כִּי
that
also: for, because, when, as though fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Conjunction
- A joining word (e.g. “and,” “but”) linking words or clauses.
- Preposition
- A relational word (e.g. “in,” “to,” “from”) governing a noun.
Page 2 of 2 — showing verses 201–242 of 242 distinct verses where H3588 appears in the Book of Deuteronomy. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Deuteronomy
- Deuteronomy 28:62 כִּי conj You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of the sky for multitude; because you didn't listen to the voice of Yahweh your God.
- Deuteronomy 29:6 כִּ֛י conj You have not eaten bread, neither have you drunk wine or strong drink; that you may know that I am Yahweh your God.
- Deuteronomy 29:15 כִּי֩ conj but with him who stands here with us this day before Yahweh our God, and also with him who is not here with us this day
- Deuteronomy 29:16 כִּֽי conj (for you know how we lived in the land of Egypt, and how we came through the midst of the nations through which you passed;
- Deuteronomy 29:19 כִּ֛י conj and it happen, when he hears the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart, to destroy the moist with the dry.
- Deuteronomy 29:20 כִּ֣י conj Yahweh will not pardon him, but then the anger of Yahweh and his jealousy will smoke against that man, and all the curse that is written in this book shall lie on him, and Yahweh will blot out his name from under the sky.
- Deuteronomy 30:1 כִֽי conj It shall happen, when all these things are come on you, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before you, and you shall call them to mind among all the nations, where Yahweh your God has driven you,
- Deuteronomy 30:9 כִּ֣י conj Yahweh your God will make you plenteous in all the work of your hand, in the fruit of your body, and in the fruit of your cattle, and in the fruit of your ground, for good: for Yahweh will again rejoice over you for good, as he rejoiced over your fathers;
- Deuteronomy 30:10 כִּ֣י כִּ֤י conj conj if you shall obey the voice of Yahweh your God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which are written in this book of the law; if you turn to Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul.
- Deuteronomy 30:11 כִּ֚י conj For this commandment which I command you this day, it is not too hard for you, neither is it far off.
- Deuteronomy 30:14 כִּֽי conj But the word is very near to you, in your mouth, and in your heart, that you may do it.
- Deuteronomy 30:18 כִּ֥י conj I denounce to you this day, that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land, where you pass over the Jordan to go in to possess it.
- Deuteronomy 30:20 כִּ֣י conj to love Yahweh your God, to obey his voice, and to cleave to him; for he is your life, and the length of your days; that you may dwell in the land which Yahweh swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
- Deuteronomy 31:6 כִּ֣י conj Be strong and of good courage, don't be afraid, nor be scared of them: for Yahweh your God, he it is who does go with you; he will not fail you, nor forsake you.
- Deuteronomy 31:7 כִּ֣י conj Moses called to Joshua, and said to him in the sight of all Israel, Be strong and of good courage: for you shall go with this people into the land which Yahweh has sworn to their fathers to give them; and you shall cause them to inherit it.
- Deuteronomy 31:17 כִּֽי conj Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall come on them; so that they will say in that day, Haven't these evils come on us because our God is not among us?
- Deuteronomy 31:18 כִּ֣י conj I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evil which they shall have worked, in that they are turned to other gods.
- Deuteronomy 31:20 כִּֽי conj For when I shall have brought them into the land which I swore to their fathers, flowing with milk and honey, and they shall have eaten and filled themselves, and grown fat; then will they turn to other gods, and serve them, and despise me, and break my covenant.
- Deuteronomy 31:21 כִּֽי כִּ֛י כִּ֧י conj conj conj It shall happen, when many evils and troubles are come on them, that this song shall testify before them as a witness; for it shall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their seed: for I know their imagination which they frame this day, before I have brought them into the land which I swore.
- Deuteronomy 31:23 כִּ֣י conj He gave Joshua the son of Nun a charge, and said, Be strong and of good courage; for you shall bring the children of Israel into the land which I swore to them: and I will be with you.
- Deuteronomy 31:27 כִּ֣י כִּי conj conj For I know your rebellion, and your stiff neck: behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, you have been rebellious against Yahweh; and how much more after my death?
- Deuteronomy 31:29 כִּ֣י כִּֽי כִּֽי conj conj conj For I know that after my death you will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will happen to you in the latter days; because you will do that which is evil in the sight of Yahweh, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
- Deuteronomy 32:3 כִּ֛י conj For I will proclaim the name of Yahweh: Ascribe greatness to our God.
- Deuteronomy 32:4 כִּ֥י conj The Rock, his work is perfect; For all his ways are justice: A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is he.
- Deuteronomy 32:9 כִּ֛י conj For Yahweh's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
- Deuteronomy 32:20 כִּ֣י conj He said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: For they are a very perverse generation, Children in whom is no faithfulness.
- Deuteronomy 32:22 כִּי conj For a fire is kindled in my anger, Burns to the lowest Sheol, Devours the earth with its increase, Sets on fire the foundations of the mountains.
- Deuteronomy 32:28 כִּי conj For they are a nation void of counsel, There is no understanding in them.
