ka.tav denotes putting words into written form, whether recorded in books, sent in letters, or inscribed on surfaces.

The most visible use marks material already set down in a scroll, book, law, or other record. It also describes the act of composing letters, documents, and texts, and of placing words on tablets, doorposts, or a gold crown.

1. Recorded as written in a book or scroll · dominant

   Qal passive participles describe acts, names, laws, and oaths as already entered in a written record. In 1 Kings 14:19 the APB renders Jeroboam's remaining acts as "written in the book," while 2 Chronicles 34:24 speaks of oaths "written on the scroll" read before the king.

   1 Kings 14:191 Chronicles 29:291 Chronicles 9:12 Chronicles 34:24Daniel 9:11Esther 9:32
2. Compose a letter, document, or text · common

   Active Qal forms portray a person putting a communication or formal text into writing. In 1 Kings 21:8 the APB renders Jezebel's action, "She wrote letters," and in Deuteronomy 31:19 the plural imperative directs the addressees to write a song and teach it to Israel.

   1 Kings 21:82 Kings 10:12 Samuel 11:141 Samuel 10:25Deuteronomy 31:192 Chronicles 30:1
3. Place words on a physical surface · occasional

   The writing action is directed onto durable or displayed surfaces. In Deuteronomy 10:2 the APB renders the promise, "I will write on the tablets," and Deuteronomy 11:20 directs that the words be written on house doorposts and gates; Exodus 39:30 presents the related action on the gold crown as engraving its inscription.

   Deuteronomy 10:2Deuteronomy 11:20Exodus 34:1Exodus 34:27Exodus 39:30

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the term with "written," "wrote," or "write," especially for records, letters, and legal texts. In Exodus 39:30 it renders the action as "engraved"; These English forms indicate the verse contexts rather than fixed equivalents.