כִּי H3588b
Compound conjunction 'ki im': but/rather (adversative), except/unless (exceptive), for/because (causal), or surely/that (asseverative).
Formed from the conjunction ki and the particle im joined by makkeph, this compound particle carries surprisingly distinct functions depending on context. After a negative statement it most often means 'but' or 'rather,' correcting what precedes (Gen 32:28: 'Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel'). When limiting a general claim, it signals 'except' or 'unless' (Gen 39:9: 'He has withheld nothing from me except you'). It can also introduce a reason ('for if you refuse,' Exod 10:4) or, more rarely, serve as an emphatic 'surely' in oath formulas (1 Sam 14:39). Translators across languages consistently distinguish these roles: Spanish sino for the adversative, sauf in French for the exceptive, and German denn for the causal.
4. that, surely (asseverative/content) — Asseverative or content-clause 'surely, that' (~6x), the rarest use, appearing in oath formulas and solemn declarations. In 1 Sam 14:39, Saul swears ki im ('surely') Jonathan shall die; in Jer 26:15 Jeremiah declares ki im ('truly/that') you are bringing innocent blood upon yourselves. Spanish ciertamente and German dass capture respectively the emphatic and content-clause poles of this sense. 6×
AR["أنَّ","أَنَّ","أَنَّكُمْ","لأَنَّ","لَ-","وَ-إِنْ"]·ben["কারণ","যে"]·DE["dass","denn"]·EN["for","surely","that"]·FR["car","ce","que"]·heb["כי"]·HI["कि","क्योंकि"]·ID["bahwa","karena","sekalipun"]·IT["che","poiche","quello"]·jav["bilih","sanajan","sayekti"]·KO["그것을","반드시","왜냐하면","왜냐하면-","참으로"]·PT["que"]·RU["даже-если","ибо","что","что-"]·ES["ciertamente","que"]·SW["hakika","hata-kama-","kwa-sababu","kwamba"]·TR["elbette","ki","çünkü"]·urd["کہ"]
▼ 3 more senses below
Senses
1. but, rather (adversative) — Adversative 'but, rather' -- the most frequent use (~57x), typically following a negation to introduce the contrasting truth. Spanish sino and German sondern both confirm the strong adversative force. In Gen 32:28, Jacob is told his name will no longer be Jacob ki im Israel, and in Deut 7:5 Israel is commanded not to make treaties but rather to tear down altars. The pattern 'not X ki im Y' is the hallmark construction. 57×
AR["إلّا","إِلّا","بَل","بَلْ","بَلْ-","لكِنْ","لِأَنَّ","لٰكِنْ","لٰكِنْ-"]·ben["কারণ","কারণ-","কিন্তু","কিন্তু-","ছাড়া","বরং"]·DE["aber","aber-","sondern"]·EN["but","but-"]·FR["mais","mais-"]·heb["כי"]·HI["कि","की","क्योंकि","परन्तु-","बल्कि"]·ID["Karena","Melainkan","Melainkan-","Tetapi","bahwa","karena","melainkan","tetapi"]·IT["ma","ma-"]·jav["Nanging","amargi","awit","kajawi","nanging"]·KO["그-","그것은","단지","오직","오히려","왜냐하면","이는"]·PT["Mas","Pois-","Porque","mas","pois","porque","senão","¶ Mas"]·RU["Но","Но-","ибо","но","только"]·ES["Porque","Sino","sino","sino-que"]·SW["Bali","Lakini-","bali","hakika","ila","isipokuwa","kwa","lakini","mwanao"]·TR["ama","ancak","fakat","çünkü","çünkü-"]·urd["بلکہ","بلکہ-","لیکن","کہ","کہ-","کیونکہ"]
Gen 32:28, Gen 35:10, Exod 12:9, Num 24:22, Deut 7:5, Deut 12:5, Deut 12:14, Deut 12:18, Deut 16:6, 1 Sam 2:15, 1 Sam 8:19, 1 Kgs 8:19 (+38 more)
2. except, unless (exceptive) — Exceptive 'except, unless' (~48x), restricting a preceding general statement to carve out an exception. French sauf and German ausser both render this sense distinctly from the adversative. Gen 39:9 is paradigmatic: Potiphar has placed everything in Joseph's hands except (ki im) his wife. In Gen 32:26 Jacob will not release the angel unless he receives a blessing -- the conditional-restrictive nuance is clear. 48×
AR["إلّا","إِلاّ","إِلَّا","إِلّا","لِأَنَّ"]·ben["কারণ","কারণ-","কিন্তু","ছাড়া","যদি-না"]·DE["aber","ausser","ausser-","außer","denn"]·EN["but","except","except-"]·FR["car","mais","sauf","sauf-"]·heb["כי"]·HI["कि","की","क्योंकि","जब-तक","सिवअय","सिवाय","सिवाय-"]·ID["hanya","kecuali","kecuali-","sebab"]·IT["eccetto","except","ma","poiché","tranne","tranne-"]·jav["kajawi","kejawi"]·KO["*","그-것은","다만","단지","때에","오직","왜냐하면","참으로"]·PT["exceto","pois","porque","senão"]·RU["если","если-не","ибо","кроме","кроме-как","разве","только"]·ES["a-menos-que","sino"]·SW["bali","ila","isipokuwa"]·TR["ancak","eğer","ki","sadece","yalnızca","çünkü"]·urd["جب-تک","جب-تک-","سوائے","سوائے-","مگر","کیونکہ"]
3. for, because (causal) — Causal 'for, because, for if' (~37x), giving the ground or reason for what precedes, often introducing a conditional protasis. French car and German denn consistently mark this sense. The Exodus plague narratives use it repeatedly (Exod 8:21; 9:2; 10:4): 'for if you refuse to let my people go...' -- here ki retains its causal force while im adds the conditional element. 37×
AR["بَلْ","كِي","لأنَّ","لِأَنَّ","لِأَنَّكَ","لِأَنَّكُمْ","لِأَنَّكِ","لِأَنَّنِي-","لِأَنَّهُ","لِأَنَّهُ-","لٰكِنَّ-"]·ben["কারণ","কেননা"]·DE["For","denn","fuer-","fuer-wenn-"]·EN["But","For","For-","but","for","for-","for-if-"]·FR["Car","car","pour-","pour-si-"]·heb["כי"]·HI["क्योंकि"]·ID["Karena","Karena-jika-","Melainkan","Sebab","karena","melainkan","sebab"]·IT["Per","per-","per-se-","poiche","poiché","quando"]·jav["Amargi","amargi"]·KO["만일","오직","왜냐하면","왜냐하면-","이는"]·PT["Pois","Porque","Porém","pois","porque"]·RU["Ибо","а","ибо","но"]·ES["Pero","Porque","porque","sino"]·SW["Bali","Kwa-kuwa","Kwa-maana","Kwa-sababu","Lakini","kwa-maana","kwa-sababu"]·TR["Cunku","cunku","Çünkü","çünkü"]·urd["کیونکہ","کیونکہ-"]
Exod 8:21, Exod 9:2, Exod 10:4, Exod 22:23, Exod 23:22, Num 10:30, Deut 11:22, Josh 23:12, Judg 15:7, 1 Sam 20:9, 1 Sam 21:5, 1 Sam 21:6 (+25 more)
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.…