- Deuteronomy 32:30 כִּי conj How should one chase a thousand, Two put ten thousand to flight, Except their Rock had sold them, Yahweh had delivered them up?
- Deuteronomy 32:31 כִּ֛י conj For their rock is not as our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges.
- Deuteronomy 32:32 כִּֽי conj For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, Of the fields of Gomorrah: Their grapes are grapes of gall, Their clusters are bitter:
- Deuteronomy 32:35 כִּ֤י conj Vengeance is mine, and recompense, At the time when their foot shall slide: For the day of their calamity is at hand, The things that are to come on them shall make haste.
- Deuteronomy 32:36 כִּֽי כִּ֤י כִּי conj conj conj For Yahweh will judge his people, Repent himself for his servants; When he sees that [their] power is gone, There is none [remaining], shut up or left at large.
- Deuteronomy 32:39 כִּ֣י conj See now that I, even I, am he, There is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; There is none who can deliver out of my hand.
- Deuteronomy 32:40 כִּֽי conj For I lift up my hand to heaven, And say, As I live forever,
- Deuteronomy 32:43 כִּ֥י conj Rejoice, you nations, [with] his people: For he will avenge the blood of his servants, Will render vengeance to his adversaries, Will make expiation for his land, for his people.
- Deuteronomy 32:47 כִּ֠י כִּי conj conj For it is no vain thing for you; because it is your life, and through this thing you shall prolong your days in the land, where you go over the Jordan to possess it.
- Deuteronomy 32:52 כִּ֥י conj For you shall see the land before you; but you shall not go there into the land which I give the children of Israel.
- Deuteronomy 33:9 כִּ֤י conj Who said of his father, and of his mother, I have not seen him; Neither did he acknowledge his brothers, Nor knew he his own children: For they have observed your word, Keep your covenant.
- Deuteronomy 33:19 כִּ֣י conj They shall call the peoples to the mountain; There shall they offer sacrifices of righteousness: For they shall suck the abundance of the seas, The hidden treasures of the sand.
- Deuteronomy 33:21 כִּי conj He provided the first part for himself, For there was the lawgiver's portion reserved; He came [with] the heads of the people; He executed the righteousness of Yahweh, His ordinances with Israel.
- Deuteronomy 34:9 כִּֽי conj Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom; for Moses had laid his hands on him: and the children of Israel listened to him, and did as Yahweh commanded Moses.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
כי (kîy) is a Hebrew conjunction most often rendered “that.” Beyond its headline sense, its full sense range takes in “for”, “because”, and “when”. With 3,910 verses in 39 books, it is one of the most common word in the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Genesis 1:4. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H3588 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 3,910
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 3,910 distinct verses.
- 39 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 39 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #10
- by frequency
- Top 10 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 10 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 3,910 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 3,910 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 1,823 verses · 47%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 1,160 verses · 30%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 927 verses · 24%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 3 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: That 3×, For 2×, Until 2×
