כִּי־בָ֥א

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּי־בָ֥א

   KI-va

   that he came
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּי־בָ֥א דָוִ֖ד

   KI-va da-VID

   that he came David
3. clause🔊 וַיֻּגַּ֣ד לְשָׁא֔וּל כִּי־בָ֥א דָוִ֖ד קְעִילָ֑ה

   va-yu-GAD le-sha-UL KI-va da-VID ke-I-la

   and it was told to Saul that he came David to Keilah
4. sentence🔊 וַיֻּגַּ֣ד לְשָׁא֔וּל כִּי־בָ֥א דָוִ֖ד קְעִילָ֑ה וַיֹּ֣אמֶר שָׁא֗וּל נִכַּ֨ר אֹת֜וֹ אֱלֹהִ֣ים בְּיָדִ֗י כִּֽי נִסְגַּ֤ר לָב֙וֹא בְּעִ֣יר דְּלָתַ֔יִם וּבְרִֽיחַ׃

   va-yu-GAD le-sha-UL KI-va da-VID ke-I-la va-yo-MER sha-UL ni-KHAR o-TO e-lo-HIM be-ya-DI KI nis-ga-GAR la-VO be-IR de-la-TA-yim u-ve-ri-AKH

   and it was told to Saul that he came David to Keilah and he said Saul he has handed over him God into my hand for he has shut himself in by entering into a city doors or gates and a bar

Exegesis

The conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘that’ introduces the substantive clause with the Qal perfect ba {בָא | bāʾ} ‘entered’ and the absolute subject David Ke‘ilah {דָוִד קְעִילָה | dāwîḏ qəʿîlāh}, indicating David’s arrival.

The causal ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for’ introduces the reasoning clause where the Niphal perfect nissgār {נִסְגַּר | nissgār} ‘is shut in’ combines with the Qal infinitive construct lāḇōʾ {לָבוֹא | lāḇōʾ} ‘to come’ and the locative bə-ʿîr {בְּעִיר | bə-ʿîr} ‘in a city’ within the construct dəlāṯayim ū-wə-rîaḥ {דְּלָתַיִם וּבְרִיחַ | dəlāṯayim ū-wə-rîaḥ} ‘of gates and a bar,’ describing the city’s defensive features. This sequence of report, arrival, speech, and confinement frames Saul’s expectation of divine deliverance and highlights David’s self-restriction.