Genesis 20:9

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:9 Vocavit autem Abimelech etiam Abraham, et dixit ei: Quid fecisti nobis? quid peccavimus in te, quia induxisti super me et super regnum meum peccatum grande? quæ non debuisti facere, fecisti nobis.

But Abimelech also called Abraham and said to him: “What have you done to us? What have we sinned against you, that you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin? Things which you ought not to have done, you have done to us.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but/however CONJ
3 Abimelech Abimelech NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 etiam also ADV
5 Abraham Abraham NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
9 Quid what INTERROG.PRON.ACC.SG.N
10 fecisti have you done 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 nobis to us PRON.DAT.PL.1P
12 quid what INTERROG.PRON.ACC.SG.N
13 peccavimus have we sinned 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
14 in against PREP+ACC
15 te you PRON.ACC.SG.2P
16 quia because CONJ
17 induxisti you have brought 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 super upon PREP+ACC
19 me me PRON.ACC.SG.1P
20 et and CONJ
21 super upon PREP+ACC
22 regnum kingdom NOUN.ACC.SG.N
23 meum my ADJ.ACC.SG.N
24 peccatum sin NOUN.ACC.SG.N
25 grande great ADJ.ACC.SG.N
26 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
27 non not ADV
28 debuisti you ought 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
29 facere to do INF.PRES.ACT
30 fecisti you have done 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
31 nobis to us PRON.DAT.PL.1P

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Vocavit autem Abimelech etiam Abraham — “But Abimelech also called Abraham.” Subject: Abimelech; Verb: vocavit; Object: Abraham.
Clause of Speech: Et dixit ei introduces direct discourse, followed by multiple interrogative clauses.
Interrogative Clause 1: Quid fecisti nobis? — direct question expressing indignation, “What have you done to us?”
Interrogative Clause 2: Quid peccavimus in te? — “What have we sinned against you?” with in te functioning as prepositional phrase of offense.
Causal Clause: Quia induxisti super me et super regnum meum peccatum grande — “Because you have brought upon me and upon my kingdom a great sin.”
Relative Clause and Final Accusation: Quæ non debuisti facere, fecisti nobis — “The things which you ought not to have done, you have done to us,” a relative clause functioning substantively as object.

Morphology

  1. Vocavit — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of the narrative; Translation: “called”; Notes: Marks completed action in the story.
  2. Autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: contrastive connective; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces a new scene contrasting divine speech with human response.
  3. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar.
  4. Etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: adverbial intensifier; Translation: “also / even”; Notes: Emphasizes inclusion of Abraham.
  5. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vocavit; Translation: “Abraham.”
  6. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: joins verbs vocavit and dixit; Translation: “and.”
  7. Dixit — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said.”
  8. Ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of dixit; Translation: “to him.”
  9. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces first question.
  10. Fecisti — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, second person singular; Function: predicate in interrogative clause; Translation: “have you done.”
  11. Nobis — Lemma: nōs; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us.”
  12. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “what.”
  13. Peccavimus — Lemma: peccō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person plural; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “have we sinned.”
  14. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses hostility; Translation: “against.”
  15. Te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “you.”
  16. Quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because.”
  17. Induxisti — Lemma: indūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “you have brought.”
  18. Super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses “upon / against”; Translation: “upon.”
  19. Me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of super; Translation: “me.”
  20. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links prepositional phrases; Translation: “and.”
  21. Super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: parallel to previous prepositional phrase; Translation: “upon.”
  22. Regnum — Lemma: rēgnum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “kingdom.”
  23. Meum — Lemma: meus, mea, meum; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies regnum; Translation: “my.”
  24. Peccatum — Lemma: peccātum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of induxisti; Translation: “sin.”
  25. Grande — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies peccatum; Translation: “great.”
  26. Quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “which.”
  27. Non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: negation; Translation: “not.”
  28. Debuisti — Lemma: dēbeō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of obligation; Translation: “you ought.”
  29. Facere — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with debuisti; Translation: “to do.”
  30. Fecisti — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of main clause; Translation: “you have done.”
  31. Nobis — Lemma: nōs; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural, first person; Function: indirect object of fecisti; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Concludes the accusation with a personal reference to the affected party, expressing communal injury.

 

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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