כִּ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּ֣י

   KI

   that
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּ֣י אִם־אִשָּׁ֔ה

   KI im-i-SHA

   that a woman
3. clause🔊 וַיַּעַן֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶת־הַכֹּהֵ֜ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ כִּ֣י אִם־אִשָּׁ֔ה עֲצֻרָ֖ה־לָ֣נוּ כִּתְמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֑ם

   va-YA-an da-VID et-ha-kho-HEN va-YO-mer LO KI im-i-SHA a-tsu-RA-la-NU kit-MOL shil-SHOM

   and answered David {to} the priest and said to him that a woman has been kept from us as yesterday and the day before
4. sentence🔊 וַיַּעַן֩ דָּוִ֨ד אֶת־הַכֹּהֵ֜ן וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֗וֹ כִּ֣י אִם־אִשָּׁ֔ה עֲצֻרָ֖ה־לָ֣נוּ כִּתְמ֣וֹל שִׁלְשֹׁ֑ם בְּצֵאתִ֣י וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ כְלֵֽי־הַנְּעָרִ֗ים קֹ֛דֶשׁ וְה֥וּא דֶּֽרֶךְ־חֹ֖ל וְאַ֣ף כִּֽי־הַיּ֔וֹם יִקְדַּ֥שׁ בַּכֶּֽלִי׃

   va-YA-an da-VID et-ha-kho-HEN va-YO-mer LO KI im-i-SHA a-tsu-RA-la-NU kit-MOL shil-SHOM be-tse-TI va-yih-YU khe-LEI-ha-ne-a-RIM KO-desh ve-HU DE-rekh-khol ve-AF ki-ha-YOM yik-DASH ba-KHE-li

   and answered David {to} the priest and said to him that a woman has been kept from us as yesterday and the day before when I went out and they were the vessels of the young men holy and it an ordinary way and even that today it will be holy in the vessel

Exegesis

The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} signals a causal clause in which the adjective qadosh {קָדוֹשׁ | qā-dôš} ‘set apart’ modifies the noun guf {גּוּף | gûf} ‘body’ in construct with hagevarim {הַגְּבָרִים | ha-geberîm}, and the prepositional phrase al-hadavar hazeh {עַל־הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה | ʿal-had-dā-var ha-z-zeh} ‘concerning this matter’ narrows the ritual focus. The Hebrew syntax preserves a prohibition–circumstance–reason sequence, emphasizing both the enduring practice and its justification.