Genesis 20:3

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:3 Venit autem Deus ad Abimelech per somnium nocte, et ait illi: En morieris propter mulierem, quam tulisti: habet enim virum.

But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night and said to him, “Behold, you will die because of the woman whom you have taken, for she has a husband.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / however CONJ.ADV
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 Abimelech Abimelech ACC.SG.M.PROPN
6 per through / by means of PREP+ACC
7 somnium dream ACC.SG.N
8 nocte by night ABL.SG.F
9 et and CONJ
10 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 illi to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
12 En behold INTERJ
13 morieris you will die 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
14 propter because of PREP+ACC
15 mulierem woman ACC.SG.F
16 quam whom REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
17 tulisti you have taken 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
18 habet she has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
19 enim for / indeed CONJ.ADV
20 virum a husband ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Venit autem Deus ad Abimelech per somnium nocte — The perfect verb Venit introduces divine intervention; autem marks narrative transition. The prepositional phrase ad Abimelech identifies the recipient, while per somnium nocte expresses the medium (“through a dream by night”).
Direct Speech: et ait illi: En morieris propter mulierem, quam tulisti — The verb ait introduces God’s warning; morieris (future deponent) predicts Abimelech’s death. propter mulierem provides the cause, and quam tulisti is a relative clause clarifying “the woman you have taken.”
Explanatory Clause: habet enim virum — Introduced by enim (“for”), explaining why the act is grievous: “for she has a husband.”

Morphology

  1. Venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Describes divine appearance to Abimelech in a dream.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast or continuation; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Common narrative connective in biblical Latin.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Venit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH’s direct intervention through revelation.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks the recipient of divine approach.
  5. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable foreign name); Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar, warned by God.
  6. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates means or instrument; Translation: “through / by means of”; Notes: Expresses medium of revelation (“through a dream”).
  7. somnium — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “per”; Translation: “dream”; Notes: Common biblical mode of divine communication.
  8. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: temporal ablative; Translation: “by night”; Notes: Indicates time of the dream.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links divine appearance and speech.
  10. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common formula in divine dialogues.
  11. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “ait”; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Abimelech as recipient.
  12. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: calls attention; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Marks urgency or emphasis in divine warning.
  13. morieris — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative deponent, second person singular; Function: main verb of threat; Translation: “you will die”; Notes: Predictive and judicial tone typical in divine warnings.
  14. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Introduces reason for impending punishment.
  15. mulierem — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “propter”; Translation: “woman”; Notes: Refers to Sara.
  16. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “tulisti”; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Links subordinate clause clarifying the woman’s identity.
  17. tulisti — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, second person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “you have taken”; Notes: Suggests physical seizure or acquisition.
  18. habet — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb of explanatory clause; Translation: “she has”; Notes: Indicates current marital relationship.
  19. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for / indeed”; Notes: Connects divine reason to warning.
  20. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “habet”; Translation: “a husband”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, justifying divine intervention.

 

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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