Summary
A conjunction is a word that shows a relationship between two different words, phrases, sentences, or even entire paragraphs.
In other words, conjunctions are grammatical connectors.
The most common conjunctions in English are "and," "or," "but," and "for."
Conjunctions are closely related to both sentential adverbs and particles.
Some particles in Biblical Hebrew are closely related to conjunctions.
Article
Biblical Hebrew contains only one primary conjunction (the prefix וְ),
but a whole family of other words also function as conjunctions.
In Biblical Hebrew, particles
and conjunctions are often combined with each other to form compound conjunctions.
Compound conjunctions should not be considered merely as the sum of the
components, but rather as a single grammatical entity with its own range
of meanings which may or may not be different than the individual
component words.
There are eight major categories of conjunctions.
There are others as well, but these are the main kinds of conjunctions:
conjunctive ("and");
alternative ("or");
contrastive ("but");
explicative ("surely");
causal ("for");
conditional ("if");
concessive ("except");
restrictive ("only").
Many conjunctions in Biblical Hebrew have potential to function in multiple categories.
Sentences in Biblical Hebrew often begin with the conjunction ו (as either a consonant or a shureq vowel).
This conjunction וְ ("and") cannot stand alone as an independent word but must be connected to another word as a prefix.
This can be added to a noun, a verb, a pronoun, or a particle.
The shewa in וְ can lengthen to a vowel, usually pathah (when paired with the definite article) or qamets
(when paired with both the article and a ה prefix), but others are also possible.
Note
The conjunction וְ is often left untranslated when it begins a
sentence or clause, or when it appears within the sequential verbal
forms (verb_sequential_perfect and verb_sequential_imperfect).
Also, the conjunction is often added between every item of a list in
Biblical Hebrew; but in English the וְ is not translated for each item.
כִּי
The word כִּי is the standard causal conjunction in Biblical Hebrew,
and is usually translated as "for" in English.
However, it is also commonly used as a conditional conjunction (usually translated, "if").
Often,כִּי is conditional when it occurs at the beginning of a sentence and
causal when it occurs in the middle (or toward the end) of a sentence,
but there are notable exceptions to this general rule.
Causal
A causal conjunction expresses a relationship of cause (of some kind) between two grammatical items.
These can include a relationship of reason or result as well as a relationship of purpose or goal.
However, sometimes it is extremely difficult to distinguish between a causal conjunction that
expresses purpose/goal and one that expresses reason/result.
When כִּי functions as a causal conjunction, it is often translated into English simply as "for",
which can express either reason/result or purpose/goal.
This is the most common use of the word כִּי.
expresses reason or result
This kind of causal conjunction expresses either the reason for or the result of an action/event.
In English, it is usually translated as "for" or "because".
Example: GEN 3:14
- וַיֹּאמֶר֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֥ים ׀ אֶֽל־הַנָּחָשׁ֮ כִּ֣י עָשִׂ֣יתָ
- זֹּאת֒ אָר֤וּר אַתָּה֙׃
|
- wayyomer yehowah 'elohim 'el-hannahash ki 'asitha zoth 'arur
- 'attah
|
- And-he-said Yahweh God to_the-serpent because you-have-done this
- cursed you
|
- Then Yahweh God said to the snake, "Because you did this, I will
- curse you."
|
expresses purpose or goal
This kind of causal conjunction expresses the purpose for or intended outcome of an action/event.
In English, it is usually translated as "for" or “so that”.
Example: GEN 20:10
| מָ֣ה רָאִ֔יתָ כִּ֥י עָשִׂ֖יתָ אֶת־הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃ |
| mah ra'itha ki 'asitha 'eth-haddavar hazzeh |
| What did-you-see so-that you-did [dir.obj]_the-thing the-this? |
| What prompted you to do this thing? |
Conditional
A conditional conjunction introduces either a hypothetical situation or an actual situation,
as determined by the context.
This is also a very common use of the word כִּי in Biblical Hebrew.
expresses a hypothetical condition
A hypothetical condition expresses an imaginary action or event that has
not actually happened in reality. This kind of conditional conjunction
is usually translated as "if" in English. Hypothetical conditions have
potential to convey many different nuances of possibility and/or
desirability.
