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.
Grammatical forms
- Conjunction 4,487 times (100%)
- Preposition 1 time (0%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 4,488 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Page 20 of 20 — showing verses 3,801–3,910 of 3,910 distinct verses where H3588 appears, across 39 books. 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.
Micah 28 verses
- Micah 4:5 כִּ֚י conj Indeed all the nations may walk in the name of their gods; But we will walk in the name of Yahweh our God forever and ever.
- Micah 4:9 כִּֽי conj Now why do you cry out aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, That pains have taken hold of you as of a woman in travail?
- Micah 4:10 כִּֽי conj Be in pain, and labor to bring forth, daughter of Zion, Like a woman in travail; For now you will go forth out of the city, And will dwell in the field, And will come even to Babylon. There you will be rescued. There Yahweh will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.
- Micah 4:12 כִּ֥י conj But they don't know the thoughts of Yahweh, Neither do they understand his counsel; For he has gathered them like the sheaves to the threshing floor.
- Micah 4:13 כִּֽי conj Arise and thresh, daughter of Zion; For I will make your horn iron, And I will make your hoofs brass; And you will beat in pieces many peoples: And I will devote their gain to Yahweh, And their substance to the Lord of the whole earth.
- Micah 5:4 כִּֽי conj He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, In the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: And they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
- Micah 5:5 כִּֽי וְ/כִ֤י conj conj + conj He will be our peace when Assyria invades our land, And when he marches through our fortresses, Then we will raise against him seven shepherds, And eight leaders of men.
- Micah 5:6 כִּֽי וְ/כִ֥י conj conj + conj They will rule the land of Assyria with the sword, And the land of Nimrod in its gates. He will deliver us from the Assyrian, When he invades our land, And when he marches within our border.
- Micah 6:2 כִּ֣י conj Hear, you mountains, Yahweh's controversy, And you enduring foundations of the earth; For Yahweh has a controversy with his people, And he will contend with Israel.
- Micah 6:4 כִּ֤י conj For I brought you up out of the land of Egypt, And redeemed you out of the house of bondage. I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam.
- Micah 6:8 כִּ֣י conj He has shown you, O man, what is good. What does Yahweh require of you, but to act justly, To love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?
- Micah 7:1 כִּ֤י conj Misery is mine! Indeed, I am like one who gathers the summer fruits, as gleanings of the vinyard: There is no cluster of grapes to eat. My soul desires to eat the early fig.
- Micah 7:6 כִּֽי conj For the son dishonors the father, The daughter rises up against her mother, The daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man's enemies are the men of his own house.
- Micah 7:8 כִּ֥י כִּֽי conj conj Don't rejoice against me, my enemy. When I fall, I will arise. When I sit in darkness, Yahweh will be a light to me.
- Micah 7:9 כִּ֥י conj I will bear the indignation of Yahweh, Because I have sinned against him, Until he pleads my case, and executes judgment for me. He will bring me forth to the light. I will see his righteousness.
- Micah 7:18 כִּֽי conj Who is a God like you, who pardons iniquity, And passes over the disobedience of the remnant of his heritage? He doesn't retain his anger forever, Because he delights in loving kindness.
Nahum 5 verses
- Nahum 1:10 כִּ֚י conj For entangled like thorns, and drunken as with their drink, they are consumed utterly like dry stubble.
- Nahum 1:14 כִּ֥י conj Yahweh has commanded concerning you: "No more descendants will bear your name. Out of the house of your gods, will I cut off the engraved image and the molten image. I will make your grave, for you are vile."
- Nahum 1:15 כִּי֩ conj Behold, on the mountains the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace! Keep your feasts, Judah! Perform your vows, for the wicked one will no more pass through you. He is utterly cut off.
- Nahum 2:2 כִּ֣י כִּ֤י conj conj For Yahweh restores the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel; for the destroyers have destroyed them, and ruined their vine branches.
- Nahum 3:19 כִּ֗י conj There is no healing your wound, for your injury is fatal. All who hear the report of you clap their hands over you; for who hasn't felt your endless cruelty?