- American Standard Version†: For 6×, That 3×, It 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: For 1,773×, That 596×, Because 530×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: For 2,227×, That 666×, Because 471×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H3588 across 45† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 38 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H3588 across 45† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 32 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H3588 across 3,989† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 74 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 484 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H3588 across 4,287† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 58 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
18 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 18 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
כי I [m.] burning, branding (for form, cf. רִי from רָוָה, אִי, צִי, עִי
כי II conj. that, for, when (Moab. id.
- 1. that (ὅτι, Germ. dass):
- a. prefixed to sentences depending on an active verb, and occupying to it the place of an accus.: so constantly, after vbs. of seeing, as Gn 1:10 וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי טוֹב and God saw that it was good, 3:6; 6:2, 5; 12:14 + often, hearing 14:14; 29:33, knowing 22:12; 24:14, telling 3:11; 12:18, repenting 6:6, 7, swearing Gn 22:16 Je 22:5, believing Ex 4:5 La 4:12, remembering ψ 78:35, forgetting Jb 39:15; אָמַר = command (late; in early Heb. the words said are quoted) Jb 36:10, 24) זְכֹר in a command) 37:20b 1 Ch 21:18 (contrast 2 S 24:18) etc.; טוֹב כּי it is good that … 2 S 18:3 + (v. p. 374b: usually the inf. c., as Gn 2:18; v. ibid.); Gn 37:26 מַה־בֶּצַע כִּי נַהֲרֹג what profit that we should slay (impf.) …? Mal 3:14 what profit כִּי שָׁמַרְנוּ that we have kept (pf.) …? Jb 22:3 הַחֵפֶץ לְשַׁדַּי כִּי is it pleasure to Shaddai that …? after a pron., as ψ 41:12 by this I know that thou hast pleasure in me, that my enemy cannot triumph over me, 42:5 these things will I remember … that (or how) I used to go, etc., 56:10 this I know that god is for me, Jb 13:16 (הוא). And with כִּי repeated pleon. after an intervening clause 2 S 19:7 Je 26:15 +; כִּי … וְכִי Gn 3:6; 29:12 Ex 4:31 Jos 2:9; 8:21; 10:1 1 S 31:7 2 S 5:12 1 K 11:21 Je 40:7, 11; לֵאמֹר … וְכִי Gn 45:26 Ju 10:10. e.g. Genesis 1:10
- b. כִּי often introduces the direct narration (like ܕ, أَنْ, and the Gk. ὅτι recitativum, e.g. Luke 4:21), in which case it cannot be represented in English (except by inverted commas), Gn 21:30; 29:33 and she said, כִּי שׁמע י׳ Yahweh hath heard, etc.; Ex 3:12 = Ju 6:16 and he said, כִּי אֶהְיֶה עִמָּ֑ךְ I will be with thee, Jos 2:24 1 S 2:16 (v. Dr) 10:19 and ye have said to him, כִּי מֶלֶךְ תָּשִׂים עָלֵינוּ Thou shalt set a king over us, 2 S 11:23 1 K 1:13; 20:5 Ru 1:10, cf. 2:21 (but in reply to a qu. כִּי may = because, v. sub 3; and so also in sentences giving the expl. of a proper name, Gn 26:22; 29:32 (but De surely: v. infr.), Ex 2:10 (cf. Gn 4:25; 41:51, 52); in כִּי מָה, introducing an expostulation, 1 S 29:8 1 K 11:22 2 K 8:13, it gives the reason for a suppressed ‘Why do you say this?’). e.g. Genesis 21:30
- c. especially after an oath חַי אָ֫נִי, חַי י׳ etc., introducing the fact sworn to, Gn 42:16 by the life of Pharaoh, כִּי מְרַגְּלִים אַתֶּם (I say) that ye are spies; but through Heb. usage prob. gave it an asseverative force, Engl. idiom does not require it to be expressed: Nu 14:22 1 S 20:3 as י׳ liveth, כִּי כִפֶשַׂע בֵּינִי וּבֵין הַמָּוֶת there is but a step between me and death! 26:16; 29:6 Is 49:18 +; 1 S 14:44 כֹּה־יַעֲשֶׂה אֱלֹהִים וְכֹה יוֹסִיף כִּי מוֹת תָּמוּת thus may God do and more also: thou shalt surely die! 2 S 3:35 1 K 2:23 Ru 1:17 al.—Note that כִּי when thus used is often repeated after an intervening clause, in order that its force may be fully preserved: Gn 22:16f. 1 S 14:39 כִּי מוֹת יָמוּת (אִם־יֶשְׁנוֹ בְּיוֹנָתָן בְּנִי) חַי י׳ כִּי 25:34 2 S 2:27 כִּי אָז וג׳ (לוּלֵא דִּבַּרְתָּ) כִּי, 3:9; 15:21 Qr 1 K 1:30 Je 22:24. e.g. Genesis 42:16