Example: 2KI 4:29
- כִּֽי־תִמְצָ֥א אִישׁ֙ לֹ֣א תְבָרְכֶ֔נּוּ וְכִֽי־יְבָרֶכְךָ֥
- אִ֖ישׁ לֹ֣א תַעֲנֶנּ֑וּ
|
- ki-thimtsa 'ish lo thevorkhennu wekhi-yevarekhkha 'ish lo
- tha'anennu
|
- If_you-meet man not_greet-him and-if_greets-you man
- not answer-him.
|
- If you meet any man, do not greet him, and if anyone greets
- you, do not answer him.
|
expresses an actual condition
An actual condition expresses an action or event that has actually
happened in reality, and is usually translated as "when" or "while" in
English. Usually, this kind of condition indicates something that is
happening concurrently with the main action/event being described, or
something that has happened in the past in certain circumstances.
Example: GEN 27:1
| וַיְהִי֙ כִּֽי־זָקֵ֣ן יִצְחָ֔ק וַתִּכְהֶ֥יןָ עֵינָ֖יו מֵרְאֹ֑ת |
| wayhiy ki-zaqen yitshaq wattikhheyna 'enayw mere'oth |
- And-it-happened when_old Isaac and-were-dim his-eyes
- from-seeing
|
| When Isaac was old and his eyes were dim so that he could not see |
Other uses
The word כִּי can also express other conjunctive meanings, often as an
contrastive following a negated statement. If in doubt, it is
recommended to always consult a dictionary or lexicon for the exact
meaning of the word in any specific instance.
Example: GEN 17:15
- שָׂרַ֣י אִשְׁתְּךָ֔ לֹא־תִקְרָ֥א אֶת־שְׁמָ֖הּ שָׂרָ֑י כִּ֥י
- שָׂרָ֖ה שְׁמָֽהּ׃
|
| saray 'ishtekha lo-thiqra 'eth-shemah saray ki sarah shemah |
- Sarai your-wife not_call [dir.obj]_her-name Sarai but Sarah
- her-name.
|
- As for Sarai your wife, do not call her Sarai any more. Instead,
- her name will be Sarah.
|
אִם
Note
Like the word כִּי, the word אִם in Biblical Hebrew is also
extremely flexible in its meaning. If in doubt, it is recommended to
always consult a dictionary or lexicon for the exact meaning of the word
in any specific instance.
Conditional
The word אִם is the standard conditional conjunction in Biblical Hebrew.
It is most often used to describe a hypothetical condition and
translated as "if" in English. However, this term can can be nuanced and
translated in a variety of specific ways, and it can be joined with
various other particles to form different compound conjunctions.
Therefore, this word must be translated always with senstivity to the
context to express the correct nuance.
expresses a hypothetical condition
A hypothetical condition expresses an imaginary action or event that has
not actually happened in reality. This kind of conditional conjunction
is usually translated as "if" in English. Hypothetical conditions have
potential to convey many different nuances of possibility and/or
desirability.
Example: GEN 18:26
| אִם־אֶמְצָ֥א בִסְדֹ֛ם חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים צַדִּיקִ֖ם בְּת֣וֹךְ הָעִ֑יר |
| 'im-'emtsa visdom hamishim tsaddiqim bethokh ha'ir |
| If_I-find in-Sodom fifty righteous in-place the-city |
| If I find fifty people in Sodom who have done nothing wrong |
The following example is a hypothetical condition as an affirmation of
an actual condition.