Habakkuk 13 verses
- Habakkuk 1:4 כִּ֤י conj Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth; for the wicked surround the righteous; therefore justice goes forth perverted.
- Habakkuk 1:5 כִּי כִּ֥י conj conj "Look among the nations, watch, and wonder marvelously; for I am working a work in your days, which you will not believe though it is told you.
- Habakkuk 1:6 כִּֽי conj For, behold, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, that march through the breadth of the earth, to possess dwelling places that are not theirs.
- Habakkuk 1:16 כִּ֤י conj Therefore he sacrifices to his net, and burns incense to his dragnet, because by them his life is luxurious, and his food is good.
- Habakkuk 2:3 כִּ֣י כִּֽי conj conj For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hurries toward the end, and won't prove false. Though it takes time, wait for it; because it will surely come. It won't delay.
- Habakkuk 2:5 כִּֽי conj Yes, moreover, wine is treacherous. A haughty man who doesn't stay at home, who enlarges his desire as Sheol, and he is like death, and can't be satisfied, but gathers to himself all nations, and heaps to himself all peoples.
- Habakkuk 2:8 כִּֽי conj Because you have plundered many nations, all the remnant of the peoples will plunder you, because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to the city and to all who dwell in it.
- Habakkuk 2:11 כִּי conj For the stone will cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the woodwork will answer it.
- Habakkuk 2:14 כִּ֚י conj For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
- Habakkuk 2:17 כִּ֣י conj For the violence done to Lebanon will overwhelm you, and the destruction of the animals, which made them afraid; because of men's blood, and for the violence done to the land, to every city and to those who dwell in them.
- Habakkuk 2:18 כִּ֤י כִּ֣י conj conj "What value does the engraved image have, that its maker has engraved it; the molten image, even the teacher of lies, that he who fashions its form trusts in it, to make mute idols?
- Habakkuk 3:8 כִּ֤י conj Was Yahweh displeased with the rivers? Was your anger against the rivers, Or your wrath against the sea, That you rode on your horses, On your chariots of salvation?
- Habakkuk 3:17 כִּֽי conj For though the fig tree doesn't flourish, Nor fruit be in the vines; The labor of the olive fails, The fields yield no food; The flocks are cut off from the fold, And there is no herd in the stalls:
Zephaniah 15 verses
- Zephaniah 1:7 כִּ֤י כִּֽי conj conj Be silent at the presence of the Lord Yahweh, for the day of Yahweh is at hand. For Yahweh has prepared a sacrifice. He has consecrated his guests.
- Zephaniah 1:11 כִּ֤י conj Wail, you inhabitants of Maktesh, for all the people of Canaan are undone! All those who were loaded with silver are cut off.
- Zephaniah 1:17 כִּ֥י conj I will bring distress on men, that they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against Yahweh, and their blood will be poured out like dust, and their flesh like dung.
- Zephaniah 1:18 כִּֽי conj Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them in the day of Yahweh's wrath, but the whole land will be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he will make an end, yes, a terrible end, of all those who dwell in the land.
- Zephaniah 2:4 כִּ֤י conj For Gaza will be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation. They will drive out Ashdod at noonday, and Ekron will be rooted up.
- Zephaniah 2:7 כִּ֧י conj The coast will be for the remnant of the house of Judah. They will find pasture. In the houses of Ashkelon, they will lie down in the evening, for Yahweh, their God, will visit them, and restore them.
- Zephaniah 2:9 כִּֽי conj Therefore as I live, says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, surely Moab will be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, a possession of nettles, and salt pits, and a perpetual desolation. The remnant of my people will plunder them, and the survivors of my nation will inherit them.
- Zephaniah 2:10 כִּ֤י conj This they will have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zephaniah 2:11 כִּ֣י conj Yahweh will be awesome to them, for he will famish all the gods of the land. Men will worship him, everyone from his place, even all the shores of the nations.
