Genesis 26:7

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:7 Qui cum interrogaretur a viris loci illius super uxore sua, respondit: Soror mea est. timuerat enim confiteri quod sibi esset sociata coniugio, reputans ne forte interficerent eum propter illius pulchritudinem.

When he was questioned by the men of that place about his wife, he answered: “She is my sister.” For he had feared to confess that she was joined to him in marriage, thinking perhaps they might kill him because of her beauty.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui Who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 cum when CONJ
3 interrogaretur was questioned 3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.PASS
4 a by PREP+ABL
5 viris men NOUN.ABL.PL.M
6 loci of the place NOUN.GEN.SG.M
7 illius of that DEM.PRON.GEN.SG.M
8 super about PREP+ABL
9 uxore wife NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 sua his POSS.ADJ.ABL.SG.F
11 respondit he answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 Soror sister NOUN.NOM.SG.F
13 mea my POSS.ADJ.NOM.SG.F
14 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 timuerat he had feared 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
16 enim for CONJ
17 confiteri to confess INF.PRES.DEP
18 quod that CONJ
19 sibi to himself REFL.PRON.DAT.SG.M
20 esset was 3SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
21 sociata joined PPP.NOM.SG.F
22 coniugio in marriage NOUN.ABL.SG.N
23 reputans thinking PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
24 ne lest CONJ
25 forte perhaps ADV
26 interficerent they might kill 3PL.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
27 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
28 propter because of PREP+ACC
29 illius her DEM.PRON.GEN.SG.F
30 pulchritudinem beauty NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Qui respondit — relative clause referring to the man (Subject implied, Verb: *respondit*).
Subordinate Clauses:
cum interrogaretur — temporal clause (“when he was questioned”).
timuerat confiteri — causal clause explaining motive.
reputans ne forte interficerent eum — participial clause expressing fear or reasoning.
Objects: uxore sua governed by super; eum is the object of interficerent.
Phrases: propter illius pulchritudinem — prepositional phrase expressing cause.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of *interrogaretur*; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces the subordinate temporal clause.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: marks temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Introduces subordinate clause of time.
  3. interrogaretur — Lemma: interrogo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive passive 3rd person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “was questioned”; Notes: Subjunctive due to *cum*-temporal construction.
  4. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces agent; Translation: “by”; Notes: Used before a consonant.
  5. viris — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: agent of passive verb; Translation: “men”; Notes: Object of preposition *a*.
  6. loci — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the place”; Notes: Qualifies *viris*.
  7. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies *loci*; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Refers to the specific location.
  8. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces topic; Translation: “about”; Notes: Here meaning “concerning.”
  9. uxore — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of *super*; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s wife.
  10. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agrees with *uxore*; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possession.
  11. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Indicates completed action.
  12. Soror — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Predicate of *est*.
  13. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies *soror*; Translation: “my”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with *soror*.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate.
  15. timuerat — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “had feared”; Notes: Denotes prior fear motivating deception.
  16. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: Postpositive explanatory conjunction.
  17. confiteri — Lemma: confiteor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present infinitive; Function: complement infinitive of *timuerat*; Translation: “to confess”; Notes: Deponent infinitive construction.
  18. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Governs subordinate clause.
  19. sibi — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to himself”; Notes: Reflexive referring to the subject.
  20. esset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of indirect statement; Translation: “was”; Notes: Subjunctive after *quod* expressing thought.
  21. sociata — Lemma: socio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “joined”; Notes: Describes the wife’s relation to him.
  22. coniugio — Lemma: coniugium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of relation; Translation: “in marriage”; Notes: Expresses relation or means of union.
  23. reputans — Lemma: reputo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies subject of *timuerat*; Translation: “thinking”; Notes: Introduces participial clause explaining motive.
  24. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Used to express fear or prevention.
  25. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: modifies *interficerent*; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: Adds nuance of uncertainty.
  26. interficerent — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active 3rd person plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might kill”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potential action.
  27. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of *interficerent*; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  28. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces causal phrase; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Denotes cause.
  29. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies *pulchritudinem*; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to his wife.
  30. pulchritudinem — Lemma: pulchritudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of *propter*; Translation: “beauty”; Notes: Conveys reason for his fear.

 

About Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Born around 346 A.D. in Stridon, St. Jerome was a scholar fluent in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew whose ascetic discipline and deep engagement with Scripture prepared him for a monumental task: translating the Bible into Latin. Commissioned by Pope Damasus I around 382 A.D., Jerome began by revising the flawed Old Latin Gospels, then expanded his work to the entire Bible. For the New Testament, he corrected Latin texts using Greek manuscripts; for the Old Testament, he translated most books directly from Hebrew—a controversial but principled choice. His final Psalter, however, followed the Greek Septuagint tradition for liturgical use. This composite translation, later known as the Vulgate (editio vulgata), became the authoritative biblical text of the Western Church, formally endorsed at the Council of Trent in 1546. The Vulgate’s influence extends beyond theology into textual criticism and Latin education. As one of the earliest translations grounded in original-language scholarship, it offers a vital witness to the state of biblical texts in late antiquity. Jerome’s lexical and syntactic decisions are studied to trace manuscript history and assess variant readings. Its elegant Latin, consistent in grammar and rich in vocabulary, became a model for medieval and Renaissance learning, bridging classical and ecclesiastical Latin. More than a translation, the Vulgate helped define Christian doctrine, preserved the Latin language, and laid essential groundwork for the critical study of Scripture—remaining indispensable to students of Latin, theology, and textual history.
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