כִּ֚י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּ֚י

   KI

   for
2. clause🔊 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָעָ֜ם לֹ֣א תֵצֵ֗א כִּ֚י אִם־נֹ֨ נָנֻ֜ לֹא־יָשִׂ֧ימוּ אֵלֵ֣ינוּ לֵ֗ב וְאִם־יָמֻ֤תוּ חֶצְיֵ֙נוּ֙ לֹֽא־יָשִׂ֤ימוּ אֵלֵ֙ינוּ֙ לֵ֔ב כִּֽי־עַתָּ֥ה כָמֹ֖נוּ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲלָפִ֑ים

   va-yo-MER ha-AM LO te-TSE KI IM-NOS na-NUS LO-ya-SI-mu e-LE-nu LEV ve-IM-ya-MU-tu khe-tsye-NU LO-ya-SI-mu e-LE-nu LEV KI-a-TA kha-MO-nu a-sa-RA a-la-FIM

   and he said the people not you will go out for if fleeing we flee they will not set toward us heart and if they die half of us they will not set toward us heart for now as us or like us ten thousands
3. sentence🔊 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר הָעָ֜ם לֹ֣א תֵצֵ֗א כִּ֚י אִם־נֹ֨ נָנֻ֜ לֹא־יָשִׂ֧ימוּ אֵלֵ֣ינוּ לֵ֗ב וְאִם־יָמֻ֤תוּ חֶצְיֵ֙נוּ֙ לֹֽא־יָשִׂ֤ימוּ אֵלֵ֙ינוּ֙ לֵ֔ב כִּֽי־עַתָּ֥ה כָמֹ֖נוּ עֲשָׂרָ֣ה אֲלָפִ֑ים וְעַתָּ֗ה ט֤וֹב כִּי־תִהְיֶה־לָּ֙נוּ֙ מֵעִ֣יר לַעְזִ֔יר לַעְזֹ֖ר׃

   va-yo-MER ha-AM LO te-TSE KI IM-NOS na-NUS LO-ya-SI-mu e-LE-nu LEV ve-IM-ya-MU-tu khe-tsye-NU LO-ya-SI-mu e-LE-nu LEV KI-a-TA kha-MO-nu a-sa-RA a-la-FIM ve-a-TA TOV KI-ti-he-YE-la-NU me-IR la-ziR la-ZOR

   and he said the people not you will go out for if fleeing we flee they will not set toward us heart and if they die half of us they will not set toward us heart for now as us or like us ten thousands and now good that you will be to us from a city to help to help

Exegesis

The paired particles ki-im {כִּי־אִם | kî–ʾim} introduce hypothetical escape scenarios nas {נָס | nās} and nanus {נָנוּס | nā·nûs}.

The idiom lo-yashimu lev {לֹא־יָשִׂימוּ לֵב | lō–yā–šî–mû lêv} “they will not set {the} heart” means “not pay attention,” repeated with vkhi-yamutu ḥetzienu {וְכִי־יָמֻתוּ חֶצְיֵנוּ | wə·kî–yā·mû·tû ḥe·ṣī·ʾê·nû} “and if they die {our} half.”

The clause ki-tihyeh-lanu meir laazir {כִּי־תִהְיֶה־לָּנוּ מֵעִיר לַעְזִיר | kî–tîh·yēh–lā·nû mê·ʾîr la·ʾa·zîr} uses a nominal construction plus Hiphil infinitive to express preference: “it is better that you give help from the city.”