כִּ֣י

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 כִּ֣י

   KI

   because
2. phraseyour reading level🔊 כִּ֣י ה֤וּא הָיָה֙

   KI HU ha-YA

   because he was
3. clause🔊 לְמָכִיר֩ בְּכ֨וֹר מְנַשֶּׁ֜ה אֲבִ֣י הַגִּלְעָ֗ד כִּ֣י ה֤וּא הָיָה֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֔ה וֽ͏ַיְהִי־ל֖וֹ הַגִּלְעָ֥ד וְהַבָּשָֽׁן׃

   le-ma-KHIR be-KHOR me-na-SHEH a-VI ha-gil-AD KI HU ha-YA ISH mil-kha-MA va-ye-HI-LO ha-gil-AD ve-ha-ba-SHAN

   to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh the father of Gilead because he was a man of war and there was for him Gilead and the Bashan
4. sentence🔊 וַיְהִ֤י הַגּוֹרָל֙ לְמַטֵּ֣ה מְנַשֶּׁ֔ה כִּי־ה֖וּא בְּכ֣וֹר יוֹסֵ֑ף לְמָכִיר֩ בְּכ֨וֹר מְנַשֶּׁ֜ה אֲבִ֣י הַגִּלְעָ֗ד כִּ֣י ה֤וּא הָיָה֙ אִ֣ישׁ מִלְחָמָ֔ה וֽ͏ַיְהִי־ל֖וֹ הַגִּלְעָ֥ד וְהַבָּשָֽׁן׃

   va-ye-HI ha-go-RAL le-ma-TEH me-na-SHEH ki-HU be-KHOR yo-SEF le-ma-KHIR be-KHOR me-na-SHEH a-VI ha-gil-AD KI HU ha-YA ISH mil-kha-MA va-ye-HI-LO ha-gil-AD ve-ha-ba-SHAN

   and it was the lot for the tribe of Manasseh because he was firstborn of Joseph to Machir the firstborn of Manasseh the father of Gilead because he was a man of war and there was for him Gilead and the Bashan

Exegesis

The conjunction kihu {כִּי־הוּא | kî·hûˀ} ‘because he’ introduces the causal clause connecting entitlement to the primogeniture term bekhor yoseph {בְּכֹור יוֹסֵף | bə·ḵôr yō·sēph} ‘firstborn of Joseph’.

The construct lĕmakhir avi higilad {לְמָכִיר אֲבִי הַגִּלְעָד | lə·mā·kîr ă·vî ha·gîl·’āḏ} ‘to Makir, father of Gilead’ establishes genealogical context.

A second kihu {כִּי־הוּא | kî·hûˀ} ‘because he’ links the characterization ish milchamah {אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה | ’îš mil·ḥā·māh} ‘man of war’ to the resultant allotment phrase vayehi-lo hagilad vehabashan {וַיְהִי־לֹו הַגִּלְעָד וְהַבָּשָׁן | wə·yə·hî·lōw ha·gîl·’āḏ wə·ha·bā·šān} ‘and it became for him Gilead and Bashan’, forming a climactic legal statement with parallel place names.

Root and etymology

consonants🔊 מ־כ־רmem–kaf–resh

“to sell”

• 🔊 נִמְכְּרֶנּוּnimkerennulet us sell himGenesis 37:27