Genesis 23:16

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:16 Quod cum audisset Abraham, appendit pecuniam, quam Ephron postulaverat, audientibus filiis Heth, quadringentos siclos argenti probatæ monetæ publicæ.

When Abraham heard this, he weighed out the money which Ephron had demanded, in the hearing of the sons of Heth, four hundred shekels of silver, of approved public coin.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quod which / when REL.PRON.ACC.SG.N
2 cum when / after SUB.CONJ
3 audisset had heard 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
5 appendit weighed out 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 pecuniam money ACC.SG.F
7 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
8 Ephron Ephron NOM.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
9 postulaverat had demanded 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
10 audientibus while hearing / in the hearing of PRES.ACT.PTCP.ABL.PL.M
11 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
12 Heth of Heth GEN.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
13 quadringentos four hundred ACC.PL.M
14 siclos shekels ACC.PL.M
15 argenti of silver GEN.SG.N
16 probatæ approved / tested GEN.SG.F
17 monetæ coin / currency GEN.SG.F
18 publicæ public GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Quod cum audisset Abraham — “When Abraham had heard this.” The conjunction cum with the pluperfect subjunctive audisset forms a temporal clause describing the prior circumstance.
Main Clause: appendit pecuniam — perfect indicative active, “he weighed out the money.” The verb appendit literally means “to weigh,” fitting ancient payment customs where silver was measured, not coined.
Relative Clause: quam Ephron postulaverat — modifies pecuniam: “which Ephron had demanded.” The pluperfect tense indicates the earlier negotiation.
Ablative of Circumstance: audientibus filiis Heth — ablative absolute meaning “in the hearing of the sons of Heth,” denoting legal witnesses.
Accusative of Measure: quadringentos siclos argenti — specifies the exact amount, “four hundred shekels of silver.”
Genitive of Quality: probatæ monetæ publicæ — “of approved public coin,” describing purity and standard of the silver.
Overall Syntax: The sentence mirrors legal-economic precision typical of Genesis’ covenant scenes: a witnessed, weighed transaction confirming Abraham’s full, honorable payment.

Morphology

  1. Quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of audisset; Translation: “which / when”; Notes: Here, idiomatically temporal with cum.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when / after”; Notes: Requires subjunctive verb in classical and biblical style.
  3. audisset — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect subjunctive active third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had heard”; Notes: Marks completed prior perception.
  4. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Subject of both clauses.
  5. appendit — Lemma: appendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “weighed out”; Notes: Describes literal act of weighing silver before witnesses.
  6. pecuniam — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of appendit; Translation: “money”; Notes: Refers to the payment silver.
  7. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of postulaverat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to pecuniam.
  8. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: subject of postulaverat; Translation: “Ephron.”
  9. postulaverat — Lemma: postulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had demanded”; Notes: Refers to Ephron’s earlier negotiation statement.
  10. audientibus — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative absolute with filiis; Translation: “while hearing / in the hearing of”; Notes: Expresses public witness of the transaction.
  11. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: with audientibus; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to the Hittite citizens serving as witnesses.
  12. Heth — Lemma: Heth; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: dependent genitive of filiis; Translation: “of Heth”; Notes: Denotes the Hittite lineage.
  13. quadringentos — Lemma: quadringenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies siclos; Translation: “four hundred”; Notes: Specifies amount of payment.
  14. siclos — Lemma: siclus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: accusative of measure; Translation: “shekels”; Notes: Unit of currency by weight.
  15. argenti — Lemma: argentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: genitive of material; Translation: “of silver”; Notes: Defines type of payment substance.
  16. probatæ — Lemma: probatus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies monetæ; Translation: “approved / tested”; Notes: Indicates purity of currency.
  17. monetæ — Lemma: moneta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: with argenti; Translation: “coin / currency”; Notes: Refers to the standard of silver used.
  18. publicæ — Lemma: publicus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: modifies monetæ; Translation: “public”; Notes: Describes officially recognized currency, ensuring legal validity.

 

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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