כִּי H0518b
Compound particle ki im: if, only/except, but/rather, surely; used in conditions, restrictions, adversatives, and oaths
A two-particle compound (ki + im) whose meaning shifts dramatically depending on syntactic context. When each particle retains its independent force, ki im introduces a genuine conditional ('that if,' 'for if'). But in the vast majority of its roughly 140 occurrences, the two particles fuse into a restrictive or adversative unit: after a negation it means 'except, only, nothing but' (lo ... ki im, 'not ... but rather'), and in oath formulas it carries asseverative force — 'surely.' German splits these senses cleanly between wenn (conditional), nur/sondern (restrictive/adversative), and gewiss (asseverative), while French distinguishes si (conditional) from seulement (restrictive) and mais (adversative). The compound's versatility makes it one of Hebrew's most context-sensitive discourse markers.
Senses
1. conditional: if — The conditional sense where ki and im each retain independent force, introducing the protasis of a hypothetical clause ('if,' 'that if,' 'for if'). German wenn and French si map directly onto this use. Gen 32:26 ('I will not let you go unless [ki im] you bless me') and Gen 32:28 ('for you have striven with God and with men') show the conditional particle at work in the Jacob-at-Peniel narrative. Exod 8:17 and 9:2 ('for if you refuse to let my people go') illustrate the 'for if' combination in the plague sequence. 62×
AR["إنْ-","إِذا-","إِذَا","إِذَا-","إِذَا-فَقَطْ","إِلَّا","إِن-","إِنْ","إِنْ-","قَبْلَ"]·ben["আগে","পছন্দ-করতেন","যদি","যদি-","যদি-না-"]·DE["Mutter","wenn","wenn-"]·EN["if","if-"]·FR["si","si-"]·heb["אם","אם-","אם־"]·HI["अगर","अगर-","कि-नहीं","नहीं","बस","यदि","यदि-"]·ID["jika","jika-"]·IT["se","se-"]·jav["manawi","manawi-","menawi","menawi-","ménawi-","nanging","sanadyan-","saupami-"]·KO["만약","만약-","만일","만일-","만일-아니면","아니라면","아니면-","오직"]·PT["se","se-","se-não"]·RU["если","если-","если-не","если-не-","не-"]·ES["que","si","si-"]·SW["akishamaliza","hata-kama","ikiwa","ikiwa-","kabla-ya","kama","kama-","kwa-","kwanza","mfalme","nyumba-ya","ukimwokoa"]·TR["-dışında-","ancak-","başka","değilse","eger","eğer","eğer-"]·urd["اگر","اگر-","اگر-نہیں","سوائے","مگر","کہ-نہیں-"]
2. restrictive: only, except — The restrictive or exceptive sense, typically following a negation, limiting the scope to a single alternative: 'only, except, nothing but, unless.' French seulement and German nur both encode this narrowing function. Gen 39:6 (Potiphar entrusted everything to Joseph and 'did not concern himself with anything except [ki im] the food he ate'), Gen 39:9 ('he has withheld nothing from me except [ki im] you'), and Lev 21:2, 14 (priestly purity laws listing exceptions) show how the compound funnels discourse down to one permitted alternative. 56×
AR["-","أَمَامَ-","إِلَى-","إِلَّا","إِلَّا-","إِلّا","إِنَّمَا-","إِنْ-","فَقَط","فِي-"]·ben["যদি","যদি-","যদি-না-","যদি-শুধু-"]·DE["nur","wenn-"]·EN["if-","only"]·FR["seulement","si-"]·heb["אם","אם-"]·HI["अगर-","इम-","केवल","बस","यदि-"]·ID["hanya","hanya-","memang-"]·IT["se-","soltanto"]·jav["bilih-","manawi","menawi-","menawi-namung","namung","namung-"]·KO["(if)-","-","-만","다만","만약-","만일","만일-","오직"]·PT["apenas","apenas-","se","se-","se-não","se-não-","somente"]·RU["если-","разве-","только","только-"]·ES["que","si","si-","si-no-","solo","solo-"]·SW["bali-","ila-","isipokuwa-","kama-","kama-si-","tu","tu-"]·TR["-","-de-","ancak-","eger-","eğer-","kesinlikle-","sadece","sadece-"]·urd["اِس-کے-","اگر","اگر-","صرف","صرف-","مگر"]
3. adversative: but, rather — The adversative sense introducing a contrasting or corrective clause, often after a preceding negation: 'but, rather, on the contrary.' German sondern and aber, French mais, and Spanish sino all capture the contrastive pivot. Num 10:30 (Hobab says 'I will not go, but [ki im] I will go to my own land'), 2 Sam 13:33 ('let not my lord suppose that all the king's sons are dead, for [ki im] Amnon alone is dead'), and Job 42:8 ('my servant Job shall pray for you, for [ki im] him I will accept') show correction of a false assumption. 23×
