כִּ֤י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּ֤י

   KI

   that
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 וכי כִּ֤י יְהוָה֙

   ve-KHI KI ye-ho-VAH

   and if that the LORD
3. clause🔊 כי כֹּ֣ה יְקַלֵּ֗ל וכי כִּ֤י יְהוָה֙ אָ֤מַר לוֹ֙ קַלֵּ֣ל אֶת־דָּוִ֔ד וּמִ֣י יֹאמַ֔ר מַדּ֖וּעַ עָשִׂ֥יתָה כֵּֽן׃

   KI KO ye-ka-LEL ve-KHI KI ye-ho-VAH a-MAR LO ka-LEL et-da-VID u-MI yo-MAR ma-DU-a a-si-TA KEN

   for thus he curses and if that the LORD said to him curse David and who will say why have you done thus
4. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ מַה־לִּ֥י וְלָכֶ֖ם בְּנֵ֣י צְרֻיָ֑ה כי כֹּ֣ה יְקַלֵּ֗ל וכי כִּ֤י יְהוָה֙ אָ֤מַר לוֹ֙ קַלֵּ֣ל אֶת־דָּוִ֔ד וּמִ֣י יֹאמַ֔ר מַדּ֖וּעַ עָשִׂ֥יתָה כֵּֽן׃

   va-YO-mer ha-ME-lekh ma-LI ve-la-KHEM be-NE tse-ru-YA KI KO ye-ka-LEL ve-KHI KI ye-ho-VAH a-MAR LO ka-LEL et-da-VID u-MI yo-MAR ma-DU-a a-si-TA KEN

   and said the king what to me or what have I to do with and to you sons of Zeruiah for thus he curses and if that the LORD said to him curse David and who will say why have you done thus

Exegesis

The causal conjunction ki {כִּי | kî} ‘for,’ intensified by the demonstrative koh {כֹּה | kōh} ‘thus,’ leads into the Piel imperfect yekallel {יְקַלֵּ֗ל | yə-ḵal-lēl} ‘he curses.’

The sequence vekhi ki {וְכִ֤י כִּי | wə-ḵî kî} ‘and indeed, for’ adds a second causal layer marked by the divine name YHWH {יְהוָה֙ | Yə-hō-Wāh}.