- d. כִּי is used sometimes with advs. and interjs. to add force or distinctness to the affirmation which follows: (a) so especially in אַף כִּי (v. אַף); †הֲכִי is it that …? (as a neutral interrrog.) 2 S 9:1, (expecting a neg. answer) Gn 29:15 is it that thou art my brother, and shalt (therefore) serve me for nothing? Jb 6:22 is it that I have said, Give unto me? expressing surprise Gn 27:36 is it that he is called Jacob, and has (hence) supplanted me twice? 2 S 23:19 an affirm. answer is required (wh. would imply הֲלֹא כִי): read prob. with the ‖ 1 Ch 11:25 הִנּוֹ behold, he, etc.; †אִם־לֹא כִּי Dt 32:30 were it not that …; †אָמְנָם כִּי Jb 12:2 of a truth (is it) that ye are the people, etc.; †אַךְ כִּי 1 S 8:9; אֶפֶס כִּי Nu 13:28 +; גַּם כִּי †Ru 2:21; †הֲלֹא כִי 1 S 10:1 (but v. 𝔊 Dr), 2 S 13:28; †הִנֵּה כִי ψ 128:4; cf. ψ 118:10–12 בְּשֵׁם י׳ כִּי אֲמִילַֽם in the name of י׳ (is it) that—or (I say) that—I will mow them down; Jb 39:27 doth the vulture mount up at thy command, וְכִי יָרִים קִנּוֹ and (is it) that it (so) makes high its nest? Is 36:19 have the gods of the nations delivered each his land etc.? … וְכִי הִצִּילוּ i.e. (Hi) and (is it) that they have delivered Samaria out of my hand? > (Ew§ 354 c De Di) and that they have delivered Samaria out of my hand! = how much less (אַף כִּי) have they, etc.! (‖ 2 K 18:34 כִּי alone, perhaps conformed by error to v 35; 2 Ch 32:15 אַף כִּי, which however does not decide the sense of the orig. וְכִי). 1 Ch 29:14 וְכִי מִי read ומי or כי מי. (b) in introducing the apodosis, especially in כִּי עַתָּה (chiefly after לוּלֵא) indeed then …, Gn 31:42; 43:10 for unless we had tarried כִּי עַתָּה שַׁבְנוּ surely then we had returned twice, Nu 22:23 (read לוּלֵי for אוּלַי); so 1 S 14:30 𝔊 (after לוּא), and 13:13 Hi We (לֻא for לֹא); after אִם Jb 8:6 surely then he will awake over thee, etc. (But elsewhere כִּי עַתָּה is simply for now, Gn 29:32 Jb 7:21 +; or for then = for in that case, Ex 9:15 Nu 22:29 Jb 3:13; 6:3 +). It is dub. whether כִּי אָז has the same sense: for 2 S 2:27; 19:7 the כִּי in כִּי אָז may be merely resumptive of the כִּי recitat. preceding (vid. a, c). Rare otherwise: Ex 22:22 if thou afflict him כִּי אִם־צָעֹק יִצְעַק ’tis that (= indeed), if he cries unto me, I will hear him, Is 7:9 if ye believe not כִּי לֹא תֵאָמֵֽנוּ ׃ indeed ye will not be established. e.g. 2 Samuel 9:1
- e. there seem also to be other cases in which כִּי, standing alone, has an intensive force, introducing a statement with emph., yea, surely, certainly (Germ. ja—a lighter particle than these Engl. words): see in EVV Gn 22:17 Ex 18:11 Nu 23:23 1 S 17:25; 20:26 2 K 23:22 Is 32:13; 60:9 Je 22:22; 31:19 Ho 6:9; 8:6; 9:12; 10:3 Am 3:7 ψ 76:11; 77:12 (Ew Che), Pr 30:2 (but not if construed as RVm), Ec 4:16; 7:7, 20 Jb 28:1 +; La 3:22 (𝔖 𝔗 Ew Th Öt) the mercies of י׳, surely they are not consumed (read prob. תַמּוּ or תָֽמְמוּ for תמנו), Ru 3:12 כִּי אָמְנָם yea, indeed. But it is doubtful whether כִּי has this force in all the passages for which scholars have had recourse to it, and whether in some it is not simply = for. De Pr 30:1 would restrict the usage to cases in which a suppressed clause may be understood. e.g. Genesis 22:17
- f. that, expressing consecution, especially after a question implying surprise or deprecation: sq. perf., Gn 20:9 what have I sinned against thee כִּי הֵבֵאתָ עָלַי that thou hast brought on me? 1 S 17:26; 22:8 Is 22:1 what aileth thee, that thou art gone up, etc.? v 16 36:5; 52:5 Mic 4:9 Hb 2:18; sq. ptcp. Ju 14:3 1 S 20:1 1 K 18:9 how have I sinned that thou art giving, etc.? 2 K 5:7 Ez 24:19; usually sq. impf. Ex 3:11 who am I כִּי אֵלֵךְ that I should go, etc.? 16:7 Ju 8:6; 9:28; 2 K 8:13 Is 7:13; 29:16 (also pf.), ψ 8:5 what is man כִּי תִזְכְּרֶנּוּ? Jb 3:12 or why the breasts כִּי אִינָקֽ ׃ that I should suck? 6:11 מַה־כֹּחִי כִּי אֲיַחֵל, 7:12, 17; 10:5f.; 13:25f; 15:12f. 14; 16:3; 21:15 +; after a neg., Gn 40:15 here also I have done nothing כִּי שָׂמוּ that they should have placed me in the dungeon, ψ 44:19f. our heart has not turned backward, etc. כִּי דִכִּיתָנוּ that thou shouldst have crushed us, etc., Is 43:22 not me hast thou called on, כִּי יָגַעְתָּ בִּי that thou shouldst have wearied thyself with me, Ho 1:6 (v. RV), Jb 41:2 Ru 1:12 I am too old to have an husband כִּי אָמַרְתָּי that I should have said, etc. (cf. Ew§337a; Dr§ 39 δ). e.g. Genesis 20:9
- g. added to preps. כִּי converts them, like אֲשֶׁר, into conjs. …, as יַעַן כִּי because that …: v. sub יַעַן, עַד, עַל, עֵקֶב, תַּחַת.
- 2.