- Zephaniah 2:14 כִּ֥י conj Herds will lie down in the midst of her, all the animals of the nations. Both the pelican and the porcupine will lodge in its capitals. Their calls will echo through the windows. Desolation will be in the thresholds, for he has laid bare the cedar beams.
- Zephaniah 3:8 כִּ֣י כִּ֚י conj conj "Therefore wait for me," says Yahweh, "until the day that I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour on them my indignation, even all my fierce anger, for all the earth will be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
- Zephaniah 3:9 כִּֽי conj For then I will purify the lips of the peoples, that they may all call on the name of Yahweh, to serve him shoulder to shoulder.
- Zephaniah 3:11 כִּי conj In that day you will not be disappointed for all your doings, in which you have transgressed against me; for then I will take away out of the midst of you your proudly exulting ones, and you will no more be haughty in my holy mountain.
- Zephaniah 3:13 כִּֽי conj The remnant of Israel will not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither will a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth, for they will feed and lie down, and no one will make them afraid."
- Zephaniah 3:20 כִּֽי conj At that time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, says Yahweh.
Haggai 3 verses
- Haggai 2:4 כִּֽי conj Yet now be strong, Zerubbabel,' says Yahweh. 'Be strong, Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,' says Yahweh, 'and work, for I am with you,' says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Haggai 2:6 כִּ֣י conj For this is what Yahweh of Hosts says: 'Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land;
- Haggai 2:23 כִּֽי conj In that day, says Yahweh of Hosts, will I take you, Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel,' says Yahweh, 'and will make you as a signet, for I have chosen you,' says Yahweh of Hosts."
Zechariah 41 verses
- Zechariah 2:6 כִּ֠י conj Come! Come! Flee from the land of the north,' says Yahweh; 'for I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the sky,' says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 2:8 כִּ֣י כִּ֚י conj conj For thus says Yahweh of hosts: 'For honor he has sent me to the nations which plundered you; for he who touches you touches the apple of his eye.
- Zechariah 2:9 כִּ֠י כִּֽי conj conj For, behold, I will shake my hand over them, and they will be a spoil to those who served them; and you will know that Yahweh of Hosts has sent me.
- Zechariah 2:10 כִּ֧י conj Sing and rejoice, daughter of Zion; for, behold, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of you,' says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 2:11 כִּי conj Many nations shall join themselves to Yahweh in that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in the midst of you, and you shall know that Yahweh of Hosts has sent me to you.
- Zechariah 2:13 כִּ֥י conj Be silent, all flesh, before Yahweh; for he has roused himself from his holy habitation!"
- Zechariah 3:8 כִּֽי כִּֽי conj conj Hear now, Joshua the high priest, you and your fellows who sit before you; for they are men who are a sign: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant, the Branch.
- Zechariah 3:9 כִּ֣י conj For, behold, the stone that I have set before Joshua; on one stone are seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the engraving of it,' says Yahweh of Hosts, 'and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day.
- Zechariah 4:6 כִּ֣י conj Then he answered and spoke to me, saying, "This is the word of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, saying, 'Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zechariah 4:9 כִּֽי conj "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house. His hands shall also finish it; and you will know that Yahweh of Hosts has sent me to you.
- Zechariah 4:10 כִּ֣י conj Indeed, who despises the day of small things? For these seven shall rejoice, and shall see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. These are the eyes of Yahweh, which run back and forth through the whole earth."
- Zechariah 5:3 כִּ֣י conj Then he said to me, "This is the curse that goes out over the surface of the whole land; for everyone who steals shall be cut off according to it on the one side; and everyone who swears falsely shall be cut off according to it on the other side.
- Zechariah 6:15 כִּֽי conj Those who are far off shall come and build in the temple of Yahweh; and you shall know that Yahweh of hosts has sent me to you. This will happen, if you will diligently obey the voice of Yahweh your God."'"
- Zechariah 7:5 כִּֽי conj "Speak to all the people of the land, and to the priests, saying, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and in the seventh month for these seventy years, did you at all fast to me, really to me?
