Genesis 23:15

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:15 Domine mi, audi me: Terra, quam postulas, quadringentis siclis argenti valet: istud est pretium inter me et te: sed quantum est hoc? sepeli mortuum tuum.

“My lord, hear me: the land that you ask for is worth four hundred shekels of silver; that is the price between me and you; but what is that? bury your dead.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Domine lord VOC.SG.M
2 mi my VOC.SG.M
3 audi hear 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 me me ACC.SG
5 Terra land NOM.SG.F
6 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
7 postulas you ask for 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 quadringentis four hundred ABL.PL.M
9 siclis shekels ABL.PL.M
10 argenti of silver GEN.SG.N
11 valet is worth 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 istud that DEM.PRON.NOM.SG.N
13 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 pretium price NOM.SG.N
15 inter between PREP+ACC
16 me me ACC.SG
17 et and CONJ
18 te you ACC.SG
19 sed but CONJ
20 quantum how much INTERROG.PRON.NOM.SG.N
21 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 hoc this DEM.PRON.NOM.SG.N
23 sepeli bury 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
24 mortuum dead (person) ACC.SG.M
25 tuum your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Vocative Address: Domine mi — a deferential address meaning “my lord,” used by Ephron to show courtesy toward Abraham.
Imperative Clause: audi me — direct and respectful imperative, “hear me.”
Main Declarative: Terra quam postulas quadringentis siclis argenti valet — “The land which you ask for is worth four hundred shekels of silver.” The relative clause quam postulas modifies terra; quadringentis siclis argenti (ablative of price) expresses value.
Clarifying Clause: istud est pretium inter me et te — “that is the price between me and you,” identifying the agreed valuation.
Concessive and Imperative: sed quantum est hoc? sepeli mortuum tuum — rhetorical understatement (“but what is that?”) followed by an imperative granting permission: “bury your dead.”
Overall Syntax: Ephron’s speech is formally diplomatic. It affirms the price but subtly downplays it (“what is that between us?”), expressing both generosity and social decorum typical of ancient Near Eastern transactions.

Morphology

  1. Domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative masculine singular; Function: direct address; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Used as a title of respect, not divine address here.
  2. mi — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: vocative masculine singular; Function: modifies domine; Translation: “my”; Notes: Irregular vocative form; expresses honor and familiarity.
  3. audi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: main command; Translation: “hear / listen”; Notes: Courteous imperative introducing a negotiation statement.
  4. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of audi; Translation: “me”; Notes: Direct personal appeal.
  5. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of valet; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the burial plot under negotiation.
  6. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of postulas; Translation: “which”; Notes: Connects terra with the subordinate clause.
  7. postulas — Lemma: postulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active second person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “you ask for”; Notes: Indicates request or claim.
  8. quadringentis — Lemma: quadringenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: modifies siclis; Translation: “four hundred”; Notes: Used in ablative of price construction.
  9. siclis — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: with quadringentis and argenti in ablative of value; Translation: “shekels”; Notes: Ancient unit of weight and currency.
  10. argenti — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: genitive of material; Translation: “of silver”; Notes: Specifies monetary medium of exchange.
  11. valet — Lemma: valeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “is worth”; Notes: Used in commercial valuations.
  12. istud — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject of est; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to the stated sum.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple equative construction.
  14. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “price”; Notes: Commercial term of valuation.
  15. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relationship; Translation: “between”; Notes: Marks the parties involved in the agreement.
  16. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: first object of inter; Translation: “me”; Notes: Speaker’s perspective.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins me and te; Translation: “and.”
  18. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: second object of inter; Translation: “you”; Notes: The second party in the negotiation (Abraham).
  19. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces concession; Translation: “but”; Notes: Sets up contrastive rhetorical question.
  20. quantum — Lemma: quantus; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: subject of est; Translation: “how much”; Notes: Used idiomatically for understatement (“what is that?”).
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple copula linking quantum and hoc.
  22. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative neuter singular; Function: predicate noun; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to the price previously stated.
  23. sepeli — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “bury”; Notes: Final imperative granting permission.
  24. 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, Abraham’s wife.
  25. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Conveys personal and compassionate tone in final permission.

 

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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