Genesis 23:10

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:10 Habitabat autem Ephron in medio filiorum Heth. Responditque Ephron ad Abraham cunctis audientibus qui ingrediebantur portam civitatis illius, dicens:

Now Ephron was living among the sons of Heth. And Ephron answered Abraham in the hearing of all who entered the gate of that city, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habitabat was living 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
2 autem now / moreover CONJ
3 Ephron Ephron NOM.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
4 in in / among PREP+ABL
5 medio midst ABL.SG.N
6 filiorum sons GEN.PL.M
7 Heth of Heth GEN.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
8 Responditque and he answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
9 Ephron Ephron NOM.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
10 ad to PREP+ACC
11 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
12 cunctis all DAT.PL.M
13 audientibus hearing PRES.ACT.PTCP.DAT.PL.M
14 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.PL.M
15 ingrediebantur were entering 3PL.IMPF.DEP.IND
16 portam gate ACC.SG.F
17 civitatis of the city GEN.SG.F
18 illius that PRON.DEM.GEN.SG.F
19 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Opening Clause: Habitabat autem Ephron in medio filiorum Heth — imperfect tense verb habitabat sets background context (“was living”); in medio filiorum Heth locates him geographically and socially “among the sons of Heth.”
Main Action: Responditque Ephron ad Abraham — perfect verb marks subsequent narrative step (“and Ephron answered Abraham”).
Participial Phrase: cunctis audientibus — dative absolute meaning “in the hearing of all”; indicates witnesses present.
Relative Clause: qui ingrediebantur portam civitatis illius — modifies cunctis, describing the audience as “those who were entering the gate of that city,” a typical phrase for civic assembly.
Final Participial Phrase: dicens — nominative masculine singular participle agreeing with Ephron, introducing direct speech.
Overall Syntax: The verse is a carefully structured narrative transition combining background information, formal dialogue setting, and civic legitimacy through public witnesses at the city gate.

Morphology

  1. Habitabat — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active third person singular; Function: background verb; Translation: “was living”; Notes: Imperfect describes ongoing state of residence, not a one-time event.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional connective; Translation: “now / moreover”; Notes: Introduces a new narrative focus.
  3. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: subject of habitabat; Translation: “Ephron”; Notes: Hittite landowner and central figure in this transaction.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in / among”; Notes: Indicates place of habitation within a group.
  5. medio — Lemma: medium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “midst”; Notes: Common locative noun meaning “center / midst.”
  6. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine plural; Function: dependent genitive with medio; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Identifies community or tribe.
  7. Heth — Lemma: Heth; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable Hebraism); Form: genitive singular; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: “of Heth”; Notes: Refers to the Hittites (descendants of Heth).
  8. Responditque — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb of narrative; Translation: “and he answered”; Notes: Perfect tense indicates completed act of response; enclitic links with preceding clause.
  9. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: subject of respondit; Translation: “Ephron”; Notes: Repetition adds narrative emphasis.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Standard with verbs of communication.
  11. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: indirect object of ad; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Addressee of Ephron’s public reply.
  12. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative masculine plural; Function: dative of reference with audientibus; Translation: “to all”; Notes: Marks all listeners present as witnesses.
  13. audientibus — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle dative masculine plural; Function: agrees with cunctis; Translation: “hearing”; Notes: Dative absolute signifying “in the hearing of.”
  14. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: introduces relative clause modifying cunctis audientibus; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the citizens entering the gate.
  15. ingrediebantur — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: imperfect indicative deponent third person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “were entering”; Notes: Deponent in form, active in meaning.
  16. portam — Lemma: porta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of ingrediebantur; Translation: “gate”; Notes: Refers to the city gate, seat of legal business.
  17. civitatis — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: dependent genitive with portam; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Specifies the civic location.
  18. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies civitatis; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Refers to the specific city where the negotiation occurred.
  19. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Ephron; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces Ephron’s direct speech in the following verse.

 

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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