- a. Of time, when, of the past וַיְהִי כִּי Gn 6:1 (cf. BuUrg. 6), 26:8; 27:1 2 S 6:13; 7:1; 19:26 + (כַּאֲשֶׁר, and especially כְּ c. inf., are more freq.); וְהָיָה כִּי (simple וְ) 1 S 1:12; 17:48; Jos 22:7 Ju 2:18; 12:5 והיה כי יאמרו and it would be, whenever (freq.) they said, Je 44:19 (ptcp.), Ho 11:1 ψ 32:3 כי החרשׁתר when I was silent, Jb 31:21, 26, 29; of present (usually with impf.) as Ex 18:16 כִּי יִהְיֶה לָהֶם דָּבָר when they have a matter, 1 S 24:20 Is 1:12; 30:21 Je 14:12 Zc 7:5, 6 Mal 1:8 ψ 49:19 and men praise thee כִּי תֵיטִיב לָ֑ךְ when thou doest well to thyself, 102:1; 127:5 +, with pf. Ez 3:19–21; 33:9 Pr 11:15; 23:22; especially of future, as Gn 4:12 כִּי תַעֲבֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה when thou shalt till the ground it shall not, etc., 24:41; 30:33; 31:49; 32:18 Ex 7:9 when Pharaoh shall speak unto you, Dt 4:25; 6:20 +; in phrase (תֹּאמַר וג׳) וְכִי תֹּאמְרוּ Lv 25:20 Dt 18:21 Is 8:19; 36:7 Je 13:22; and especially in וְהָיָה כִּי … Gn 12:12; 46:33 Dt 6:10; 15:16 1 S 10:7; 25:30 Is 8:21; 10:12 + often; with pf. Is 16:12 1 Ch 17:11 (altered from impf. 2 S 7:12); with ptcp. (unusual) Nu 33:51; 34:2 Dt 11:31; 18:9. e.g. Genesis 6:1
- b. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usually represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם:—(mostly with impf.) Gn 38:16 Nu 5:10; 10:32 Dt 6:25; 7:17; 28:2, 13 1 S 20:13 2 S 19:8 2 K 4:29; 18:22 Je 38:15 Pr 4:8 Jb 7:13 (כי אמרתי when I say), 19:28; often in laws, as Ex 21:14, 33, 35, 37; 22:4, 5 etc., Dt 13:13; 14:24; 15:7, 12; 17:2; 18:6, 21 etc.; sometimes, in particular, to state a principle broadly, after which special cases are introduced by אִם, as Ex 21:2 when (כִּי) thou buyest a Hebrew servant, he shall serve thee six years, after which v 3–5 follow four special cases with אִם if: so 21:7 (כי), v 8–11 (אם); v 18 (כי), v 19 (אם); v 20 (כי), v 21 (אם); v 22 f. 28–32; Lv 1:2 (כי), v 3, 10 (אם) 4:2, 3, 13, 27, 32; 13:2 ff. Nu 30:3 ff. +; though this distinction is not uniformly observed, contrast e.g. Ex 21:5 with Dt 15:16; Nu 5:19 and v 20.—N.B. with כִּי = when or if, the subject is often prefixed for distinctness and emph.: 1 K 8:37 רָעָב כִּי־יִהְיֶה בָאָרֶץ דֶּבֶר כִּי יִהְיֶה וג׳, Is 28:18 Mi 5:4 אַשּׁוּר כִּי־יָבֹא בְאַרְצֵנוּ, ψ 62:11 Ez 3:19 (וְאַתָּה), 14:9, 13; 18:5, 18, 21; 33:6 (cf. v 2); and especially in laws of P, as אָדָם כִּי … Lv 1:2; 13:2, נֶפֶשׁ כִּי … 2:1; 4:2; 5:1, 4, 15, similiarly 15:2, 16, 19, 25; 22:12, 13, 14 etc., rather differently Nu 5:20. e.g. Genesis 38:16
- c. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though:—(a) with impf. Je 4:30(×3); 14:12; 49:16 כִּי־תַגְבִּיהַּ כַּנֶּשֶׁר קִנֶּ֑ךָ though thou make high like the vulture thy nest, I will bring thee down thence, 51:53 Ho 13:15 Zc 8:6 ψ 37:24; 49:19 f. though in his lifetime he bless himself … he shall come, etc., perhaps also Je 46:23 Ew (but Hi Gf Ke for), 50:11 Ew Ke (Hi yea); and strengthened by גַּם, גַּם כִּי Is 1:15 ψ 23:4 (cf. Dr§ 143); (b) with perf. (rare) Mi 7:8 כִּי נָפַלְתִּי קָ֑מְתִּי though I have fallen, I rise, Na 1:10 (si vera l.), ψ 21:12 (Hi Ew Now), 119:83 (Ew De). e.g. Jeremiah 4:30
- 3. Because, since (ὅτι)—
- a. Gn 3:14 because thou hast done this, cursed art thou, etc., v 17 18:20 the cry of S. and G.—because it is great … (subj. prefixed for emph.: cf. 2 N.B.) Is 28:15; in answer to a qu., Gn 27:20 Ex 1:19; 18:15 2 S 19:43 +. Enunciating the conditions under which a fut. action is conceived as possible (Germ. indem) Lv 22:9 Dt 4:29 כי תדרשׁנו, 12:20 (v.Dr), v 25, 28; 13:19; 14:24; 16:15; 19:6, 9 +, 1 K 8:35 (cf. v 33 אֲשֶׁר), v 36 כִּי תוֹרֵם, Pr 4:8b. e.g. Genesis 3:14
- b. more commonly the causal sentence follows, as Gn 2:3 and God blessed the seventh day כִּי בוֹ שָׁבַת וג׳ because on it he rested, etc., 4:25 etc., in which case it may often be rendered for, Gn 2:5, 23; 3:20; 5:24; 6:7; 12, 13 ψ 6:3 heal me כִּי נִבְהֲלוּ עֲצָמָ֑י for my bones are vexed, 10:14; 25:16; 27:10 + very often Spec. after vbs. expressive of mental emotions, as rejoicing Is 14:29 ψ 58:11, being angry Gn 31:35; 45:5, fearing 43:18 ψ 49:17 etc. Iron. 1 K 18:27 for he is a god etc. (4 times); Pr 30:4 Jb 38:5 כִּי תֵדָ֑ע for or since thou knowest. With subj. prefixed ψ 128:2. Repeated (with anacol.) Is 49:19. e.g. Genesis 2:3