Example: JER 15:1
| אִם־יַעֲמֹ֨ד מֹשֶׁ֤ה וּשְׁמוּאֵל֙ לְפָנַ֔י |
| 'im-ya'amod mosheh ushemu'el lefanay |
| Though_stood Moses and-Samuel before-me |
| Even if Moses or Samuel were standing in front of me |
Example: NUM 21:9
- וְהָיָ֗ה אִם־נָשַׁ֤ךְ הַנָּחָשׁ֙ אֶת־אִ֔ישׁ וְהִבִּ֛יט
- אֶל־נְחַ֥שׁ הַנְּחֹ֖שֶׁת וָחָֽי׃
|
- wehayah 'im-nashakh hannahash 'eth-'ish wehibbit 'el-nehash
- hannehosheth wahay
|
- And-it-happened when_he-had-bitten the-serpent [dir.obj]_man
- and-he-looked to_serpent-of the-bronze and-he-lived
|
- When a snake bit any person, if he looked at the bronze snake, he
- survived.
|
Example: GEN 31:8
- אִם־כֹּ֣ה יֹאמַ֗ר נְקֻדִּים֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה שְׂכָרֶ֔ךָ וְיָלְד֥וּ
- כָל־הַצֹּ֖אן נְקֻדִּ֑ים
|
- 'im-koh yomar nequddim yihyeh sekharekha weyoldu khol-hatson
- nequddim
|
- When_thus he-said speckled-ones it-will-be your-wages
- and-they-bore all_the-flock speckled-ones
|
- If he said, 'The speckled animals will be your wages,' then all
- the flock bore speckled young.
|
Alternative
This use of the conjunction אִם is often found in a question and is
usually translated as "or" in English.
Example: JOS 5:13
| הֲלָ֥נוּ אַתָּ֖ה אִם־לְצָרֵֽינוּ׃ |
| halanu 'attah 'im-letsarenu |
| Are-for-us you or_for-our-enemies? |
| Are you for us or for our enemies? |
וְעַתָּה
The word עַתָּה ("now") in Biblical Hebrew often functions as a temporal adverb, and sometimes as a sentential adverb.
However, when עַתָּה appears at the beginning of a
sentence or clause, it usually functions not as an adverb but as a
conjunction, either standing alone or as a compound conjunction (when
paired with the prefix וְ or with particles such as גַּם or כִּי). In
either case, the term functions as a type of causal conjunction, indicating that
what follows is based upon what has come before. This conjunction must
be translated always with great sensitivity to the context to express
the correct nuance; in English, this conjunction can be translated as
"now", "so", "so now", "and now", "therefore", and others. A dictionary
or lexicon will indicate the specific nuance of this term in individual
contexts.
Example: GEN 31:13 –– as a stand-alone conjunction
| עַתָּ֗ה ק֥וּם צֵא֙ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַזֹּ֔את |
| 'attah qum tse' min-ha'arets hazzoth |
| Now rise-up go-out from_the-land the-this |
| Now rise up and leave this land |
Example: 1KI 8:26 –– with prefix וְ
- וְעַתָּ֖ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יֵאָ֤מֶן נָא֙ דְּבָרֶיךָ אֲשֶׁ֣ר
- דִּבַּ֔רְתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ֖ דָּוִ֥ד אָבִֽי
|
- we'attah 'elohe yisra'el ye'amen na' devareykha 'asher dibbarta
- le'avdekha dawid 'avi
|
- And-now God-of Israel let-it-be-true [exh.prtc] your-words that
- you-spoke to-your-servant David my-father
|
- Now then, God of Israel, I pray that the promise you made to your
- servant David my father, will come true.
|
Example: GEN 44:10 –– in compound conjunction with גַּם
| וַיֹּ֕אמֶר גַּם־עַתָּ֥ה כְדִבְרֵיכֶ֖ם כֶּן־ה֑וּא |
| wayyomer gam-'attah khedivrekhem ken-hu |
| And-he-said also_now as-your-words thus_it |
| Now also let it be according to your words. |
Example: 1SA 13:13 –– in compound conjunction with כִּי
| כִּ֣י עַתָּ֗ה הֵכִ֨ין יְהוָ֧ה אֶת־מַֽמְלַכְתְּךָ֛ |
| ki 'attah hekhin yehwah 'eth-mamelakhtekha |
| For now he-established Yahweh [dir.obj]_your-reign |
| For then Yahweh would have established your rule |
לֽוּ
This term is a conditional conjunction,
similar to אִם but used only to express hypothetical conditions.
The word can also appear in the alternate forms לוּא and לֻא.
