Topical Encyclopedia
In biblical times, the pen was an essential tool for writing and recording important documents, including sacred texts, legal contracts, and personal correspondence. The term "pen" in the Bible is often associated with the act of writing and the preservation of God's word and commandments.
Biblical References:1.
Jeremiah 36:18 : "And Baruch answered, 'He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them in ink on the scroll.'" This passage highlights the use of a pen or writing instrument in the process of recording prophetic messages. Baruch, the scribe of the prophet Jeremiah, used a pen to transcribe the words dictated by Jeremiah, ensuring the preservation of God's message to the people of Judah.
2.
Job 19:24 : "That they were engraved in rock forever with an iron tool and lead." While this verse does not explicitly mention a pen, it alludes to the ancient practice of inscribing words permanently, akin to the function of a pen in writing. Job expresses a desire for his words to be recorded indelibly, reflecting the importance of written testimony.
3.
Psalm 45:1 : "My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses to the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer." Here, the psalmist uses the metaphor of a pen to describe the eloquence and precision of his speech. The imagery suggests that just as a pen is used to craft written words, the psalmist's tongue is employed to deliver a message with clarity and artistry.
Cultural and Historical Context:In the ancient Near East, writing was a highly valued skill, and scribes played a crucial role in society. Pens in biblical times were typically made from reeds or other plant materials, with a sharpened end used to apply ink to papyrus, parchment, or other writing surfaces. The ink was often made from soot or other natural substances mixed with water or oil.
The act of writing was not only a practical necessity but also a means of preserving divine revelation and human wisdom. The written word was considered authoritative and enduring, serving as a testament to God's covenant with His people and the unfolding of His divine plan.
Theological Significance:From a theological perspective, the pen symbolizes the transmission and preservation of God's word. The Bible itself, as a written document, is a testament to the importance of recording divine revelation for future generations. The use of a pen in the biblical narrative underscores the belief that God's word is not only spoken but also inscribed, providing a permanent record of His will and purpose.
The metaphor of the pen as a tool for communication and expression also reflects the broader biblical theme of God as the ultimate author of life and history. Just as a pen is guided by the hand of the writer, so too is the course of human events directed by the sovereign will of God.
Smith's Bible Dictionary
Pen[WRITING]
ATS Bible Dictionary
PenThe ancient pen was a stylus of hardened iron,Jeremiah 17:1, sometimes pointed with diamond, for writing on hard substances, like metallic plates; when waxen tablets were used, the stylus had one end made broad and smooth, for erasing errors,2 Kings 21:13. For parchment, cloth, and similar substances, a reed pen was used, or a fine hair pencil, with ink, Jud 5:14Job 19:24Isaiah 8:1Jeremiah 36:233John 1:13.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) A feather.
2. (n.) A wing.
3. (n.) An instrument used for writing with ink, formerly made of a reed, or of the quill of a goose or other bird, but now also of other materials, as of steel, gold, etc. Also, originally, a stylus or other instrument for scratching or graving.
4. (n.) Fig.: A writer, or his style; as, he has a sharp pen.
5. (n.) The internal shell of a squid.
6. (n.) A female swan.
7. (v. t.) To write; to compose and commit to paper; to compose; as, to pen a sonnet.
8. (n. & v.) To shut up, as in a pen or cage; to confine in a small enclosure or narrow space; to coop up, or shut in; to enclose.
9. (n.) A small enclosure; as, a pen for sheep or for pigs.
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
PEN(`et, cheret; kalamos): The first writing was done on clay, wax, lead or stone tablets by scratching into the material with some hard pointed instrument. For this purpose bodkins of bronze, iron, bone or ivory were used (Job 19:24Isaiah 8:1Jeremiah 17:1). InJeremiah 17:1 a diamond is also mentioned as being used for the same purpose. InJeremiah 36 Baruch, the son of Neriah, declares that he recorded the words of the prophet with ink in the book. InJeremiah 36:23 it says that the king cut the roll with the penknife (literally, the scribe's knife). This whole scene can best be explained if we consider that Baruch and the king's scribes were in the habit of using reed pens. These pens are made from the hollow jointed stalks of a coarse grass growing in marshy places. The dried reed is cut diagonally with the penknife and the point thus formed is carefully shaved thin to make it flexible and the nib split as in the modern pen. The last operation is the clipping off of the very point so that it becomes a stub pen. The Arab scribe does this by resting the nib on his thumb nail while cutting, so that the cut will be clean and the pen will not scratch. The whole procedure requires considerable skill. The pupil in Hebrew or Arabic writing learns to make a pen as his first lesson. A scribe carries a sharp knife around with him for keeping his pen in good condition, hence, the name penknife. The word used in 3John 1:13 is kalamos, "reed," indicating that the pen described above was used in John's time (compare qalam, the common Arabic name for pen).
