Genesis 23:11

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:11 Nequaquam ita fiat, domine mi, sed tu magis ausculta quod loquor: Agrum trado tibi, et speluncam, quæ in eo est, præsentibus filiis populi mei, sepeli mortuum tuum.

“No, my lord, let it not be so, but rather hear me: I give you the field and the cave that is in it; before the sons of my people, bury your dead.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nequaquam by no means / not at all ADV
2 ita thus / so ADV
3 fiat let it be / be done 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
4 domine lord VOC.SG.M
5 mi my VOC.SG.M
6 sed but CONJ
7 tu you NOM.SG
8 magis rather / more ADV
9 ausculta listen 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
10 quod what / that which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.N
11 loquor I speak 1SG.PRES.DEP.IND
12 Agrum field ACC.SG.M
13 trado I give / hand over 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 tibi to you DAT.SG
15 et and CONJ
16 speluncam cave ACC.SG.F
17 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 eo in it PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.M
20 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
21 præsentibus before / in the presence of ABL.PL.M
22 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
23 populi of the people GEN.SG.M
24 mei my ADJ.POSS.GEN.SG.M
25 sepeli bury 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
26 mortuum dead (person) ACC.SG.M
27 tuum your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Prohibition Clause: Nequaquam ita fiat — uses the subjunctive fiat after the adverb nequaquam (“by no means”) for a strong polite refusal, literally “May it not be so.”
Address: domine mi — vocative phrase meaning “my lord,” indicating deep respect and courteous tone.
Main Contrast: sed tu magis ausculta quod loquor — conjunction sed introduces contrast; imperative ausculta invites attention, with the relative quod loquor (“what I say”) functioning as its object.
Declarative Statement: Agrum trado tibi et speluncam quæ in eo est — direct offer; trado governs two coordinated accusatives (agrum and speluncam), with a relative clause qualifying the latter.
Instrumental Clause: præsentibus filiis populi mei — ablative absolute meaning “in the presence of the sons of my people,” establishing the legal and public character of the transaction.
Imperative Command: sepeli mortuum tuum — imperative of permission or invitation: “bury your dead.”
Overall Syntax: Ephron’s speech is formal, generous, and transactional. It follows ancient Near Eastern legal conventions—public offer, witnesses, and a concluding imperative granting consent.

Morphology

  1. Nequaquam — Lemma: nequaquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies fiat; Translation: “by no means / not at all”; Notes: Used to express firm negation without harshness.
  2. ita — Lemma: ita; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies fiat; Translation: “thus / so”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s proposal; negated by nequaquam.
  3. fiat — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active third person singular; Function: jussive subjunctive; Translation: “let it be / be done”; Notes: Used in polite prohibitions (“May it not be so”).
  4. domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative masculine singular; Function: direct address; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Polite honorific, not divine title here.
  5. mi — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: vocative masculine singular; Function: modifies domine; Translation: “my”; Notes: Vocative form is irregular; expresses affection and respect.
  6. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Transition from refusal to alternate proposal.
  7. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of ausculta; Translation: “you”; Notes: Explicit for emphasis (“you rather, listen”).
  8. magis — Lemma: magis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies ausculta; Translation: “rather / more”; Notes: Adds contrastive force (“instead, listen”).
  9. ausculta — Lemma: ausculto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: main command; Translation: “listen”; Notes: Courteous imperative inviting attention.
  10. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of ausculta; Translation: “what / that which”; Notes: Refers to the content of Ephron’s words.
  11. loquor — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present indicative deponent first person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “I speak”; Notes: Deponent in form, active in meaning.
  12. Agrum — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of trado; Translation: “field”; Notes: Refers to the property containing the cave.
  13. trado — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active first person singular; Function: main verb of statement; Translation: “I give / hand over”; Notes: Present tense denotes offer of immediate transfer.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of the gift; reinforces tone of generosity.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins agrum and speluncam; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two parts of the offered property.
  16. speluncam — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: second object of trado; Translation: “cave”; Notes: The burial site accompanying the field.
  17. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of est; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying speluncam.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates physical location.
  19. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “in it”; Notes: Refers to agrum.
  20. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: copula of relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple identification of location.
  21. præsentibus — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: participle used as adjective; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: with filiis in ablative absolute; Translation: “in the presence of”; Notes: Indicates witnesses present at transaction.
  22. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: with præsentibus; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Collective noun meaning “members / citizens.”
  23. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive with filiis; Translation: “of the people”; Notes: Specifies national or civic identity.
  24. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies populi; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates Ephron’s own community or clan.
  25. sepeli — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: imperative of invitation; Translation: “bury”; Notes: Polite granting of permission.
  26. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of sepeli; Translation: “dead (person)”; Notes: Refers to Sarah; respectful periphrasis.
  27. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Conveys personal affection and closure to the negotiation.

 

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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