- c. the causal relation expressed by כִּי is sometimes subtle, especially in poetry, and not apparent without careful study of a passage. Thus sometimes it justifies a statement or description by pointing to a pregnant fact which involves it, as Is 3:8a Jb 6:21 (ground of the comparison v 15–20), 14:16 (For …: ground of the wishes expressed v 13–15), 16:22 (ground of v 20 f.) 30:26 (For …), or by pointing to a general truth which it exemplifies Jb 5:6 (reason why complaining v 2–5 is foolish), 15:34; 23:14; sometimes it is explicative, justifying a statement by unfolding the particulars wh. establish or exemplify it 2 S 23:5a Is 1:30; 5:7; 7:8; 9:4; 10:8–11; 13:10 (development of v 9a), 32:6 f. (developing the characters of the נָבָל and כִּילַי, and so explaining why they will no longer be esteemed v 5); Jb 11:16 ff. (explic. of v 15b), 18:8 ff. (justifying v 7), 22:26 ff. (justifying v 25); elsewhere the cause is expressed indirectly or figuratively Is 2:6 (reason why invitation v 5 is needed), 5:10 (sterility of the soil the cause of the desolation v 9), 18:5; 28:8 (proof of the intoxication v 7), 31:7 (reason for the exhortation v 6: the certainty that the folly of idolatry will soon be recognized), Jb 7:21 (for soon it will be too late to pardon), 27:8–10 (Job wishes his enemy the lot of the wicked, because this is so hopeless); or כִּי relates not to the v. which immed. precedes or follows, but to several, as Is 7:16 f. (v 17 specially the ground of the people being reduced to simple fare v 15), 21:6 ff. (ground of the statements v1–5), Jb 4:5 (ground of v 2), 14:7–12 (v 10–12 specially the ground for the appeal in v 6), 23:10–13 (ground why God cannot be found v 8 f.), ψ 73:21 (ground not of v 20, but of general train of thought v 2–14); so also Gn 4:24 Dt 18:14 Is 12:1 Je 30:11 the reason lies not in the words immed. after כִּי, but in the second part of the sentence; or, on the other hand, it may state the reason for a partic. word, Is 28:20 (justifying ‘nought but terror’ v 19), Jb 23:17 (God’s hostility v 16 the cause of his misery, not the calamity as such). Sometimes also כִּי, in a poet. or rhet. style, gives the reason for a thought not expressed but implied, especially the answer to a qu.; Is 28:11 (the mockeries of v 10 have a meaning) ‘for with men of strange lips, etc. he will speak unto this people,’ who will retort the mockeries, charged with a new and terrible meaning, upon those who uttered them (v 13); = (no,) for Is 28:28 (see RVm), Jb 22:2b no, he that is wise is profitable to himself, 31:18; 39:14 (see v 13b), ψ 44:24 (he cannot do this, v 23) for for thy sake are we killed, etc., 130:4 no, with thee is forgiveness; = (yes,) for Is 49:25 (see the qu. v 24), 66:8. e.g. Isaiah 3:8
- d. כִּי … כִּי ἀσυνδέτως sometimes introduce the proximate and ultimate cause respectively, Gn 3:19; 26:7; 43:32; 47:20 Ex 23:33 for [else] thou wilt serve their gods, for it will be a snare to thee, Is 2:6(×2); 3:8(×2); 6:5a, b; 10:22f. Jb 6:3f.; 8:8, 9(×2); 24:17(×2); 29:11f.; sometimes they introduce two co-ordinate causes (where we should insert and), Ex 23:21, 22 Is 6:5b, c I am undone, because I am of unclean lips …, because mine eyes have seen י׳ of hosts, 15:5(×2), 6(×2), 8, 9 Zp 3:8f. Jb 15:25, 27; 20:19f.; 31:11f. But כִּי … וְכִי also occurs, Gn 33:11 Nu 5:20 (if), Jo 1:15 Ju 6:30 1 S 19:4; 22:17 1 K 2:26 Is 65:16 +. e.g. Genesis 3:19
- e. after a neg. כִּי for becomes = but (Germ. sondern): Gn 17:15 thou shalt not call her name Sarai, כִּי שָׂרָה שְׁמָהּ for (= but) Sarah shall be her name, 24:3f.; 45:8 Ex 1:19; 16:8 not against us are your murmurings, כי על־י׳ for (they are) agst. י׳ = but agst. י׳, Dt 21:17 1 S 6:3 (אַל), 27:1 (v. Dr), 1 K 21:15 Is 10:7; 28:27; 29:23; 30:5 ψ 44:8; 118:17 + often; so in לא כי nay, for = nay, but, as Gn 18:15 לֹא כִּי צָחָֽקְתְּ nay, but thou didst laugh, 19:2; 42:12 Jos 5:14 1 S 2:16 MSS 𝔊 (v. Dr), 12:12 2 S 16:18; 24:24 1 K 2:30; 3:22; 11:22 Is 30:16 nay, but we will flee upon horses. e.g. Genesis 17:15
- —כִּי is sometimes of difficult and uncertain interpretation, and in some of the passages quoted a different expl. is tenable. Authorities especially read the Heb. differently, when the choice is between for and yea. E.g. Is 8:23 Ges Ew§ 330 b doch (no, but); Hi Di for (taking v 22 as RVm); Ch surely: 15:1 Ges Ew Hi Di surely; De for: 39:8 Ges Hi De surely; Di for (expl. of טוֹב): Ez 11:16 Hi Ke Co surely; Ew Sm because.—In Ex 20:25 the tense of וַתְּחַלֲלֶהָ makes it prob. that כִּי is for (Dr§ 153). Jb 22:29 is taken with least violence to usage (גַּאֲוָה) as Hi: When they humble thee, and thou sayest (= complainest) Pride! he will save, etc. e.g. Isaiah 8:23
כי III branding, v. sub כוה.
