Genesis 20:5

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:5 Nonne ipse dixit mihi: Soror mea est: et ipsa ait: Frater meus est? in simplictate cordis mei, et munditia manuum mearum feci hoc.

Did he not say to me: She is my sister? and she herself said: He is my brother. In the simplicity of my heart and the cleanness of my hands I have done this.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nonne surely? INTERROG.PART
2 ipse he himself PRON.NOM.SG.M
3 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 mihi to me PRON.DAT.SG.1P
5 Soror sister NOUN.NOM.SG.F
6 mea my ADJ.NOM.SG.F
7 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 et and CONJ
9 ipsa she herself PRON.NOM.SG.F
10 ait says/said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 Frater brother NOUN.NOM.SG.M
12 meus my ADJ.NOM.SG.M
13 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 simplicitate simplicity NOUN.ABL.SG.F
16 cordis of heart NOUN.GEN.SG.N
17 mei my ADJ.GEN.SG.N
18 et and CONJ
19 munditia cleanness NOUN.ABL.SG.F
20 manuum of hands NOUN.GEN.PL.F
21 mearum my ADJ.GEN.PL.F
22 feci I did 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 hoc this PRON.ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ipse (subject) + dixit (verb) + mihi (indirect object) + Soror mea est (direct-speech clause functioning as the object of “dixit”).
Main Clause 2: Ipsa (subject) + ait (verb) + Frater meus est (direct-speech clause functioning as the object of “ait”).
Assertion: Feci hoc (main clause “I have done this”), modified by ablatives of manner: in simplicitate cordis mei and et munditia manuum mearum.

Morphology

  1. Nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: interrogative particle; Form: rhetorical interrogative expecting an affirmative answer; Function: introduces the direct question; Translation: “surely … ?”; Notes: Signals that the speaker anticipates agreement.
  2. Ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive/emphatic pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Adds contrastive emphasis to the subject.
  3. Dixit — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main reporting verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Perfect portrays completed past speech.
  4. Mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: personal pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “dixit”; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Regular case with verbs of saying or giving.
  5. Soror — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative with “est”; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Complements an understood subject “she.”
  6. Mea — Lemma: meus, mea, meum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: agrees with Soror; Translation: “my”; Notes: Attributes possession/relationship.
  7. Est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copular verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links subject and complement.
  8. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links parallel clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two reported-speech assertions.
  9. Ipsa — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive/emphatic pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “she herself”; Notes: Mirrors ipse for balanced emphasis.
  10. Ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: defective verb of saying; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: introduces direct discourse; Translation: “says/said”; Notes: Common as a “historical present” in narrative.
  11. Frater — Lemma: frāter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative with “est”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Complements an understood subject “he.”
  12. Meus — Lemma: meus, mea, meum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: agrees with Frater; Translation: “my”; Notes: Marks possession/relationship.
  13. Est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copular verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Second parallel copular clause.
  14. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative here; Function: introduces ablative of manner; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses mode/condition of the action.
  15. Simplicitate — Lemma: simplicitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “simplicity”; Notes: Connotes sincerity of intention.
  16. Cordis — Lemma: cor, cordis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: possessive/subjective genitive; Translation: “of (the) heart”; Notes: Specifies the seat/source of sincerity.
  17. Mei — Lemma: meus, mea, meum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular neuter (agreeing with cordis by case, not by natural gender); Function: modifies cordis; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes the genitive phrase.
  18. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links coordinate ablative phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Balances the two manners of acting.
  19. Munditia — Lemma: munditia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of manner (coordinated with the phrase headed by in); Translation: “cleanness/purity”; Notes: Moral/ritual purity metaphor.
  20. Manuum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun (4th declension); Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: possessive genitive with munditia; Translation: “of hands”; Notes: Metonymy for deeds/actions.
  21. Mearum — Lemma: meus, mea, meum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: modifies manuum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Agrees with the feminine plural noun.
  22. Feci — Lemma: faciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, first person singular; Function: main finite verb of the assertion; Translation: “I have done”; Notes: Perfective aspect presents the action as complete.
  23. Hoc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun/adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of feci; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic reference to the deed under discussion.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.