SeeINK;INK-HORN; WRITING.
Figurative: "Written with a pen of iron," i.e. indelibly (Jeremiah 17:1). "My tongue is the pen of a ready writer" (Psalm 45:1; compareJeremiah 36:18). As the trained writer records a speech, so the Psalmist's tongue impresses or engraves on his hearers' minds what he has conceived.
James A. Patch
Greek
2563. kalamos -- a reed... a reed. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: kalamos Phonetic Spelling:
(kal'-am-os) Short Definition: a reed, reed-
pen Definition: a reed; a reed
...4004. pentekonta -- fifty
... fifty. Part of Speech: Indeclinable Numeral (Adjective) Transliteration: pentekonta
Phonetic Spelling: (pen-tay'-kon-tah) Short Definition: fifty Definition...
3995. pentheros -- a father-in-law
... a father-in-law. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: pentheros Phonetic
Spelling: (pen-ther-os') Short Definition: a father-in-law Definition: a...
4003. pentekaidekatos -- fifteenth
... fifteenth. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: pentekaidekatos Phonetic Spelling:
(pen-tek-ahee-ded'-at-os) Short Definition: fifteenth Definition: the...
4000. pentakischilioi -- five thousand
... five thousand. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: pentakischilioi Phonetic
Spelling: (pen-tak-is-khil'-ee-oy) Short Definition: five thousand Definition...
3996. pentheo -- to mourn, lament
... to mourn, lament. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: pentheo Phonetic Spelling:
(pen-theh'-o) Short Definition: I mourn, lament Definition: I mourn, lament...
3994. penthera -- a mother-in-law
... a mother-in-law. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: penthera Phonetic
Spelling: (pen-ther-ah') Short Definition: a mother-in-law Definition: a...
3997. penthos -- mourning
... mourning. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: penthos Phonetic Spelling:
(pen'-thos) Short Definition: mourning, sorrow Definition: mourning, sorrow...
4002. pente -- five
... five. Part of Speech: Indeclinable Numeral (Adjective) Transliteration: pente Phonetic
Spelling: (pen'-teh) Short Definition: five Definition: five....
3958. pascho -- to suffer, to be acted on
... Including the forms patho (path'-o), and pentho (pen'-tho), used only in certain
tenses for it apparently a primary verb; to experience a sensation or...
Strong's Hebrew
6434.pen -- corner... 6433, 6434.
pen. 6435 . corner. Transliteration:
pen Phonetic Spelling: (pane)
Short Definition: corner.
... 6433, 6434.
pen. 6435 . Strong's Numbers.
6435.pen -- lest
... 6434, 6435.pen. 6436 . lest. Transliteration:pen Phonetic Spelling: (pane)
Short Definition: or.... see HEBREW panah. 6434, 6435.pen. 6436 . Strong's Numbers
5842. et -- a stylus
... 5841, 5842. et. 5843 . a stylus. Transliteration: et Phonetic Spelling:
(ate) Short Definition:pen. Word Origin... stylus (2).pen....
2747. cheret -- engraving tool, stylus
... graving tool,pen. From a primitive root meaning to engrave; a chisel or graver;
also a style for writing -- graving tool,pen. 2746, 2747. cheret. 2748 ....
6439. Penuel -- "face of God," a place East of the Jordan, also...
... Penuel. 6440 . "face of God," a place East of the Jordan, also two Israelites.
Transliteration: Penuel Phonetic Spelling: (pen-oo-ale') Short Definition: Penuel...
8471. Tachpanches -- a city in Egypt
... 30:18) {tekh- af-nekh-ace'}; or Tachpnec (Jeremiah 2:16) {takh-pen-ace'}; of Egyptian
derivation; Tachpanches, Techaphneches or Tachpenes, a place in Egypt...
6438. pinnah -- a corner
... Feminine ofpen; an angle; by implication, a pinnacle; figuratively, a chieftain --
bulwark, chief, corner, stay, tower. see HEBREWpen. 6437, 6438....
6856. tsipporen -- fingernail, stylus point
... From tsaphar (in the denominative sense (from tsippowr) of scratching); properly,
a claw, ie (human) nail; also the point of a style (orpen, tipped with...
