כִּֽי־אִם־לֶ֥חֶם

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּֽי־אִם־לֶ֥חֶם

   ki-im-LE-khem

   but rather bread
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּֽי־אִם־לֶ֥חֶם קֹ֖דֶשׁ

   ki-im-LE-khem KO-desh

   but rather bread holy
3. clause🔊 כִּֽי־אִם־לֶ֥חֶם קֹ֖דֶשׁ יֵ֣שׁ אִם־הַנְּעָרִ֣ים אַ֔ךְ מֵאִשָּׁ֖ה׃

   ki-im-LE-khem KO-desh YESH im-ha-ne-a-RIM AKH me-i-SHA

   but rather bread holy there is if the young men surely or only from a woman
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּ֨עַן הַכֹּהֵ֤ן אֶת־דָּוִד֙ וַיֹּ֔אמֶר אֵֽין־לֶ֥חֶם חֹ֖ל אֶל־תַּ֣חַת יָדִ֑י כִּֽי־אִם־לֶ֥חֶם קֹ֖דֶשׁ יֵ֣שׁ אִם־הַנְּעָרִ֣ים אַ֔ךְ מֵאִשָּׁ֖ה׃

   va-ya-AN ha-ko-HEN et-da-VID va-yo-MER EN-LE-khem KHOL el-ta-KHAT ya-DI ki-im-LE-khem KO-desh YESH im-ha-ne-a-RIM AKH me-i-SHA

   and answered the priest {direct object marker} David and said there is not bread common under my hand but rather bread holy there is if the young men surely or only from a woman

Exegesis

The conditional im {אִם | ʼim} ‘if’ and the Niphal perfect nishmeru {נִשְׁמְרוּ | nišmərû} ‘they have kept themselves’ impose a purity requirement upon ha-gebarim {הַגְּבָרִים | ha-ḡəḇārîm} ‘the men’.

Root and etymology

l-ḥ-m🔊 ל־ח־םlamed–ḥet–mem

“bread, staple food”