This conjunction either:
1) expresses a condition that cannot (or probably will not) happen,
usually translated "if" in English;
or 2) conveys a strong desire for something to happen that cannot (or probably will not) be realized,
usually translated "if only" in English.
Example: JDG 13:23
| לוּ֩ חָפֵ֨ץ יְהוָ֤ה לַהֲמִיתֵ֙נוּ֙ |
| lu hafets yehwah lahamithenu |
| If he-wanted Yahweh to-kill-us |
| If Yahweh intended to kill us |
Example: NUM 14:2
| לוּ֩־מַ֙תְנוּ֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרַ֔יִם |
| lu-mathnu be'erets mitsrayim |
| If-only we-had-died in-the-land-of Egypt |
| We wish we had died in the land of Egypt |
פֶּן
This term is also a conditional conjunction,
and it expresses a certain kind of hypothetical condition.
The word can be used in two different ways:
either 1) in warnings to express a potential condition that will take place if the warning is not heeded,
usually translated "lest" in English;
or 2) to express the reason for a certain action to prevent a possible condition from taking place,
usually translated as "so that...not" (or similar phrasing) in English.
Example: GEN 3:3
| וְלֹ֥א תִגְּע֖וּ בּ֑וֹ פֶּן־תְּמֻתֽוּן׃ |
| welo thigge'u bo pen-temuthun |
| and-not you-will-touch in-it so-that-not_you-will-die |
| nor may you touch it, or you will die. |
Example: GEN 31:24
- הִשָּׁ֧מֶר לְךָ֛ פֶּן־תְּדַבֵּ֥ר עִֽם־יַעֲקֹ֖ב מִטּ֥וֹב
- עַד־רָֽע
|
| hishamer lekha pen-tedabber 'im-ya'aqov mittov 'ad-ra' |
- Be-guarded to-you so-that-not_you-speak with_Jacob from-good
- until_bad.
|
| Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad. |
רַק
A restrictive conjunction sets apart a clause or phrase as unique within its context.
Sometimes this restrictive function emphasizes a particular item as the most important or most prominent;
in these cases, the conjunction is similar in meaning to an affirmative conjunction.
At other times, however, this restrictive function introduces a particular limitation to something previously expressed; in
these cases, this conjunction is similar in meaning to a concessive conjunction.
The word רַק is the standard restrictive conjunction in Biblical Hebrew.
Compound conjunctions
Note
Sometimes multiple conjunctions or particles appear
together but do NOT form a compound conjunction; in such cases, each
word retains its individual range of meanings. These instances must be
determined from the context. If in doubt, consult a dictionary or
lexicon for the exact meaning of any specific occurrence.
A concessive conjunction expresses an exception or disclaimer to what has been stated immediately previous.
כִּי אִם
Sometimes the words כִּי and אִם are paired together to form a compound conjunction that functions most often as a strong contrastive
or a strong concessive ("except"). In English, it is usually translated as "but",
"but if", or "except". It is recommended to always consult a dictionary
or lexicon for the exact meaning of any specific occurrence of this
compound conjunction.
Example: 2KI 23:9
| כִּ֛י אִם־אָכְל֥וּ מַצֹּ֖ות בְּתֹ֥וךְ אֲחֵיהֶֽם׃ |
| ki 'im-'okhlu matsowth bethowkh 'ahehem |
| but if_they-ate unleavened-bread in-midst-of their-brothers. |
| but they ate unleavened bread among their brothers. |
אַף כִּי
Sometimes the words אַף and כִּי are paired together to form a compound
conjunction that functions as a strong affirmative (similar to an affirmation particle). This compound
conjunction can appear with or without the prefix conjunction וְ
("and").
Example: GEN 3:1
| אַ֚ף כִּֽי־אָמַ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים |
| 'af ki-'amar 'elohim |
| indeed he-has-said God |
| Has God really said |
Example: EZK 23:40
| וְאַ֗ף כִּ֤י־אַחֲרֵ֥י מוֹתִֽי׃ |
| we'af ki-'ahare mothi |
| and-more after my-death |
| how much more after my death? |
