Genesis 50:13

Posted on February 19, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 50:13 Et portantes eum in Terram Chanaan, sepelierunt eum in spelunca duplici, quam emerat Abraham cum agro in possessionem sepulchri ab Ephron Hethæo contra faciem Mambre.

And carrying him into the Land of Chanaan, they buried him in the double cave, which Abraham had bought with the field for a possession of a sepulcher from Ephron the Hethite, opposite the face of Mambre.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ.COORD
2 portantes carrying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
3 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
4 in into PREP+ACC
5 Terram land N.FEM.ACC.SG
6 Chanaan Canaan PN.ACC.SG
7 sepelierunt they buried V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 spelunca cave N.FEM.ABL.SG
11 duplici double ADJ.ABL.SG.F
12 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
13 emerat had bought V.3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
14 Abraham Abraham PN.NOM.SG
15 cum with PREP+ABL
16 agro field N.MASC.ABL.SG
17 in for PREP+ACC
18 possessionem possession N.FEM.ACC.SG
19 sepulchri of a sepulcher N.NEUT.GEN.SG
20 ab from PREP+ABL
21 Ephron Ephron PN.ABL.SG
22 Hethæo Hittite ADJ.ABL.SG.M
23 contra opposite PREP+ACC
24 faciem face N.FEM.ACC.SG
25 Mambre Mamre PN.ACC.SG

Syntax

Opening participial phrase: Et portantes eum in Terram Chanaan —
portantes is a nominative plural present participle referring to the sons of Jacob.
eum = direct object (“him” = Jacob).
in Terram Chanaan expresses motion toward (“into the land of Chanaan”).

Main clause: sepelierunt eum —
They performed the burial.
Second eum again refers to Jacob.

Locative phrase: in spelunca duplici —
Ablative of location (“in the double cave”).

Relative clause: quam emerat Abraham cum agro in possessionem sepulchri —
quam refers to spelunca.
emerat = pluperfect, “had bought.”
cum agro indicates accompanying purchase.
in possessionem sepulchri = purpose (“for a possession of a sepulcher”).

Agent phrase: ab Ephron Hethæo —
Ablative of personal agent in passive context (implicit).

Final locative expression: contra faciem Mambre —
contra expresses position “opposite / facing.”
faciem Mambre = landmark identification.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: narrative connector; Translation: and; Notes: resumes action.
  2. portantes — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: describes subject’s continuous action; Translation: carrying; Notes: governs object eum.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of portantes; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Jacob.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative (motion); Function: directional; Translation: into; Notes: marks destination.
  5. Terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: land; Notes: geographic region.
  6. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular; Function: modifies Terram; Translation: Chanaan; Notes: ancient territory.
  7. sepelierunt — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they buried; Notes: decisive completion of burial act.
  8. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of sepelierunt; Translation: him; Notes: repetition emphasizes action on Jacob.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative (location); Function: locative; Translation: in; Notes: marks burial place.
  10. spelunca — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: location; Translation: cave; Notes: burial cave of patriarchs.
  11. duplici — Lemma: duplex; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies spelunca; Translation: double; Notes: refers to Machpelah (“double cave”).
  12. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of emerat; Translation: which; Notes: agrees with spelunca.
  13. emerat — Lemma: emo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: had bought; Notes: earlier acquisition by Abraham.
  14. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of emerat; Translation: Abraham; Notes: patriarchal lineage.
  15. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: accompaniment; Translation: with; Notes: cave purchased along with field.
  16. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: field; Notes: surrounding land included in an ancient deed.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: for; Notes: contractual terminology.
  18. possessionem — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: possession; Notes: legal acquisition.
  19. sepulchri — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of purpose; Translation: of a sepulcher; Notes: burial right.
  20. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation / source; Translation: from; Notes: introduces seller.
  21. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: agent or seller; Translation: Ephron; Notes: Hethite owner.
  22. Hethæo — Lemma: Hethaeus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ethnic designation; Translation: Hethite; Notes: from people of Heth.
  23. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial; Translation: opposite; Notes: used for orientation.
  24. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of contra; Translation: face; Notes: direction marker.
  25. Mambre — Lemma: Mambre; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular; Function: landmark; Translation: Mamre; Notes: region identified with Hebron.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.