- Zechariah 7:6 וְ/כִ֥י וְ/כִ֣י conj + conj conj + conj When you eat, and when you drink, don't you eat for yourselves, and drink for yourselves?
- Zechariah 8:6 כִּ֣י conj Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, should it also be marvelous in my eyes?" says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Zechariah 8:10 כִּ֗י conj For before those days there was no wages for man, nor any wages for an animal; neither was there any peace to him who went out or came in, because of the adversary. For I set all men everyone against his neighbor.
- Zechariah 8:12 כִּֽי conj "For the seed of peace and the vine will yield its fruit, and the ground will give its increase, and the heavens will give their dew; and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things.
- Zechariah 8:14 כִּ֣י conj For thus says Yahweh of hosts: "As I thought to do evil to you, when your fathers provoked me to wrath," says Yahweh of Hosts, "and I didn't repent;
- Zechariah 8:17 כִּ֧י conj and let none of you devise evil in your hearts against his neighbor, and love no false oath: for all these are things that I hate," says Yahweh.
- Zechariah 8:23 כִּ֥י conj Thus says Yahweh of Hosts: "In those days, ten men will take hold, out of all the languages of the nations, they will take hold of the skirt of him who is a Jew, saying, 'We will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.'"
- Zechariah 9:1 כִּ֤י conj An oracle. The word of Yahweh is against the land of Hadrach, And will rest upon Damascus; For the eye of man And of all the tribes of Israel is toward Yahweh;
- Zechariah 9:2 כִּ֥י conj And Hamath, also, which borders on it; Tyre and Sidon, because they are very wise.
- Zechariah 9:5 כִּֽי conj Ashkelon will see it, and fear; Gaza also, and will writhe in agony; As will Ekron, for her expectation will be disappointed; And the king will perish from Gaza, And Ashkelon will not be inhabited.
- Zechariah 9:8 כִּ֥י conj I will encamp around my house against the army, That none pass through or return; And no oppressor will pass through them any more: For now I have seen with my eyes.
- Zechariah 9:13 כִּֽי conj For indeed I bend Judah as a bow for me. I have filled the bow with Ephraim; And I will stir up your sons, Zion, Against your sons, Greece, And will make you like the sword of a mighty man.
- Zechariah 9:16 כִּ֚י conj Yahweh their God will save them in that day as the flock of his people; For they are like the jewels of a crown, Lifted on high over his land.
- Zechariah 9:17 כִּ֥י conj For how great is his goodness, And how great is his beauty! Grain will make the young men flourish, And new wine the virgins.
- Zechariah 10:2 כִּ֧י כִּֽי conj conj For the teraphim have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie; And they have told false dreams. They comfort in vain. Therefore they go their way like sheep. They are oppressed, because there is no shepherd.
- Zechariah 10:3 כִּֽי conj My anger is kindled against the shepherds, And I will punish the male goats; For Yahweh of Hosts has visited his flock, the house of Judah, And will make them as his horse in the battle that he is proud of.
- Zechariah 10:5 כִּ֥י conj They shall be as mighty men, Treading down muddy streets in the battle; And they shall fight, because Yahweh is with them; And the riders on horses will be confounded.
- Zechariah 10:6 כִּ֣י כִּ֗י conj conj "I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back; For I have mercy on them; And they will be as though I had not cast them off: For I am Yahweh their God, and I will hear them.
- Zechariah 10:8 כִּ֣י conj I will signal for them, and gather them; For I have redeemed them; And they will increase as they have increased.
- Zechariah 11:2 כִּֽי כִּ֥י conj conj Wail, fir tree, for the cedar has fallen, Because the stately ones are destroyed. Wail, you oaks of Bashan, For the strong forest has come down.
- Zechariah 11:3 כִּ֥י כִּ֥י conj conj A voice of the wailing of the shepherds! For their glory is destroyed: a voice of the roaring of young lions! For the pride of the Jordan is ruined.