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. n.[m.] burning, branding (for form, cf. רִי from רָוָה, אִי, צִי, עִי: Köii. 1. 64)—only כִּי תַּחַת יֹ֑פִי Is 3:24 branding instead of beauty, in judgment on women of Jerusalem.
II. conj. that, for, when (Moab. id.: Ph. כ. Prob. from the same demonstr. basis found in ܟܳܐ here, and in certain pronouns, as Aramaic דֵּךְ this (WSG 110 f.); perhaps also ultim. akin with كَىْ that, in order that, and ܟܰܝ then, enclit., like Lat. nam in quisnam?)—
III. branding, v. sub כוה.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive particle
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
כְּ־
- prefix, h. (v. כֵּן)
- 1. as, like. Targ. Gen. IX, 3. Targ. Hos. IV, 9; a. v. fr.—Ber. I, 2 כאדם וכ׳ like one reading in the Torah. Ib. 3 כדרכו as usual; a. v. fr.—
- *2. whereas. Tosef. Snh. II, 6 כגוזלייא … וכאימרייא וכ׳ ed. Zuck. (Var. דגוזלייא … ואמרייא, as Snh. 11ᵃ, Y. ib. I, 18ᵈ top) whereas the spring pigeons are yet tender &c.—[Ib. 5 בגוזלייא וכ׳.]—[Compound particles כְּדֵי, כְּוָת &c., v. s. vv. or second component.—ך as affix, frequ. indicating place (כ locale) or instrument, as בָּזָךְ, דוּךְ, אוּשְׁפְּזִיכָא &c.]
כי
- the Greek letter Chi (χ). Men. VI, 3 כמין כי, expl. ib. 75ᵃ כמין כי יוני (Ar. יונית) drawing the figure of a Greek Chi; Tosef. ib. VIII, 8; 10; Ker. 5ᵇ; Hor. 12ᵃ, expl. כמין כף יוני ed. (Ms. M. כי). Kel. XX, 7.
כֵּי
- (= כְּאֵי, v. אֵי III) like which?; כֵּי זֶה צַד, כֵּיזֶה צד how?, in what manner? Tosef. B. Kam. III, 4. Tosef. Ter. I, 5; a. fr. ed. Zuck. (ed. usu. כֵּיצַד).
כִּי
- v. כּ־)
- 1. like. Sot. 35ᵇ כי סיד like lime. Y. Yeb. XVI, end, 16ᵃ כי חיה like a lying-in woman; a. fr.
- 2. when. Ex. R. s. 9, beg. (ref. to Ex. VII, 9) … אם ידבר אלא כי וכ׳ it does not read, ‘if Pharaoh …, but when …; he will say so. R. Hash. 3ᵃ, v. אִי II. e.g. Exodus 7:9
- 3. so, thus. Y. Ḥag. III, 77ᵇ וכי היה המעשה and thus it came to pass. Yeb. VIII, 3 לא כי הלכה וכ׳ (some ed. לא כי אלא וכ׳) it is not so; I am reciting a Halakhah. Shek. I, 4 לא כי אלא וכ׳ it is not so, but &c. B. Kam. 25ᵇ; a. fr.
- 4. for. Yoma 87ᵇ (quoting from a prayer) כי עונותינו וכ׳ for our iniquities are &c.
- 5. וְכִי (introducing a question to which a negative answer is expected) is it really so that? R. Hash. 9ᵃ וכי בתשעה … והלא וכ׳ do we fast on the ninth? Is it not the tenth &c.? Sabb. 4ᵃ וכי אומרים וכ׳ dare we say to a man &c.?; Men. 48ᵃ. Yoma 7ᵃ; a. v. fr.
