כִּ֛י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּ֛י

   KI

   because
2. clause🔊 כִּ֛י לֹֽא־הָיָ֥ה גֶ֖שֶׁם בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

   KI LO-ha-YA GE-shem ba-A-rets

   because there was not rain in the land
3. sentence🔊 וַיְהִ֛י מִקֵּ֥ץ יָמִ֖ים וַיִּיבַ֣שׁ הַנָּ֑חַל כִּ֛י לֹֽא־הָיָ֥ה גֶ֖שֶׁם בָּאָֽרֶץ׃

   va-ye-HI mik-KETS ya-MIM va-yi-VASH ha-na-KHAL KI LO-ha-YA GE-shem ba-A-rets

   and it happened after the end of days and it dried up the brook or wadi because there was not rain in the land

Exegesis

The conjunction kî {כִּ֛י | kî} introduces the causal clause lō-hāyâ gešêm bā-ʾāreṣ {לֹא־הָיָ֥ה גֶשֶׁם בָּאָֽרֶץ | lō-hāyâ gešêm bā-ʾāreṣ} ‘for there was no rain in the land’; lō-hāyâ indicates negated existence. The sequential coordination of temporal and causal clauses highlights cause and effect. The translation preserves Hebrew clause order by placing the temporal phrase first and linking the causal clause with “because.”