Genesis 20:15

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:15 et ait: Terra coram vobis est, ubicumque tibi placuerit habita.

and he said: “The land is before you; wherever it pleases you, live there.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Terra land / earth NOM.SG.F
4 coram before / in the presence of PREP+ABL
5 vobis you (plural) ABL.PL.PRON
6 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 ubicumque wherever CONJ
8 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
9 placuerit it may please 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND (potential / subjunctive sense)
10 habita live / dwell 2SG.IMPERF.ACT.IMP

Syntax

Main Clause: et ait introduces direct speech from Abimelech to Abraham.
Nominal Clause: Terra coram vobis est — A simple copular statement where Terra is the subject and est the verb; coram vobis expresses openness or availability (“before you” = “at your disposal”).
Conditional/Relative Clause: ubicumque tibi placuerit habita — A concessive clause functioning as a permissive command: “wherever it pleases you, live.” The verb placuerit (perfect subjunctive with future sense) conveys “whatever place may please you,” while habita (imperative) gives the command to dwell.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins this clause to the preceding narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard connective beginning a direct speech transition.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: introduces direct discourse; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common narrative verb of speech in Classical and Biblical Latin.
  3. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the region under Abimelech’s domain.
  4. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses spatial relation “before, in front of”; Translation: “before”; Notes: Suggests open permission or visible access.
  5. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of “coram”; Translation: “you (plural)”; Notes: Refers to Abraham and his household.
  6. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple present expressing current state or offer.
  7. ubicumque — Lemma: ubicumque; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces relative clause of place; Translation: “wherever”; Notes: Used in permissive or concessive expressions.
  8. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “placuerit”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Expresses the experiencer of pleasure or preference.
  9. placuerit — Lemma: placeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect or perfect subjunctive active, third person singular; Function: verb of emotion or evaluation in subordinate clause; Translation: “it pleases / may please”; Notes: Perfect subjunctive expressing potential satisfaction in future context (“whatever shall please you”).
  10. habita — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative present active, second person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “live / dwell”; Notes: Imperative granting Abraham freedom of settlement within the land.

 

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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