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.
Every verse where H3588 appears in the Book of Joshua — 84 distinct verses. 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.
Joshua
- Joshua 1:6 כִּ֣י conj Be strong and of good courage; for you shall cause this people to inherit the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
- Joshua 1:8 כִּי conj This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate thereon day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success.
- Joshua 1:9 כִּ֤י conj Haven't I commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; don't be afraid, neither be dismayed: for Yahweh your God is with you wherever you go.
- Joshua 1:11 כִּ֞י conj Pass through the midst of the camp, and command the people, saying, Prepare food; for within three days you are to pass over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land, which Yahweh your God gives you to possess it.
- Joshua 2:3 כִּ֛י conj The king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men who are come to you, who have entered into your house; for they have come to search out all the land.
- Joshua 2:5 כִּ֥י conj and it happened about the time of the shutting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out; where the men went I don't know: pursue after them quickly; for you will overtake them.
- Joshua 2:9 כִּֽי וְ/כִֽי וְ/כִ֥י conj conj + conj conj + conj and she said to the men, I know that Yahweh has given you the land, and that the fear of you is fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.
- Joshua 2:10 כִּ֣י conj For we have heard how Yahweh dried up the water of the Red Sea before you, when you came out of Egypt; and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites, who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and to Og, whom you utterly destroyed.
- Joshua 2:11 כִּ֚י conj As soon as we had heard it, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more spirit in any man, because of you: for Yahweh your God, he is God in heaven above, and on earth beneath.
- Joshua 2:12 כִּי conj Now therefore, please swear to me by Yahweh, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father's house, and give me a true token;
- Joshua 2:15 כִּ֤י conj Then she let them down by a cord through the window: for her house was on the side of the wall, and she lived on the wall.
- Joshua 2:24 כִּֽי conj They said to Joshua, Truly Yahweh has delivered into our hands all the land; and moreover all the inhabitants of the land do melt away before us.
- Joshua 3:4 כִּ֣י conj Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: don't come near to it, that you may know the way by which you must go; for you have not passed this way heretofore.
- Joshua 3:5 כִּ֣י conj Joshua said to the people, Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow Yahweh will do wonders among you.
- Joshua 3:7 כִּ֗י conj Yahweh said to Joshua, This day will I begin to magnify you in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.
- Joshua 3:10 כִּ֛י conj Joshua said, Hereby you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from before you the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite.
- Joshua 4:6 כִּֽי conj that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, What do you mean by these stones?
- Joshua 4:24 כִּ֥י conj that all the peoples of the earth may know the hand of Yahweh, that it is mighty; that you may fear Yahweh your God forever.
- Joshua 5:5 כִּֽי conj For all the people who came out were circumcised; but all the people who were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, they had not circumcised.
- Joshua 5:6 כִּ֣י conj For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, even the men of war who came forth out of Egypt, were consumed, because they didn't listen to the voice of Yahweh: to whom Yahweh swore that he wouldn't let them see the land which Yahweh swore to their fathers that he would give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
- Joshua 5:7 כִּי כִּ֛י conj conj Their children, whom he raised up in their place, them did Joshua circumcise: for they were uncircumcised, because they had not circumcised them by the way.
- Joshua 5:14 כִּ֛י conj He said, No; but [as] prince of the host of Yahweh am I now come. Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said to him, What says my lord to his servant?
- Joshua 5:15 כִּ֣י conj The prince of Yahweh's host said to Joshua, Put off your shoe from off your foot; for the place whereon you stand is holy. Joshua did so.
- Joshua 6:16 כִּֽי conj It happened at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said to the people, Shout; for Yahweh has given you the city.
- Joshua 6:17 כִּ֣י conj The city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein, to Yahweh: only Rahab the prostitute shall live, she and all who are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that we sent.
- Joshua 6:25 כִּ֤י conj But Rahab the prostitute, and her father's household, and all that she had, did Joshua save alive; and she lived in the midst of Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers, whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.
- Joshua 7:3 כִּ֥י conj They returned to Joshua, and said to him, Don't let all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up and strike Ai; don't make all the people to toil there; for they are but few.
- Joshua 7:12 כִּ֥י conj Therefore the children of Israel can't stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, because they are become accursed: I will not be with you any more, except you destroy the devoted thing from among you.
- Joshua 7:13 כִּ֣י conj Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow: for thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel, There is a devoted thing in the midst of you, Israel; you can not stand before your enemies, until you take away the devoted thing from among you.
- Joshua 7:15 כִּ֤י וְ/כִֽי conj conj + conj It shall be, that he who is taken with the devoted thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he has; because he has transgressed the covenant of Yahweh, and because he has done folly in Israel.
