Genesis 23:2

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:2 Et mortua est in civitate Arbee, quæ est Hebron, in terra Chanaan: venitque Abraham ut plangeret, et fleret eam.

And she died in the city of Arbee, which is Hebron, in the land of Chanaan; and Abraham came to mourn and to weep for her.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 mortua died PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
3 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 civitate city ABL.SG.F
6 Arbee Arba GEN.SG.M
7 quæ which NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Hebron Hebron NOM.SG.F
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 terra land ABL.SG.F
12 Chanaan Canaan GEN.SG.F
13 venitque and came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
14 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
15 ut that / in order that CONJ (PURPOSE)
16 plangeret might mourn 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
17 et and CONJ
18 flēret might weep 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
19 eam her ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et mortua est in civitate Arbee — periphrastic perfect “died” with mortua est forming the verbal core; in civitate Arbee defines location.
Relative Clause: quæ est Hebron — specifies the modern name “Hebron.”
Locative Expansion: in terra Chanaan — situates event within the region of Canaan.
Main Clause 2: venitque Abraham ut plangeret et flēret eam — main narrative continuation joined with enclitic -que; ut introduces a purpose clause with two coordinated subjunctives: plangeret (outer ritual lamentation) and flēret (inner emotional weeping).
Overall Syntax: The structure shifts from geographical description to emotional and ritual expression, showing Abraham’s pious mourning as an action of both faith and affection.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Serves as a narrative connective, marking sequential action and continuity in Hebrew-style parataxis.
  2. mortua — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: perfect participle nominative feminine singular; Function: predicate with est; Translation: “died”; Notes: From a deponent verb; denotes completed death action.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: auxiliary of periphrastic perfect; Translation: “was”; Notes: Provides tense/aspect for participle.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Static use expressing place.
  5. civitate — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “city”; Notes: Indicates specific locality.
  6. Arbee — Lemma: Arbee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of Arba”; Notes: Archaic name for Hebron, referencing ancient ancestry.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of est in relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces explanatory apposition.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple equative linking Arbee to Hebron.
  9. Hebron — Lemma: Hebron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Hebron”; Notes: Identifies the modern equivalent of Arba.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the broader geographical frame.
  11. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Geographical, not symbolic use.
  12. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: genitive of place; Translation: “of Canaan”; Notes: Retains Hebrew phonetics in Latin transliteration (Kenaʿan).
  13. venitque — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb in coordination; Translation: “and came”; Notes: Enclitic -que fuses tightly with verb for fluid narration.
  14. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The actor of the mourning action.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: marks intention; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Used with subjunctive for volitional outcome.
  16. plangeret — Lemma: plango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active third person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “might mourn”; Notes: Refers to ritual lamentation (beating the breast); formal mourning act.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates plangeret and flēret; Translation: “and”; Notes: Combines two emotional actions in one purpose—external ritual (plangeret) and internal grief (flēret); the repetition of ut is unnecessary in Latin for shared subjunctives.
  18. flēret — Lemma: fleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active third person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “might weep”; Notes: Complements plangeret; expresses spontaneous tears rather than formal lamentation.
  19. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sarah; conclusion of the sentence centers emotional focus on her person.

 

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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