H5921b H5921b
Compound preposition 'because, for this reason'; emphatic causal particle reinforcing the ground of an assertion or action.
The phrase כִּי עַל כֵּן combines three particles into a single emphatic expression meaning 'because' or 'forasmuch as.' Found in a handful of memorable narrative moments, it reinforces the reason behind an action with a kind of pleonastic force -- literally 'for upon thus.' Abraham uses it when welcoming his three visitors at Mamre (Gen 18:5), and Lot echoes the construction when urging the angels to stay (Gen 19:8). Spanish translations capture the causal weight with 'por eso' and 'sobre,' while French renders it 'c'est pourquoi,' both confirming the grounding function. In one instance (Gen 33:10), Jacob's plea to Esau edges toward a consequential 'therefore,' drawing a conclusion rather than merely stating a cause.
2. Therefore (consequential / inferential) — A rarer consequential or inferential shade, 'therefore,' where the phrase draws a conclusion from prior context rather than merely citing a cause. Jacob tells Esau in Gen 33:10 that seeing his face is like seeing God's face -- therefore he urges him to accept the gift. The shift from backward-looking cause to forward-looking consequence is subtle but real, and French 'c'est pourquoi' captures the inferential nuance. 1×
AR["عَلَى"]·ben["-"]·DE["darum-"]·EN["therefore-"]·FR["c'est-pourquoi-"]·heb["על"]·HI["इसलिए"]·ID["oleh-karena"]·IT["perciò-"]·jav["mila-"]·KO["~의-위에"]·PT["sobre"]·RU["потому"]·ES["sobre"]·SW["na"]·TR["üzerinde"]·urd["پر"]
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
1. Because / on account of (causal) — The dominant causal usage, 'because' or 'on account of,' where the phrase emphatically grounds an action in a stated reason. In Gen 18:5 Abraham offers bread because his guests have come his way; in Num 14:43 Moses warns that the Amalekites stand ready because Israel has turned from the LORD. The pleonastic layering of כִּי + עַל + כֵּן gives the expression more rhetorical weight than a simple כִּי alone. Spanish 'por eso' and English 'because' converge across all nine occurrences. 9×
AR["[عَلى]","عَلى-","عَلَى","عَلَى-"]·ben["-এর-উপর","-এর-জন্য","-ওপরে-","-জন্য","[কারণে]","উপর-","উপরে","বিরুদ্ধে-"]·DE["[because]","darum","darum-","seit","ueber","weil-"]·EN["[because]","because-","since","therefore-","upon","upon-"]·FR["[because]","c'est-pourquoi-","depuis","parce-que-","sur","sur-"]·heb["[על]","על","על-"]·HI["इस-","इसलिए-","उस","के-कारण-","पर","पर-"]·ID["[karena]","atas","atas-","oleh-karena","oleh-karena-","oleh-sebab-"]·IT["[because]","da","perché-","percio-","sopra","sopra-","su"]·jav["[bab]","amargi","amargi-","bab","kangge-","mila-","tumrap-"]·KO["[위에-]","~의-위에","에-대하여","에-대하여-","에서","위에-","이-"]·PT["[sobre]","por","por-","sobre","sobre-"]·RU["[вариант]","за-","на-","потому-что-","поэтому","так-"]·ES["[sobre]","por","por-","por-eso","sobre"]·SW["juu","juu-ya","juu-ya-","kwa","kwa-hiyo","kwa-sababu","kwa-sababu-","kwa-sababu-ya"]·TR["-üzerine","[üzerine]","üzerinde-","üzerine-"]·urd["(کے)-عین","[اِس-پر]","اسی-لیے","پر","پر-","پس"]
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as, a peculiar phrase found Gn 18:5; 19:8; 33:10; 38:26 Nu 10:31; 14:43 Ju 6:22 2 S 18:20 Qr (rightly), Je 29:28; 38:4—lit. for therefore, emphasizing the ground pleonastically (Ew§ 353 a). The orig. force of the phrase is traceable in some of the passages in which it occurs, as Gn 18:5 let me fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort your heart; כִּי־עַל־כֵּן עֲבַרְתֶּם עַל…