---
title: בִּי — I pray · The Tanakh dictionary
description: בִּי (994), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 12 times: I pray. BDB 1906: part. of entreaty pray. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# בִּי

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«בִּי» in the Tanakh dictionary: **I pray** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 12 times · **Key:** 994 · **BDB:** בִּי

### Glosses

pardon.me (11); pardon.us (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

I pray [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/994/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

part. of entreaty pray [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/994/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** part. of entreaty, craving permission to address a superior, always foll. by אֲדֹנִי (or אֲדֹנָי), and always (except Jos 7:8) at the beginning of a speech, I pray, excuse me—(not improb. from √ ביי; so that בִּי אֲדֹנִי will be literally a supplication of (i.e. to) my lord! cf. Wetzst l.c., who compares the Arabic دَخْلُ سَيِّدَى lit. a prayer to my lord! a standing formula = Pray, excuse me, used exactly as בִּי אֲדֹנִי. According to others contr. from בְּעִי, from בָּעָה to ask, and so lit. a petition! cf. Aramaic בְּבָעוּ, ܒܒܳܥܽܘ (e.g. Gn 19:18 𝔗, Nu 12:13 𝔖); but ע is not often elided in Heb.)—Gn 44:18 בִּי אֲדֹנִי יְדַבֶּר־נָא I pray, my lord, let thy servant speak, etc.; so Nu 12:11 Ju 6:13 1 S 1:26 1 K 3:17, 26, and foll. by a pl. subj. Gn 43:20 בִּי א׳ יָרֹד יָרַדְנוּ Oh, my lord, we came down, etc.; בִּי אֲדֹנָי (to God) Ex 4:10, 13 Jos 7:8 Ju 6:15; 13:8 (𝔊 in Pent. and Jos. δέομαι, δεόμεθα: in other books absurdly ἐν ἐμοί).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech not compared, 12 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech not compared, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 0 with the glosses (1 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «בִּי» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1489/994/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Exodus 4:13](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/EXO.4.13/)

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וַיֹּ֖אמֶר בִּ֣יּ אֲדֹנָ֑י שְֽׁלַֽח־נָ֖א בְּיַד־תִּשְׁלָֽח׃

*Word for word:* and he.said pardon.me Lord my send please by the.hand of.\[whomever\].you.will.send

*JPS 1917:* And he said: 'Oh Lord, send, I pray Thee, by the hand of him whom Thou wilt send.'

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[Genesis 43:20](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.43.20/)

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וַיֹּאמְר֖וּ בִּ֣י אֲדֹנִ֑י יָרֹ֥ד יָרַ֛דְנוּ בַּתְּחִלָּ֖ה לִשְׁבָּר־אֹֽכֶל׃

*Word for word:* and they.said pardon.us my.lord my indeed.(come.down) we.came.down at the beginning to buy food

*JPS 1917:* and said: 'Oh my lord, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food.

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