SCRABBLE

skrab'-l: Occurs only in 1 Samuel 21:13, as the translation of tawah: "David.... feigned himself mad and scrabbled on the doors of the gate." "To scrabble" (modern English "scrawl") is here to make unmeaning marks; tawah means "to make a mark" from taw, "a mark," especially as a cross (Ezekiel 9:4), a signature (Job 31:35, see the Revised Version (British and American)), the name of the Hebrew letter taw ("t") originally made in the form of a cross; the Revised Version margin has "made marks"; but Septuagint has tumpanizo, "to beat as a drum," which the Vulgate, Ewald, Driver and others follow ("beat upon" or "drummed on the doors of the city," which seems more probable).

1. (v. t.) To scrape, paw, or scratch with the hands; to proceed by clawing with the hands and feet; to scramble; as, to scrabble up a cliff or a tree.

2. (v. t.) To make irregular, crooked, or unmeaning marks; to scribble; to scrawl.

3. (v. t.) To mark with irregular lines or letters; to scribble; as, to scrabble paper.

4. (n.) The act of scrabbling; a moving upon the hands and knees; a scramble; also, a scribble.

8427. tavah -- to make or set a mark
... confession, sacrifice of praise, thanksgiving, offering. A primitive root; to mark
out, ie (primitive) scratch or (definite) imprint -- scrabble, set (a mark). ...
/hebrew/8427.htm - 6k

8428. tavah -- probably to pain, wound
... Word Origin a prim. root Definition probably to pain, wound NASB Word Usage pained
(1). scrabble, set a mark. A primitive root (or perhaps ident. ...
/hebrew/8428.htm - 6k