Genesis 23:17

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:17 Confirmatusque est ager quondam Ephronis, in quo erat spelunca duplex, respiciens Mambre, tam ipse, quam spelunca, et omnes arbores eius in cunctis terminis eius per circuitum,

And the field of Ephron, in which was the double cave, facing Mambre, was confirmed, both the field itself, the cave, and all its trees in all its borders round about.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Confirmatusque and was confirmed 3SG.PERF.PASS.IND + -QUE
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 ager field NOM.SG.M
4 quondam formerly ADV
5 Ephronis of Ephron GEN.SG.M (INDECL.)
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 quo in which REL.PRON.ABL.SG.M
8 erat was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
9 spelunca cave NOM.SG.F
10 duplex double NOM.SG.F
11 respiciens facing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
12 Mambre Mamre ACC.SG (INDECL. PLACE)
13 tam both ADV
14 ipse itself PRON.NOM.SG.M
15 quam as well as CONJ
16 spelunca the cave NOM.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 omnes all ACC.PL.F
19 arbores trees ACC.PL.F
20 eius its PRON.GEN.SG
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 cunctis all ABL.PL.M
23 terminis boundaries ABL.PL.M
24 eius of it PRON.GEN.SG
25 per around PREP+ACC
26 circuitum circuit / circumference ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Confirmatusque est ager quondam Ephronis — perfect passive indicates legal ratification; quondam marks prior ownership.
Relative Clause: in quo erat spelunca duplex respiciens Mambre — locative detail; participle respiciens describes orientation toward Mamre.
Correlative Emphasis: tam ipse quam spelunca — explicitly includes land and cave.
Completeness Phrase: et omnes arbores eius in cunctis terminis eius per circuitum — includes appurtenances and entire perimeter, a legal totality formula.

Morphology

  1. Confirmatusque — Lemma: confirmo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative passive third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and was confirmed”; Notes: Legal/passive formula signaling finalized conveyance.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: auxiliary for perfect passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms compound tense with the participle.
  3. ager — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “field”; Notes: The parcel being conveyed.
  4. quondam — Lemma: quondam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “formerly”; Notes: Marks previous ownership (ex-Ephron).
  5. Ephronis — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive with ager; Translation: “of Ephron”; Notes: Names the prior owner in the deed formula.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces relative clause locale; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative use.
  7. quo — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Refers back to ager.
  8. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Descriptive background (location of cave).
  9. spelunca — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: subject of erat; Translation: “cave”; Notes: Macpelah cave of the narrative.
  10. duplex — Lemma: duplex; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: modifies spelunca; Translation: “double”; Notes: Traditional epithet of the cave.
  11. respiciens — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative feminine singular; Function: modifies spelunca; Translation: “facing”; Notes: Describes orientation as part of legal description.
  12. Mambre — Lemma: Mambre; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of the participle’s directional sense; Translation: “Mamre”; Notes: Local landmark anchoring the deed.
  13. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: correlative with quam; Translation: “both”; Notes: Begins inclusive pairing.
  14. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: emphasizes ager; Translation: “itself”; Notes: Stresses the land proper, not only appurtenances.
  15. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: closes correlative; Translation: “as well as”; Notes: Links second member of the pair.
  16. spelunca — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative feminine singular; Function: correlative complement; Translation: “(the) cave”; Notes: Ensures the burial site is legally included.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds a further item; Translation: “and”; Notes: Extends inclusion beyond land and cave.
  18. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: modifies arbores; Translation: “all”; Notes: Totality of trees as appurtenances.
  19. arbores — Lemma: arbor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: coordinated object (implied with the legal confirmation); Translation: “trees”; Notes: Produce-bearing assets counted in deeds.
  20. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive with arbores; Translation: “its”; Notes: Refers to the field.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces perimeter phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative use with boundaries.
  22. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: modifies terminis; Translation: “all”; Notes: Completeness over every boundary marker.
  23. terminis — Lemma: terminus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine plural; Function: object of in; Translation: “boundaries”; Notes: Technical deed term for border limits.
  24. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive with terminis; Translation: “of it”; Notes: Again refers to the field.
  25. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses extent; Translation: “around / through”; Notes: Marks encircling extent of boundaries.
  26. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of per; Translation: “circuit / circumference”; Notes: Legal term for full perimeter.

 

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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