יא צַלְמָ֨א דִּכֵּ֥ן רַ֛ב וְזִיוֵ֥הּ יַתִּ֖יר קָאֵ֣ם לְקָבְלָ֑ךְ וְרֵוֵ֖הּ דְּחִֽיל׃
(Dan 2:31)

קָאֵם verbal adj. (act. part.) m.s. abs. G קום 'to arise'

In Hebrew, however, if the root תוב existed you would indeed have תָּב rather than תָּאֵב.


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## Glasguensis

Madeeha719 said:


> Hi
> 
> I read that כְּתָב could mean not only "writing" or "order" or "limit" or "decree" but also "as one who returns". Does anyone know how that would work? What would the root letters be then?
> 
> Thank you so much.


You read where? Please provide the source and the exact text.


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## Madeeha719

In Eric Reymond's book called Complete Aramaic. He says that כְּתָב could mean either "writing, etc." or "as one who returns".


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## Glasguensis

Is that the exact text ? What is the context?


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## Abaye

Madeeha719 said:


> In Eric Reymond's book called Complete Aramaic. He says that כְּתָב could mean either "writing, etc." or "as one who returns".


The latter ("as one who returns") is כ-תב:
> Prefix כ means "as".
> תב (cognate of Hebrew שב) of root תוב "to return", 3rd masc. sing., is  apparently a variant of תאב described above.


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