3 John 13. I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee.
1. For a description of the ink used in the East, see note on Jeremiah 36:18 (#552).
2. There were two sorts of pens. One was of iron, for use on metallic or waxed plates. See Jeremiah 17:1 and notes on Job 19:23-24 (#414) and on Luke 1:63 (#750). The other was a reed pointed in the same manner as the quill pens of modern times, though not usually slit. This was used with the ink for writing on parchment, or on papyrus.