Genesis 20:11

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:11 Respondit Abraham: Cogitavi mecum, dicens: Forsitan non est timor Dei in loco isto: et interficient me propter uxorem meam:

And Abraham replied: “I thought with myself, saying, Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M.PROPN
3 Cogitavi I thought 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 mecum with myself PREP+ABL
5 dicens saying PRES.PTCP.ACT.NOM.SG.M
6 Forsitan perhaps ADV
7 non not ADV
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 timor fear NOM.SG.M
10 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 loco place ABL.SG.M
13 isto this ABL.SG.M.DEMONSTR.ADJ
14 et and CONJ
15 interficient they will kill 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
16 me me ACC.SG.PRON
17 propter because of PREP+ACC
18 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
19 meam my ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Respondit Abraham — The perfect verb respondit introduces Abraham’s answer, with Abraham as the subject.
Embedded Clause: Cogitavi mecum dicens — Expresses internal reasoning; the participle dicens introduces the content of thought.
Quoted Thought: Forsitan non est timor Dei in loco isto — A hypothetical fear: “Perhaps there is not the fear of God in this place.”
Consequence Clause: et interficient me propter uxorem meam — Predicts danger, “and they will kill me because of my wife,” where propter introduces the causal phrase.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “replied”; Notes: Introduces Abraham’s speech to Abimelech.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “respondit”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The patriarch is the speaker and focus of divine-human dialogue.
  3. Cogitavi — Lemma: cogito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, first person singular; Function: verb of mental action; Translation: “I thought”; Notes: Reflects Abraham’s inner reasoning under perceived threat.
  4. mecum — Lemma: mecum; Part of Speech: pronoun (with preposition); Form: ablative singular; Function: reflexive phrase meaning “with myself”; Translation: “with myself”; Notes: Indicates internal dialogue.
  5. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces indirect speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Expresses the thought that follows.
  6. Forsitan — Lemma: forsitan; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces speculation; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: Marks uncertainty or conjecture.
  7. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denies the existence of reverence toward God.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate (“fear of God”).
  9. timor — Lemma: timor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “fear”; Notes: Refers to reverence or awe of God.
  10. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Specifies the object of fear—YHWH.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses location of moral condition.
  12. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to the territory of Gerar.
  13. isto — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “loco”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Indicates proximity—“this place.”
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links the second clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects reasoning with consequence.
  15. interficient — Lemma: interficio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active, third person plural; Function: main verb of predicted action; Translation: “they will kill”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s fear of being slain.
  16. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of “interficient”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Refers to Abraham himself as threatened party.
  17. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: causal; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Introduces the motive clause.
  18. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “propter”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Sara.
  19. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “uxorem”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes relational cause of Abraham’s fear.

 

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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