8472. Tachpenes -- an Eg. queen
... 8471, 8472. Tachpenes. 8473 . an Eg. queen. Transliteration: Tachpenes
Phonetic Spelling: (takh-pen-ace') Short Definition: Tahpenes....
6441. penimah -- toward the side or inside, within
... 6440, 6441. penimah. 6442 . toward the side or inside, within. Transliteration:
penimah Phonetic Spelling: (pen-ee'-maw) Short Definition: within....
Library
APen Sketch.
... Jesus' Habits of Prayer APen Sketch. When God would win back His prodigal
world He sent down a Man. That Man while more than man...
Pen-Y-Gwrydd: to Tom Hughes, Esq.
...PEN-Y-GWRYDD: TO TOM HUGHES, ESQ. There is no inn in Snowdon which is not
awful dear, ExceptingPen-y-gwrydd (you can't pronounce...
Here MyPen Trembles in My Hand; but When...
... Address 202: Here mypen trembles in my hand; but when? Here mypen trembles
in my hand; but when, O when will one single Christian...
But I, Lord, if I Would, by My Tongue and MyPen...
... Book XII Chapter VI But I, Lord, if I would, by my tongue and mypen?
But I, Lord, if I would, by my tongue and mypen, confess...
By Far the Ablest of These Seven Essays is from thePen of the "...
... VI. By far the ablest of these seven Essays is from thepen of the "Rev.? By far
the ablest of these seven Essays is from thepen of the "Rev....
But How Shall I Suffice with the Tongue of MyPen to Utter all Thy...
... Book XI Chapter II But how shall I suffice with the tongue of mypen to
utter all Thy? But how shall I suffice with the tongue...
Could I Command with Voice orPen
... ORIGINAL HYMNS HYMN CXXXVII. Could I command with voice orpen. 8.8.8.8.8.8 James
Montgomery.... Could I command with voice orpen. The tongues of Angels and of men...
Synodical Epistle of the Synod in Illyricum Concerning the Faith.
... And it seemed fitting topen a letter to you, not that we write what concerns the
worship of the Trinity in vain disputation, but in humility deemed worthy of...
On the End of Man
... The end of a watch is to keep time. The end of apen is to write, etc.... The same may
be said of thepen, or of anything else. Now for what purpose was man made?...
Perfect Consecration and Devotion to God: what it Is.
... "My tongue is apen," [2644] an organ of wisdom; for the Word of the Spirit writes
by it in clearest letters, from the depth and power of the Scriptures, even...
Thesaurus
Pen (16 Occurrences)... 4. (n.) Fig.: A writer, or his style; as, he has a sharp
pen.
... 7. (vt) To write;
to compose and commit to paper; to compose; as, to
pen a sonnet.
...Pen-knife (1 Occurrence)
Pen-knife. Penknife,Pen-knife. Penned . Multi-Version Concordance
Pen-knife (1 Occurrence). Jeremiah 36:23 And it came...
Dot (2 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) A marriage portion; dowry. 2. (n.) A small point or spot, made with
apen or other pointed instrument; a speck, or small mark....
Stroke (26 Occurrences)
... stroking. 6. (n.) A mark or dash in writing or printing; a line; the touch
of apen or pencil; as, an up stroke; a firm stroke. 7...
Stylus (2 Occurrences)
... 4. (n.) Apen-shaped pointing device used to specify the cursor position on a graphics
tablet. Multi-Version Concordance Stylus (2 Occurrences)....
Zebulun (46 Occurrences)
... In Deborah's song the words, "Out of Zebulun they that handle thepen of the writer"
(Judges 5:14) has been rendered in the RV, "They that handle the marshal's...
Least (76 Occurrences)
... Matthew 5:18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not
even one smallest letter or one tinypen stroke shall in any way pass away...
Writer (4 Occurrences)
... a root of them against Amalek; after thee, Benjamin, among thy people; out of Machir
came down governors, and out of Zebulun they that handle thepen of the...
Ink (4 Occurrences)
... INK. ink (deyo, from root meaning "slowly flowing," BDB, 188; melan, "black"): Any
fluid substance used withpen or brush to form written characters....
Inkhorn (4 Occurrences)
... This may have been the Egyptian palette (Budge, Mummy, 350-52) seen so often in
the monuments of all periods, or the later form ofpen-case with ink-well...
Resources
What did Jesus mean when He said “I am the door” (John 10:7)? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is a jot? What is a tittle? | GotQuestions.orgHow is Jesus the “True Shepherd” in John 10:1-5? | GotQuestions.orgPen: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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