- Joshua 8:5 כִּֽי conj and I, and all the people who are with me, will approach to the city. It shall happen, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them;
- Joshua 8:6 כִּ֣י conj and they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: so we will flee before them;
- Joshua 8:14 כִּֽי conj It happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that they hurried and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the Arabah; but he didn't know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
- Joshua 8:18 כִּ֥י conj Yahweh said to Joshua, Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai; for I will give it into your hand. Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.
- Joshua 8:21 כִּֽי וְ/כִ֥י conj conj + conj When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and killed the men of Ai.
- Joshua 9:9 כִּֽי conj They said to him, From a very far country your servants are come because of the name of Yahweh your God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
- Joshua 9:16 כִּי conj It happened at the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, that they heard that they were their neighbors, and that they lived among them.
- Joshua 9:18 כִּֽי conj The children of Israel didn't strike them, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Yahweh, the God of Israel. All the congregation murmured against the princes.
- Joshua 9:24 כִּי֩ conj They answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told your servants, how that Yahweh your God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore we were sore afraid for our lives because of you, and have done this thing.
- Joshua 10:1 כִּֽי וְ/כִ֨י conj conj + conj Now it happened, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them;
- Joshua 10:2 כִּ֣י וְ/כִ֨י conj conj + conj that they feared greatly, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men of it were mighty.
- Joshua 10:4 כִּֽי conj Come up to me, and help me, and let us strike Gibeon; for it has made peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel.
- Joshua 10:6 כִּ֚י conj The men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp to Gilgal, saying, Don't slack your hand from your servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us: for all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the hill-country are gathered together against us.
- Joshua 10:8 כִּ֥י conj Yahweh said to Joshua, Don't fear them: for I have delivered them into your hands; there shall not a man of them stand before you.
- Joshua 10:14 כִּ֣י conj There was no day like that before it or after it, that Yahweh listened to the voice of a man: for Yahweh fought for Israel.
- Joshua 10:19 כִּ֧י conj but don't stay; pursue after your enemies, and strike the hindmost of them; don't allow them to enter into their cities: for Yahweh your God has delivered them into your hand.
- Joshua 10:25 כִּ֣י conj Joshua said to them, Don't be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage: for thus shall Yahweh do to all your enemies against whom you fight.
- Joshua 10:42 כִּ֗י conj All these kings and their land did Joshua take at one time, because Yahweh, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.
- Joshua 11:6 כִּֽי conj Yahweh said to Joshua, Don't be afraid because of them; for tomorrow at this time will I deliver them up all slain before Israel: you shall hamstring their horses, and burn their chariots with fire.
- Joshua 11:10 כִּֽי conj Joshua turned back at that time, and took Hazor, and struck the king of it with the sword: for Hazor before was the head of all those kingdoms.
- Joshua 11:20 כִּ֣י כִּ֚י conj conj For it was of Yahweh to harden their hearts, to come against Israel in battle, that he might utterly destroy them, that they might have no favor, but that he might destroy them, as Yahweh commanded Moses.
- Joshua 14:3 כִּֽי conj For Moses had given the inheritance of the two tribes and the half-tribe beyond the Jordan: but to the Levites he gave no inheritance among them.
- Joshua 14:4 כִּֽי כִּ֤י conj conj For the children of Joseph were two tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim: and they gave no portion to the Levites in the land, save cities to dwell in, with the suburbs of it for their cattle and for their substance.
- Joshua 14:9 כִּ֣י conj Moses swore on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon your foot has trodden shall be an inheritance to you and to your children forever, because you have wholly followed Yahweh my God.
- Joshua 14:12 כִּ֣י כִּֽי conj conj Now therefore give me this hill-country, of which Yahweh spoke in that day; for you heard in that day how the Anakim were there, and cities great and fortified: it may be that Yahweh will be with me, and I shall drive them out, as Yahweh spoke.
- Joshua 15:19 כִּ֣י conj She said, Give me a blessing; for that you have set me in the land of the South, give me also springs of water. He gave her the upper springs and the lower springs.
- Joshua 17:1 כִּי כִּ֣י conj conj [This] was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh; for he was the firstborn of Joseph. As for Machir the firstborn of Manasseh, the father of Gilead, because he was a man of war, therefore he had Gilead and Bashan.
- Joshua 17:3 כִּ֣י conj But Zelophehad, the son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh, had no sons, but daughters: and these are the names of his daughters: Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah.
- Joshua 17:6 כִּ֚י conj because the daughters of Manasseh had an inheritance among his sons. The land of Gilead belonged to the rest of the sons of Manasseh.
- Joshua 17:13 כִּ֤י conj It happened, when the children of Israel had grown strong, that they put the Canaanites to forced labor, and didn't utterly drive them out.