כִּי ²
- 1. as, like. Targ. Is. XIV, 19, v. יְחַט; a. fr., v. כְּ־.—M. Kat. 28ᵇ מותא כי מותא וכ׳ death like death, i.e. death must naturally ensue, v. חֲבוּלְיָא. Sabb. 140ᵇ. v. אוּרְכָּא.—Kidd. 81ᵃ יומא כי האידנא on a day like this.—כי הא ד־ as that which is told of &c. Pes. 117ᵃ; a. fr.—Ḥag. 2ᵃ, a. fr. דלא כי האי תנא which is not in agreement with the opinion of &c.—B. Kam. 46ᵃ לְכִי הא דאיתמר for a case like the one that is told.—Ned. 49ᵃ, a. fr. כי אתריה, v. אֲתַר.—Hor. 13ᵇ נתקין … כי לדידן let us institute something like that which has been done concerning ourselves; a. fr.
- 2. when. Targ. Y. II, Lev. XXVI, 44; a. fr.—Ḥull. 110ᵃ; B. Bath. 87ᵃ כי סליק וכ׳ when R. El. went to Palestine. Snh. 74ᵃ, a. fr. כי אתא וכ׳ when R. … came (from Palestine).—וכי תימא (abbr. וכ"ת), v. אֲמָא II.—Y. Snh. VII, end, 25ᵈ כי יתבון וכ׳ (not כיי) when they sat down to eat; a. v. fr.—כי היכי a) in order that, v. הֵיכִי.—b) as well as, in the same way as. Taan. 9ᵇ כי ה׳ … הכי וכ׳ as the Babylonians are deceitful, so are their rains; a. fr.—[כַּי, v. כַּיי.]
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 44 distinct written forms H3588 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
| Form | Parsing | Example | Uses |
|---|---|---|---|
| כִּֽי | Conjunction | Amos 4:12 | 1,428 |
| כִּ֣י | Conjunction | Amos 3:7 | 821 |
| כִּ֥י | Conjunction | Amos 7:2 | 543 |
| כִּ֤י | Conjunction | Amos 5:5 | 411 |
| כִּי | Conjunction | Amos 7:11 | 397 |
| כִּ֛י | Conjunction | Amos 4:2 | 179 |
| כִּ֚י | Conjunction | Amos 3:7 | 149 |
| כִּי֩ | Conjunction | Daniel 12:7 | 104 |
| כִּ֖י | Conjunction | Daniel 8:17 | 97 |
| כִּ֠י | Conjunction | Amos 9:8 | 68 |
| כִּ֧י | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 7:25 | 54 |
| וְ/כִֽי | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 14:24 | 51 |
| כִּ֗י | Conjunction | Amos 3:14 | 39 |
| כִּ֡י | Conjunction | Amos 4:13 | 22 |
| כִֽי | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 30:1 | 18 |
| וְ/כִ֥י | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 18:21 | 17 |
| כִּ֞י | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 9:5 | 10 |
| וְ/כִ֣י | Conjunction | Genesis 33:11 | 9 |
| וְ/כִ֤י | Conjunction | Exodus 4:31 | 9 |
| כִּ֭י | Conjunction | Job 23:14 | 9 |
| וְ/כִי | Conjunction | 1 Chronicles 10:7 | 8 |
| כִּ֘י | Conjunction | Job 32:5 | 5 |
| וְ/כִ֨י | Conjunction | 1 Chronicles 29:14 | 4 |
| כִי | Conjunction | 1 Samuel 10:14 | 4 |
| וְ/כִ֧י | Conjunction | Genesis 3:6 | 3 |
| וְ/כִי֙ | Conjunction | 2 Samuel 5:12 | 3 |
| כִ֔י | Conjunction | 1 Kings 3:22 | 3 |
| כִּ֝֗י | Conjunction | Proverbs 18:2 | 3 |
| כי | Conjunction | 2 Samuel 16:10 | 3 |
| הֲ/כִ֣י | Conjunction | 2 Samuel 9:1 | 2 |
| כִ֤י | Conjunction | Deuteronomy 24:3 | 2 |
| הֲ/כִי | Conjunction | Genesis 29:15 | 1 |
| הֲ/כִי֩ | Conjunction | Genesis 27:36 | 1 |
| הֲֽ/כִי | Conjunction | Job 6:22 | 1 |
| ו/כי | Conjunction | 2 Samuel 16:10 | 1 |
| וְ֝/כִ֗י | Conjunction | Job 39:27 | 1 |
| כִ֗י | Conjunction | 1 Kings 3:22 | 1 |
| כִ֛י | Conjunction | Isaiah 30:16 | 1 |
| כִ֥י | Conjunction | Leviticus 13:16 | 1 |
| כִּ֨י | Conjunction | Leviticus 22:13 | 1 |
| כִּ֩י | Conjunction | Jeremiah 44:17 | 1 |
| כִּ֪י | Conjunction | Proverbs 23:31 | 1 |
| כִּ֬י | Conjunction | Psalms 96:13 | 1 |
| ל/כי | Preposition | 2 Kings 4:2 | 1 |
Septuagint verse parallels
Most of the 3,910 Hebrew verses this word occurs in also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), so the same passages can be read in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 1:4
- Exodus 1:10
- Leviticus 1:2
- Numbers 3:13
- Deuteronomy 1:17
- Joshua 1:6
- Judges 1:15
- Ruth 1:6
- 1 Samuel 1:5
- 2 Samuel 1:5
- 1 Kings 1:11
- 2 Kings 1:4
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
