Genesis 12:19

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 12:19 Quam ob causam dixisti esse sororem tuam, ut tollerem eam mihi in uxorem? Nunc igitur ecce coniux tua, accipe eam, et vade.

For what reason did you say that she was your sister, so that I might take her to myself as a wife? Now therefore, behold your wife, take her and go.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quam what INTERROG.PRON.ACC.SG.F
2 ob on account of PREP+ACC
3 causam reason / cause ACC.SG.F
4 dixisti you said 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 esse to be INF.PRES.ACT
6 sororem sister ACC.SG.F
7 tuam your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.F
8 ut so that CONJ.PURP
9 tollerem I might take 1SG.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
10 eam her PRON.ACC.SG.F
11 mihi to myself PRON.DAT.SG.1
12 in as / into PREP+ACC
13 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
14 Nunc now ADV
15 igitur therefore ADV
16 ecce behold INTERJ
17 coniux wife / spouse NOM.SG.F
18 tua your ADJ.POSS.NOM.SG.F
19 accipe take 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
20 eam her PRON.ACC.SG.F
21 et and CONJ
22 vade go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP

Syntax

Main Interrogative Clause: Quam ob causam dixisti esse sororem tuam — The phrase quam ob causam (“for what reason”) introduces the main question. esse sororem tuam is an infinitive clause (indirect statement) functioning as the object of dixisti.
Purpose Clause: ut tollerem eam mihi in uxorem — Introduced by ut and containing the subjunctive tollerem, expressing intended result (“so that I might take her as my wife”).
Independent Commands: Nunc igitur ecce coniux tua, accipe eam, et vade — a series of imperatives (accipe, vade) following the demonstrative ecce (“behold”), expressing restitution and dismissal.

Morphology

  1. Quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Interrogative/relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of preposition ob; Translation: “what”; Notes: Interrogative use, introducing the question “for what reason.”
  2. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Preposition expressing cause or reason; Translation: “on account of”; Notes: Common with abstract nouns like causa.
  3. causam — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ob; Translation: “reason / cause”; Notes: The object completing the prepositional phrase.
  4. dixisti — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: Main verb of question; Translation: “you said”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s deception.
  5. esse — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb (infinitive); Form: Present infinitive active; Function: Complementary infinitive in indirect statement; Translation: “to be”; Notes: Marks reported speech dependent on dixisti.
  6. sororem — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Predicate accusative in indirect statement; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Object of esse referring to Sarai.
  7. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies sororem; Translation: “your”; Notes: Reinforces personal relation to Sarai.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs the subjunctive tollerem.
  9. tollerem — Lemma: tollo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect subjunctive active, 1st person singular; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I might take / lift”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses intended outcome.
  10. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of tollerem; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sarai.
  11. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular; Function: Dative of advantage; Translation: “to myself”; Notes: Indicates beneficiary of action.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses relation or purpose; Translation: “as / into”; Notes: Idiomatic with uxorem (“to take as wife”).
  13. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Predicate of the phrase “take as wife.”
  14. Nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal adverb; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks transition to command.
  15. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Inferential particle; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Logical connector summarizing consequence.
  16. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Demonstrative exclamation; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Draws attention to what follows.
  17. coniux — Lemma: coniux; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject complement; Translation: “wife / spouse”; Notes: Refers again to Sarai, now restored.
  18. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective (possessive); Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Modifies coniux; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes rightful ownership restored to Abram.
  19. accipe — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Command; Translation: “take”; Notes: Urgent directive from Pharaoh to Abram.
  20. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of accipe; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sarai being returned.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential commands.
  22. vade — Lemma: vado; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Command; Translation: “go”; Notes: Pharaoh’s dismissal of Abram from Egypt.

 

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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