- Joshua 17:15 כִּֽי conj Joshua said to them, If you are a great people, go up to the forest, and cut down for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and of the Rephaim; since the hill-country of Ephraim is too narrow for you.
- Joshua 17:18 כִּ֣י כִּֽי כִּֽי כִּ֣י כִּ֥י conj conj conj conj conj but the hill-country shall be yours; for though it is a forest, you shall cut it down, and the goings out of it shall be yours; for you shall drive out the Canaanites, though they have chariots of iron, and though they are strong.
- Joshua 18:7 כִּ֠י כִּֽי conj conj For the Levites have no portion among you; for the priesthood of Yahweh is their inheritance: and Gad and Reuben and the half-tribe of Manasseh have received their inheritance beyond the Jordan eastward, which Moses the servant of Yahweh gave them.
- Joshua 19:9 כִּֽי conj Out of the part of the children of Judah was the inheritance of the children of Simeon; for the portion of the children of Judah was too much for them: therefore the children of Simeon had inheritance in the midst of their inheritance.
- Joshua 20:5 וְ/כִ֨י כִּ֤י conj + conj conj If the avenger of blood pursue after him, then they shall not deliver up the manslayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unawares, and didn't hate him before.
- Joshua 21:10 כִּ֥י conj and they were for the children of Aaron, of the families of the Kohathites, who were of the children of Levi; for theirs was the first lot.
- Joshua 22:7 כִּ֣י conj Now to the one half-tribe of Manasseh Moses had given [inheritance] in Bashan; but to the other half gave Joshua among their brothers beyond the Jordan westward; moreover when Joshua sent them away to their tents, he blessed them,
- Joshua 22:27 כִּי֩ conj but it shall be a witness between us and you, and between our generations after us, that we may do the service of Yahweh before him with our burnt offerings, and with our sacrifices, and with our peace-offerings; that your children may not tell our children in time to come, You have no portion in Yahweh.
- Joshua 22:28 כִּֽי כִּי conj conj Therefore said we, It shall be, when they so tell us or to our generations in time to come, that we shall say, Behold the pattern of the altar of Yahweh, which our fathers made, not for burnt offering, nor for sacrifice; but it is a witness between us and you.
- Joshua 22:31 כִּֽי conj Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest said to the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the children of Manasseh, This day we know that Yahweh is in the midst of us, because you have not committed this trespass against Yahweh: now have you delivered the children of Israel out of the hand of Yahweh.
- Joshua 22:34 כִּ֣י כִּ֥י conj conj The children of Reuben and the children of Gad called the altar [Ed]: For, [said they], it is a witness between us that Yahweh is God.
- Joshua 23:3 כִּ֚י conj and you have seen all that Yahweh your God has done to all these nations because of you; for Yahweh your God, he it is that has fought for you.
- Joshua 23:8 כִּ֛י conj but cleave to Yahweh your God, as you have done to this day.
- Joshua 23:10 כִּ֣י conj One man of you shall chase a thousand; for Yahweh your God, he it is who fights for you, as he spoke to you.
- Joshua 23:12 כִּ֣י conj Else if you do at all go back, and cleave to the remnant of these nations, even these who remain among you, and make marriages with them, and go in to them, and they to you;
- Joshua 23:13 כִּי֩ conj know for a certainty that Yahweh your God will no more drive these nations from out of your sight; but they shall be a snare and a trap to you, and a scourge in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which Yahweh your God has given you.
- Joshua 23:14 כִּ֣י conj Behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and you know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing has failed of all the good things which Yahweh your God spoke concerning you; all are happen to you, not one thing has failed of it.
- Joshua 24:17 כִּ֚י conj for Yahweh our God, he it is who brought us and our fathers up out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and who did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way in which we went, and among all the peoples through the midst of whom we passed;
- Joshua 24:18 כִּי conj and Yahweh drove out from before us all the peoples, even the Amorites who lived in the land: therefore we also will serve Yahweh; for he is our God.
- Joshua 24:19 כִּֽי conj Joshua said to the people, You can't serve Yahweh; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your disobedience nor your sins.
- Joshua 24:20 כִּ֤י conj If you forsake Yahweh, and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you evil, and consume you, after that he has done you good.
- Joshua 24:21 כִּ֥י conj The people said to Joshua, No; but we will serve Yahweh.
- Joshua 24:22 כִּֽי conj Joshua said to the people, You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen you Yahweh, to serve him. They said, We are witnesses.
- Joshua 24:27 כִּֽי conj Joshua said to all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of Yahweh which he spoke to us: it shall be therefore a witness against you, lest you deny your God.
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.
