Hebrew word · H3799
כָּתַם
nikhtam
be stained
This verb appears only here in the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew of the Mishnah (2nd–3rd century AD) and the Talmud, the noun ketem means a stain or blot, especially a bloodstain on clothing. Some scholars compare Akkadian katāmu, 'to cover'.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
(Niphal) to be stained, be defiled, be deeply stained
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Jeremiah 2:22
- Range of meaning
This verb appears only here in the Hebrew Bible. In the Hebrew of the Mishnah (2nd–3rd century AD) and the Talmud, the noun ketem means a stain or blot, especially a bloodstain on clothing. Some scholars compare Akkadian katāmu, 'to cover'. A stain would then be something 'laid over' the surface, but that link is less certain.
- Against the English
BSB, ESV, NASB and NIV say 'the stain of your guilt'. KJV, WEB and YLT say 'marked'. A modern reader can take 'marked' to mean noted or recorded, as in a ledger, which is not the picture.
- How it drifted
'Marked' in 1611 could mean 'bearing a mark, blotted'. Today it more often suggests 'noticed' or 'written down', which turns a laundry image into a record-keeping one.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Septuagint has kekēlidōsai, 'you are stained, spotted' (from kēlis, 'stain'), which supports the stain reading. Jer 2:34 continues the garment image: 'on your skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor.'
Where it appears
Jeremiah · 1
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Jeremiah 2:22 נִכְתָּ֤ם [is] stained
Although you wash with lye and use an abundance of soap, the stain of your guilt is still before Me,” declares the Lord GOD.
Here: 'Is stained.' This verb appears only here in the Hebrew Bible. Later Hebrew uses the noun ketem for a stain, especially a bloodstain on cloth. The participle describes a lasting condition: the stain stays set in.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.