Genesis 23:18

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:18 Abrahæ in possessionem, videntibus filiis Heth, et cunctis qui intrabant portam civitatis illius.

To Abraham as a possession, in the sight of the sons of Heth, and of all who entered the gate of that city.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Abrahæ to Abraham DAT.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
2 in into / as PREP+ACC
3 possessionem possession ACC.SG.F
4 videntibus while seeing / in the sight of PRES.ACT.PTCP.ABL.PL.M
5 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
6 Heth of Heth GEN.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
7 et and CONJ
8 cunctis all ABL.PL.M
9 qui who REL.PRON.NOM.PL.M
10 intrabant entered / were entering 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
11 portam gate ACC.SG.F
12 civitatis of the city GEN.SG.F
13 illius of that PRON.GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Phrase: Abrahæ in possessionem — expresses the legal transfer, “to Abraham as a possession,” using the dative of recipient and accusative of purpose/result.
Ablative Absolute: videntibus filiis Heth — literally “with the sons of Heth seeing,” i.e., “in the sight of the sons of Heth,” denoting legal witnesses.
Extended Clause: et cunctis qui intrabant portam civitatis illius — adds additional witnesses, “and all who entered the gate of that city,” indicating a full civic assembly (ancient city gates were public legal venues).
Overall Syntax: The phrase concludes the property transaction narrative, emphasizing public legality and social recognition before all community members.

Morphology

  1. Abrahæ — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Abraham”; Notes: Marks Abraham as legal recipient of the land.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose/result; Translation: “into / as”; Notes: Introduces resultative accusative (“as possession”).
  3. possessionem — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “possession”; Notes: Legal term for permanent ownership transfer.
  4. videntibus — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “while seeing / in the sight of”; Notes: Indicates witnessing presence of Hittite elders.
  5. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: complement of videntibus; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to the male representatives of the Hittite people.
  6. Heth — Lemma: Heth; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: dependent genitive with filiis; Translation: “of Heth”; Notes: Refers to the Hittite lineage acting as witnesses.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins two witness clauses.
  8. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: modifies qui; Translation: “all”; Notes: Indicates inclusivity of all citizens present.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of intrabant; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to townsmen entering the city gate.
  10. intrabant — Lemma: intro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active third person plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “were entering / entered”; Notes: Imperfect portrays habitual civic traffic at the gate.
  11. portam — Lemma: porta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of intrabant; Translation: “gate”; Notes: Symbolic of the city’s public forum where transactions were witnessed.
  12. civitatis — Lemma: civitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: possessive genitive with portam; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Specifies location of the gate.
  13. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies civitatis; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Deictic reference to the city of the Hittites, emphasizing specificity.

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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