דְּיוֹ
ink
Definition
The Hebrew noun דְּיוֹ (dᵉyôw) specifically means 'ink,' the black liquid used for writing. It appears only once in the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 36:18, where it refers to the ink used on the scroll that Baruch wrote at Jeremiah's dictation. In this context, it denotes the standard writing material of the time, used for recording prophetic messages. There are no other biblical senses or meanings for this word, as its usage is singular and concrete.
Biblical Usage
This word is used only once in the entire Old Testament, in Jeremiah 36:18. In this passage, the officials question Baruch about how he wrote the words of Jeremiah, and he replies, 'He pronounced all these words to me with his mouth, and I wrote them with ink in the book.' The context is the recording of divine prophecy, making the ink the tangible medium for preserving God's word as delivered through his prophet.
Etymology
The etymology of דְּיוֹ (dᵉyôw) is uncertain. It is likely a loanword, possibly from an Egyptian source, reflecting the cultural exchange in writing materials in the ancient Near East. No clear Hebrew root is identified, which is common for terms related to specific material objects or technology adopted from neighboring cultures.
Semantic Range
While 'ink' itself is a mundane object, its single biblical occurrence in Jeremiah 36:18 carries theological weight. It represents the means by which God's prophetic word was physically recorded and preserved, enabling its reading, transmission, and eventual fulfillment. Understanding this highlights the importance of the written scripture as a faithful record of divine revelation, even under threat of destruction (as seen later in the same chapter when the king burns the scroll).
In the ancient Near East, ink was typically a carbon-based mixture of soot or lampblack with a gum or oil binder, used with a reed pen on papyrus or parchment. Its mention in Jeremiah confirms the use of written records in official and prophetic circles in Judah. The specific question about the ink in Jeremiah 36:18 may reflect a concern for verifying the authenticity of the document or the process of its creation.
There are no direct synonyms for 'ink' in Biblical Hebrew. Other words for writing materials include 'sepher' (H5612) for a scroll/book and ''et (H8552) for a pen or stylus, but these denote different objects in the writing process.
Word Details
How this works
Hebrew definitions are from Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890), both public domain. BDB was groundbreaking for its era but reflects 19th-century assumptions about Semitic etymology. Modern scholarship (HALOT, DCH) has revised many entries. Use these definitions as a starting point for exploration, not as the final word on a term's meaning in context.
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