AR["إِلاّ-","إِلَّا-","إِنَّ","إِنَّ-","إِنَّمَا","إِنَّمَا-","إِنْ-"]·ben["বরং","বাদে-","যদি","যদি-","যদিনা"]·DE["Mutter","aber","sondern-","wenn"]·EN["but","but-","for-","if","if-","rather","rather-","there"]·FR["mais","si"]·heb["אם","אם-"]·HI["अगर-","अवश्य","केवल","जब-तक","नहीं","बल्कि","बल्कि-","यदि-","वरन","सिवाय"]·ID["hanya","hanya-","jika","jika-"]·IT["ma","se"]·jav["kajawi-","kangge-mirengaken","mekaten-","menawi-","namung","namung-","nanging-","sayekti-"]·KO["다만","다만-","단지-","만약","만약-","만일","만일-","참으로","하단-"]·PT["por","se","se-","sim","sim-","somente"]·RU["если","если-","именно-","не-","но-","только-"]·ES["Valle-de","con","esto","más-bien-","que","que-","que-si-","si-","sino","solamente","sí"]·SW["-","bali","furahini","hata","hili","ikiwa-","isipokuwa","kama","kwa","kwa-hakika","makapi","maovu","nimelipa","tu-","wataoa","ya-"]·TR["ancak","ancak-","eger-","eğer-","sadece","sadece-"]·urd["اگر","اگر-","اگر-نہیں-","بس-","بلکہ","بلکہ-","صرف","صرف-","مگر"]
4. asseverative: surely, indeed — The asseverative sense in oath formulas and solemn declarations, lending emphatic certainty: 'surely, indeed, certainly.' German gewiss and French certainement convey this oath-weight. 1 Sam 8:19 ('No! But [ki im] we will have a king over us'), 2 Sam 15:21 ('surely [ki im] wherever my lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be'), and Jer 51:14 ('surely [ki im] I will fill you with men') show the compound intensifying vows and divine oaths. 4×
AR["إِن-","إِنَّمَا-","إِنْ-"]·ben["অবশ্যই-","নিশ্চয়-","যদি-"]·DE["gewiss","gewiss-","wenn"]·EN["if-","surely","surely-"]·FR["certainement","certainement-","si"]·heb["אם","אם-"]·HI["निश्चय-","यदि","यदि-कि"]·ID["jika","pasti-","sungguh-"]·IT["certamente","certamente-","se"]·jav["bilih-","menawi","namung-","yèn-"]·KO["다만","만일-"]·PT["certamente-","se-não-","sim","somente"]·RU["если-","непременно-","только-"]·ES["ciertamente","si-","si-no"]·SW["-","hakika","hakika-","mahali"]·TR["ancak-","eğer-","kesinlikle-"]·urd["اگر","ضرور","یقیناً-"]
5. sense 5 — A concessive nuance: 'even though, although' — acknowledging a condition that might be expected to prevent the main clause but does not. Spanish aunque and German obwohl capture this concessive force. Isa 10:22 ('for though [ki im] your people Israel be as the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return') pairs abundance with restriction. Mic 6:8 ('He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but [ki im] to do justice') narrows expansive possibility to a single ethical demand. 2×
AR["أَنْ-","وَ-إِنْ-"]·ben["যদিও","শুধু-"]·DE["wenn"]·EN["if-"]·FR["si"]·heb["אם-"]·HI["यदि-","सिवाय-"]·ID["hanya-","sekalipun-"]·IT["se"]·jav["sanadyan-"]·KO["만일","비록"]·PT["fazer","se"]·RU["если-"]·ES["aunque","si-no"]·SW["ila","ingawa-"]·TR["eger-","sadece-"]·urd["اگرچہ","یہ-کہ-"]
6. sense 6 — A temporal sense ('when') where ki im introduces the moment or circumstance under which something occurs. German dass and Spanish cuando point to temporal framing rather than conditionality. Gen 42:15 ('By the life of Pharaoh, you shall not go from this place unless [ki im / when] your youngest brother comes here') uses the compound at the boundary between conditional and temporal, marking the point at which release becomes possible. 1×
AR["إِنْ-"]·ben["যদি"]·DE["dass"]·EN["when-"]·FR["quand-"]·heb["אם"]·HI["नहीं"]·ID["jika"]·IT["quando-"]·jav["menawi"]·KO["오직"]·PT["se-"]·RU["если-"]·ES["cuando"]·SW["huku"]·TR["eğer-"]·urd["اگر"]
Related Senses
G3588 1. definite article (18298×)H0853 1. definite direct object marker (10915×)G2532 1. (8312×)H3068 1. YHWH (the divine name) (6522×)H0834a 1. relative pronoun (who/which/that) (4839×)H3588a 1. causal: because, for (3498×)G1161 1. and (2806×)H3478 1. Israel (proper name and nation) (2507×)G4771 1. you (plural address) (1853×)H1931 1. personal pronoun he/she/it (1431×)G3739 1. relative pronoun who/which/that (1149×)H1732 1. David (proper name) (1075×)H2088 1. this, this one (demonstrative) (1059×)G1063 1. (1047×)G3778 1. this thing, these things (1003×)H???? 2. (1002×)G2424 1. (924×)G3754 1. that (content clause) (881×)H2009 1. presentative particle: behold, look (881×)H0589 1. I (first person singular pronoun) (874×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
כִּי אִם־ (the אִם foll. by makkeph, except Gn 15:4 Nu 35:33 Ne 2:2, where כִּי־אִם is read by the Mass., Pr 2:3: FrMM 241)— 1. each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause: a. that if Je 26:15; after an oath (כִּי not translated: v. כִּי 1 c) if 1 S 14:39 Je 22:24, surely not (אִם 1 b 2) 2 S 3:35 1 S 25:34 (כִּי being resumptive of the כִּי before לוּלֵי: v.…