Genesis 20:7

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:7 Nunc ergo redde viro suo uxorem, quia propheta est: et orabit pro te, et vives: si autem nolueris reddere, scito quod morte morieris tu, et omnia quæ tua sunt.

Now therefore return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you, and you shall live; but if you are not willing to return her, know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nunc now ADV
2 ergo therefore CONJ
3 redde return 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 viro to the man NOUN.DAT.SG.M
5 suo his ADJ.DAT.SG.M
6 uxorem wife NOUN.ACC.SG.F
7 quia for/because CONJ
8 propheta prophet NOUN.NOM.SG.M
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 et and CONJ
11 orabit he will pray 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
12 pro for PREP+ABL
13 te you PRON.ABL.SG.2P
14 et and CONJ
15 vives you shall live 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 si if CONJ
17 autem however/but CONJ
18 nolueris you are not willing 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
19 reddere to return INF.PRES.ACT
20 scito know 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP
21 quod that CONJ
22 morte by death NOUN.ABL.SG.F
23 morieris you shall die 2SG.FUT.DEP.IND
24 tu you PRON.NOM.SG.2P
25 et and CONJ
26 omnia all things PRON.NOM.PL.N
27 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
28 tua your ADJ.NOM.PL.N
29 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Command: Redde viro suo uxorem — imperative command: “Return the man’s wife.” The direct object is uxorem, and the indirect object phrase viro suo specifies to whom she is to be returned.
Reason Clause: Introduced by quia, explaining cause: “for he is a prophet.”
Consequence Clause: Et orabit pro te, et vives — result of obedience: “and he will pray for you, and you shall live.”
Conditional Clause: Si autem nolueris reddere — “but if you are unwilling to return (her),” introducing divine warning.
Result and Threat: Scito quod morte morieris tu et omnia quæ tua sunt — “know that you shall surely die, you and all that are yours,” with morte morieris expressing an idiomatic intensive threat (“by death you shall die”).

Morphology

  1. Nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks transition to divine instruction.
  2. Ergo — Lemma: ergō; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: inferential connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Indicates logical consequence.
  3. Redde — Lemma: reddō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “return”; Notes: Direct imperative from God to Abimelech.
  4. Viro — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the man”; Notes: Recipient of the returned wife.
  5. Suo — Lemma: suus, sua, suum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: agrees with viro; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  6. Uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of redde; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Object of restitution.
  7. Quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because / for”; Notes: Explains divine reason.
  8. Propheta — Lemma: prophēta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “prophet”; Notes: Title of honor identifying Abraham.
  9. Est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula linking subject and complement; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple existential linking.
  10. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins clauses of outcome.
  11. Orabit — Lemma: ōrō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he will pray”; Notes: Predicts prophetic intercession.
  12. Pro — Lemma: prō; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses behalf or benefit; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates intercessory function.
  13. Te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: “you”; Notes: Denotes the beneficiary of prayer.
  14. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues sequence of blessings.
  15. Vives — Lemma: vīvō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, second person singular; Function: result of divine favor; Translation: “you shall live”; Notes: Promise of preservation.
  16. Si — Lemma: sī; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: conditional particle; Translation: “if”; Notes: Begins divine warning.
  17. Autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: “however / but”; Notes: Contrasts disobedience to command.
  18. Nolueris — Lemma: nōlō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, second person singular; Function: verb in protasis of condition; Translation: “you are not willing / refuse”; Notes: Expresses deliberate refusal.
  19. Reddere — Lemma: reddō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive after nolueris; Translation: “to return”; Notes: Dependent infinitive construction.
  20. Scito — Lemma: sciō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active imperative, second person singular; Function: command to acknowledge; Translation: “know”; Notes: Expresses divine certainty of judgment.
  21. Quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces object clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces content of divine warning.
  22. Morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by death”; Notes: Instrumental expression: “by death you shall die.”
  23. Morieris — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, second person singular; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “you shall die”; Notes: Deponent form expressing passive meaning.
  24. Tu — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: explicit subject for emphasis; Translation: “you”; Notes: Emphasizes personal accountability.
  25. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: joins compound subject; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links consequence to collective group.
  26. Omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to all possessions.
  27. Quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying omnia; Translation: “which”; Notes: Neuter plural to agree with omnia.
  28. Tua — Lemma: tuus, tua, tuum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate complement within relative clause; Translation: “your”; Notes: Indicates ownership of possessions.
  29. Sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: Simple copula completing the clause “which are yours.”

 

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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