כִּֽי־נָכְרִ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּֽי־נָכְרִ֣י

   ki-na-KHRI

   for a foreigner
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּֽי־נָכְרִ֣י אַ֔תָּה

   ki-na-KHRI a-TA

   for a foreigner you are
3. clause🔊 שׁ֣וּב וְשֵׁ֤ב עִם־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ כִּֽי־נָכְרִ֣י אַ֔תָּה וְגַם־גֹּלֶ֥ה אַתָּ֖ה לִמְקוֹמֶֽךָ׃

   SHUV ve-SHEV im-ha-ME-lekh ki-na-KHRI a-TA ve-gam-go-LE a-TA lim-ko-ME-kha

   return and stay with the king for a foreigner you are and also an exile you are to your place
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ אֶל־אִתַּ֣י הַגִּתִּ֔י לָ֧מָּה תֵלֵ֛ךְ גַּם־אַתָּ֖ה אִתָּ֑נוּ שׁ֣וּב וְשֵׁ֤ב עִם־הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ כִּֽי־נָכְרִ֣י אַ֔תָּה וְגַם־גֹּלֶ֥ה אַתָּ֖ה לִמְקוֹמֶֽךָ׃

   va-YO-mer ha-ME-lekh el-i-TAI ha-gi-TI la-MA te-LEKH gam-a-TA i-TA-nu SHUV ve-SHEV im-ha-ME-lekh ki-na-KHRI a-TA ve-gam-go-LE a-TA lim-ko-ME-kha

   and said the king to Ittai the Gittite why will you go also you with us return and stay with the king for a foreigner you are and also an exile you are to your place

Exegesis

The conjunction ki {כִּֽי־ | kî} ‘for’ introduces a causal clause characterizing Ittai as nakhri {נָכְרִ֣י | nāḵrî} ‘foreigner’ and, with the conjunctive vav-gam in vegam {וְגַם־ | wə-gam}, as goleh {גֹּלֶ֥ה | gōlē} ‘exile’, finalized by the phrase limqomekha {לִמְקוֹמֶֽךָ | limmqō-mēkā̆} ‘to your place’. The repeated pronoun and parallel structure underscore royal authority and the social distinction of a non-Israelite.

Root and etymology

Root🔊 נ־כ־רnun–kaf–resh

“alien”