Genesis 23:13

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:13 Et locutus est ad Ephron circumstante plebe: Quæso, ut audias me: Dabo pecuniam pro agro: suscipe eam, et sic sepeliam mortuum meum in eo.

And he spoke to Ephron while the people stood around, saying: “I pray you, hear me; I will give money for the field, receive it, and so I will bury my dead there.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 locutus spoken PERF.PTCP.M.NOM.SG
3 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 ad to PREP+ACC
5 Ephron Ephron ACC.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
6 circumstante standing around PRES.ACT.PTCP.ABL.SG.F
7 plebe people / crowd ABL.SG.F
8 Quæso I ask / I pray 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND (FORMULAIC IMPERATIVE)
9 ut that CONJ
10 audias you may hear 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 me me ACC.SG
12 Dabo I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
14 pro for / in exchange for PREP+ABL
15 agro field ABL.SG.M
16 suscipe receive / accept 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
17 eam it PRON.ACC.SG.F
18 et and CONJ
19 sic thus / so ADV
20 sepeliam I will bury 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 mortuum dead (person) ACC.SG.M
22 meum my ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
23 in in PREP+ABL
24 eo in it / there PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et locutus est ad Ephron circumstante plebe — The deponent perfect locutus est serves as the main verb (“spoke”), with ad Ephron marking the addressee. The ablative absolute circumstante plebe situates the event in a public setting: “while the people stood around.”
Subordinate Clause: Quæso ut audias me — polite petition formula; subjunctive audias follows ut to express entreaty (“I beg that you hear me”).
Transactional Clause: Dabo pecuniam pro agro — a formal offer; Dabo (future) shows Abraham’s intent to pay for the field. The preposition pro expresses an exchange.
Imperative and Result Clause: suscipe eam, et sic sepeliam mortuum meum in eo — the command suscipe (“receive it”) precedes the consequent action sepeliam (“I will bury”), joined by et sic (“and thus”), forming a conditional sequence typical of diplomatic speech.
Overall Syntax: The sentence reflects a transactional dialogue combining humility, respect, and formality. The rhythmic use of future and imperative verbs emphasizes both request and resolution.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative connector continuing Abraham’s negotiation.
  2. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: perfect participle masculine nominative singular; Function: part of periphrastic perfect; Translation: “spoken”; Notes: Forms perfect with auxiliary est.
  3. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: helps form perfect deponent; Translation: “has / was”; Notes: Used with deponents to indicate completion.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction or recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Standard preposition with verbs of speech.
  5. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: object of ad; Translation: “Ephron”; Notes: The Hittite landowner addressed by Abraham.
  6. circumstante — Lemma: circumsto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative feminine singular; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “standing around”; Notes: Denotes the circumstance of the onlookers’ presence.
  7. plebe — Lemma: plebs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: with circumstante; Translation: “people / crowd”; Notes: Refers to the witnesses at the negotiation.
  8. Quæso — Lemma: quaeso; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative (used idiomatically); Function: polite request formula; Translation: “I pray / please”; Notes: Often used parenthetically for “please.”
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Requires subjunctive mood.
  10. audias — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active second person singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you may hear”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s polite entreaty.
  11. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of audias; Translation: “me”; Notes: Direct personal appeal.
  12. Dabo — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active first person singular; Function: main verb of offer; Translation: “I will give”; Notes: Indicates firm transactional intent.
  13. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of dabo; Translation: “money”; Notes: Refers to silver payment customary for land acquisition.
  14. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates exchange; Translation: “for”; Notes: Transactional use.
  15. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: “field”; Notes: Refers to the specific parcel of land.
  16. suscipe — Lemma: suscipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: command; Translation: “receive”; Notes: Polite imperative inviting acceptance.
  17. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of suscipe; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the money offered.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links action to consequence.
  19. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies sepeliam; Translation: “so / thus”; Notes: Denotes logical outcome of prior act.
  20. sepeliam — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active first person singular; Function: main verb of result; Translation: “I will bury”; Notes: Expresses intent following acceptance.
  21. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective (substantive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of sepeliam; Translation: “dead (person)”; Notes: Refers reverently to Sarah.
  22. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s personal attachment.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies burial place.
  24. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “in it / there”; Notes: Refers to the field in question.

 

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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