Genesis 20:6

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:6 Dixitque ad eum Deus: Et ego scio quod simplici corde feceris: et ideo custodivi te ne peccares in me, et non dimisi ut tangeres eam.

And God said to him: “I also know that you have done this with a simple heart, and therefore I have kept you so that you should not sin against me, and I did not allow you to touch her.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
4 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 Et and CONJ
6 ego I PRON.NOM.SG.1P
7 scio know 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 quod that CONJ
9 simplicitate with simplicity NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 corde heart NOUN.ABL.SG.N
11 feceris you have done 2SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
12 et and CONJ
13 ideo therefore ADV
14 custodivi I have kept 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 te you PRON.ACC.SG.2P
16 ne lest CONJ
17 peccares you should sin 2SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
18 in against PREP+ACC
19 me me PRON.ACC.SG.1P
20 et and CONJ
21 non not ADV
22 dimisi I allowed 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 ut that CONJ
24 tangeres you might touch 2SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
25 eam her PRON.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque Deus — “And God said,” with Deus as the subject and Dixitque as the verb (perfect tense with enclitic -que joining it to the previous narrative).
Object Clause: Introduced by quod, containing simplicitate corde feceris — “you have done (this) with a simple heart.”
Main Clause 2: Et ideo custodivi te — “And therefore I have kept you,” with ne peccares in me as a purpose clause (“so that you might not sin against me”).
Final Clause: Et non dimisi ut tangeres eam — “And I did not allow you to touch her,” where ut tangeres is a result clause expressing prevention.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dīcō + -que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb linking to prior narrative; Translation: “and said”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins this verb to the preceding context, maintaining narrative flow.
  2. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction or relation toward a person; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the indirect object eum.
  3. Eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abimelech.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Subject of dixit and speaker of the divine speech.
  5. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links independent clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Common connective in narrative prose.
  6. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: explicit subject emphasizing divine knowledge; Translation: “I”; Notes: Used for emphasis.
  7. Scio — Lemma: sciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of perception; Translation: “I know”; Notes: Introduces indirect statement with quod.
  8. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces subordinate clause expressing what is known; Translation: “that”; Notes: Here, not relative but completive.
  9. Simplicitate — Lemma: simplicitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “with simplicity”; Notes: Moral nuance meaning sincerity.
  10. Corde — Lemma: cor, cordis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of respect modifying “simplicitate”; Translation: “in heart”; Notes: Denotes inner disposition.
  11. Feceris — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb in subordinate clause of indirect statement; Translation: “you have done”; Notes: Subjunctive marks indirect discourse after scio quod.
  12. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two divine assertions.
  13. Ideo — Lemma: ideō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: adverb of cause/consequence; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Logical connective implying divine reasoning.
  14. Custodivi — Lemma: custodiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “I have kept/protected”; Notes: Indicates divine preservation.
  15. Te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of custodivi; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the protected individual (Abimelech).
  16. Ne — Lemma: nē; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces negative purpose clause; Translation: “lest / so that not”; Notes: Regular after verbs of preventing.
  17. Peccares — Lemma: peccō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: “you should sin”; Notes: Subjunctive after ne for negative purpose.
  18. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative here; Function: indicates hostility (“against”); Translation: “against”; Notes: Preposition of opposition.
  19. Me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to God.
  20. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects a further divine act.
  21. Non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: negates verb dimisi; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negation of divine permission.
  22. Dimisi — Lemma: dīmittō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I allowed / I let”; Notes: Governs the subordinate clause with ut.
  23. Ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces result or purpose clause; Translation: “that / so that”; Notes: Here denotes result: God’s prevention.
  24. Tangeres — Lemma: tangō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, second person singular; Function: verb in subordinate clause dependent on dimisi; Translation: “you might touch”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potential prevented action.
  25. Eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of tangeres; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sarah.

 

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.