- Zechariah 11:6 כִּ֠י conj For I will no more pity the inhabitants of the land," says Yahweh; "but, behold, I will deliver the men everyone into his neighbor's hand, and into the hand of his king. They will strike the land, and out of their hand I will not deliver them."
- Zechariah 11:11 כִּ֥י conj It was broken in that day; and thus the poor of the flock that listened to me knew that it was the word of Yahweh.
- Zechariah 11:16 כִּ֣י conj For, behold, I will raise up a shepherd in the land, who will not visit those who are cut off, neither will seek those who are scattered, nor heal that which is broken, nor feed that which is sound; but he will eat the flesh of the fat sheep, and will tear their hoofs in pieces.
- Zechariah 13:3 כִּֽי כִּ֛י conj conj It will happen that, when anyone still prophesies, then his father and his mother who bore him will tell him, 'You must die, because you speak lies in the name of Yahweh;' and his father and his mother who bore him will stab him when he prophesies.
- Zechariah 13:5 כִּ֥י conj but he will say, 'I am no prophet, I am a tiller of the ground; for I have been made a bondservant from my youth.'
- Zechariah 14:5 כִּֽי conj You shall flee by the valley of my mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azel; yes, you shall flee, just like you fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Yahweh my God will come, and all the holy ones with you.
Malachi 17 verses
- Malachi 1:4 כִּֽי conj Whereas Edom says, "We are beaten down, but we will return and build the waste places;" thus says Yahweh of Hosts, "They shall build, but I will throw down; and men will call them 'The Wicked Land,' even the people against whom Yahweh shows wrath forever."
- Malachi 1:8 וְ/כִֽי וְ/כִ֥י conj + conj conj + conj When you offer the blind for sacrifice, isn't that evil? And when you offer the lame and sick, isn't that evil? Present it now to your governor! Will he be pleased with you? Or will he accept your person?" says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 1:11 כִּ֣י כִּֽי conj conj For from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, my name is great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering: for my name is great among the nations," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 1:14 כִּי֩ conj "But the deceiver is cursed, who has in his flock a male, and vows, and sacrifices to the Lord a blemished thing; for I am a great King," says Yahweh of hosts, "and my name is awesome among the nations."
- Malachi 2:2 כִּ֥י conj If you will not listen, and if you will not lay it to heart, to give glory to my name," says Yahweh of Hosts, "then will I send the curse on you, and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have cursed them already, because you do not lay it to heart.
- Malachi 2:4 כִּ֚י conj You will know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant may be with Levi," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:7 כִּֽי כִּ֛י conj conj For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 2:11 כִּ֣י conj Judah has dealt treacherously, and an abomination is committed in Israel and in Jerusalem; for Judah has profaned the holiness of Yahweh which he loves, and has married the daughter of a foreign god.
- Malachi 2:14 כִּי conj Yet you say, 'Why?' Because Yahweh has been witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion, and the wife of your covenant.
- Malachi 2:16 כִּֽי conj For I hate divorce," says Yahweh, the God of Israel, "and him who covers his garment with violence!' says Yahweh of Hosts. "Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don't deal treacherously.
- Malachi 3:2 כִּֽי conj "But who can endure the day of his coming? And who will stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like launderer's soap;
- Malachi 3:6 כִּ֛י conj "For I, Yahweh, don't change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
- Malachi 3:8 כִּ֤י conj Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, 'How have we robbed you?' In tithes and offerings.
- Malachi 3:12 כִּֽי conj "All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land," says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Malachi 3:14 כִּ֤י וְ/כִ֤י conj conj + conj You have said, 'It is vain to serve God;' and 'What profit is it that we have kept his charge, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of Hosts?
- Malachi 4:1 כִּֽי conj "For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all who work wickedness, will be stubble; and the day that comes will burn them up," says Yahweh of Hosts, "that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.
- Malachi 4:3 כִּֽי conj You shall tread down the wicked; for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make," says Yahweh of Hosts.
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.
