Genesis 14:23

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:23 quod a filo subtegminis usque ad corigiam caligæ, non accipiam ex omnibus quæ tua sunt, ne dicas: Ego ditavi Abram:

That from a thread to a sandal strap I will not take anything that is yours, lest you say: I have made Abram rich.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quod that ACC.SG.N REL.PRON / CONJ
2 a from PREP+ABL
3 filo thread ABL.SG.N
4 subtegminis of the web / woven fabric GEN.SG.N
5 usque up to PREP+ACC
6 ad to PREP+ACC
7 corigiam strap ACC.SG.F
8 caligæ of a sandal GEN.SG.F
9 non not NEG.PART
10 accipiam I will take 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
11 ex from PREP+ABL
12 omnibus all things ABL.PL.N
13 quæ which NOM.PL.N REL.PRON
14 tua yours NOM.PL.N POSS.ADJ
15 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
16 ne lest CONJ
17 dicas you say 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
18 Ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
19 ditavi I have enriched 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 Abram Abram ACC.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)

Syntax

Main Clause: quod … non accipiam — object clause of Abram’s oath introduced by quod (“that”), with accipiam in the future indicative expressing resolution.
Phrase of Extent: a filo subtegminis usque ad corigiam caligæ — idiomatic merism meaning “not even the least thing,” from the smallest thread to a sandal strap.
Subordinate Clause: ne dicas: Ego ditavi Abram — final clause introduced by ne, expressing purpose or prevention: “lest you say, I have made Abram rich.”
Purpose: Emphasizes Abram’s refusal to accept reward, safeguarding the divine source of his prosperity.

Morphology

  1. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: Conjunction/relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Introduces content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Marks the clause expressing Abram’s oath of refusal.
  2. a — Lemma: a; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Begins the idiomatic pair.
  3. filo — Lemma: filum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Object of a; Translation: “thread”; Notes: Denotes the smallest possible measure or item.
  4. subtegminis — Lemma: subtegmen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of specification; Translation: “of the web / woven fabric”; Notes: Refines filo as part of a textile metaphor.
  5. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Preposition/adverb; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks extent; Translation: “up to”; Notes: Used in correlative pair with a.
  6. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Introduces endpoint; Translation: “to”; Notes: Precedes corigiam in the meristic construction.
  7. corigiam — Lemma: corigia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “strap”; Notes: Represents something trivial, completing the proverbial range of items.
  8. caligæ — Lemma: caliga; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Dependent genitive with corigiam; Translation: “of a sandal”; Notes: Indicates ownership; refers to simple footwear.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negator; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates accipiam.
  10. accipiam — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Main verb of oath clause; Translation: “I will take”; Notes: Indicates determined future refusal.
  11. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Precedes omnibus in partitive sense.
  12. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective (used substantively); Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Denotes totality of possessions belonging to the king.
  13. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of sunt; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause describing omnibus.
  14. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “yours”; Notes: Describes the possessions of the king of Sodom.
  15. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Copula in relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Completes the subordinate clause identifying the possessions.
  16. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Prevents undesirable statement or result.
  17. dicas — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active subjunctive, 2nd person singular; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “you say”; Notes: Subjunctive following ne for potential statement.
  18. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative singular; Function: Subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Marks speaker in imagined claim.
  19. ditavi — Lemma: dito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 1st person singular; Function: Main verb of reported speech; Translation: “I have enriched”; Notes: Implies false attribution of Abram’s wealth to human source.
  20. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Direct object of ditavi; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Refers to the patriarch whose integrity and reliance on God are central to the oath.

 

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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