Isaiah 8:1

Take thee a great roll -The word which is here translated ‘roll’ more properly signifies tablet. So the Chaldee renders it. Those tablets were made of wood, metal, or stone, for the purpose of writing on; seeIsaiah 30:8;Habakkuk 2:2. On these tablets, or smooth plates, writing was performed by cutting the letters with an iron stylus, or small chisel. The process was slow, but the writing was permanent. They sometimes used the skins of animals, or the bark of trees, and subsequently the papyrus of Egypt (compare the note atIsaiah 19:7); and it is possible that Isaiah may have used such a roll or volume on this occasion; compareIsaiah 8:16.