Genesis 20:2

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:2 Dixitque de Sara uxore suo, Soror mea est. Misit ergo Abimelech rex Geraræ, et tulit eam.

And he said of Sara his wife, “She is my sister.” Therefore Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took her.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 de of / concerning PREP+ABL
3 Sara Sara ABL.SG.F.PROPN
4 uxore wife ABL.SG.F
5 suo his ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
6 Soror sister NOM.SG.F
7 mea my NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Misit sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 ergo therefore CONJ.ADV
11 Abimelech Abimelech NOM.SG.M.PROPN
12 rex king NOM.SG.M
13 Geraræ of Gerar GEN.SG.F.PROPN
14 et and CONJ
15 tulit took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 eam her ACC.SG.F.PRON

Syntax

Clause 1: Dixitque de Sara uxore suo, Soror mea est — The main verb Dixitque (“and he said”) introduces indirect reference about Sara uxore suo (“Sara his wife”), with Soror mea est (“she is my sister”) functioning as reported direct speech. The phrase de uxore suo uses de + ablative to indicate “concerning his wife.”
Clause 2: Misit ergo Abimelech rex Geraræ, et tulit eam — The conjunction ergo introduces consequence. Abimelech rex Geraræ is the compound subject, with Misit and tulit as coordinated verbs. The pronoun eam (“her”) functions as the object of tulit, completing the narrative action.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Connects Abraham’s speech to the prior narrative sequence.
  2. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses relation or reference; Translation: “concerning / about”; Notes: Introduces object of speech.
  3. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine (indeclinable foreign name); Function: object of “de”; Translation: “Sara”; Notes: Abraham’s wife and the subject of deception.
  4. uxore — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: apposition with “Sara”; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Clarifies Sara’s marital relationship to Abraham.
  5. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “uxore”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possessive, referring to Abraham.
  6. Soror — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Used deceitfully to conceal marital status.
  7. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “soror”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Confirms personal claim within false statement.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and predicate in the deceptive declaration.
  9. Misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “he sent”; Notes: Indicates Abimelech’s royal command to seize Sara.
  10. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: marks logical consequence; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces causal sequence following Abraham’s deceit.
  11. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Misit” and “tulit”; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar; his name means “my father is king.”
  12. rex — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “Abimelech”; Translation: “king”; Notes: Titles Abimelech with his political role.
  13. Geraræ — Lemma: Gerara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession modifying “rex”; Translation: “of Gerar”; Notes: Denotes realm over which Abimelech ruled.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links “Misit” and “tulit”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequentially joins the king’s actions.
  15. tulit — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “took”; Notes: Denotes seizure or taking into possession.
  16. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “tulit”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Sara, the object of Abimelech’s action.

 

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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