Genesis 23:4

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:4 Advena sum et peregrinus apud vos: date mihi ius sepulchri vobiscum, ut sepeliam mortuum meum.

“I am a stranger and a sojourner among you: give me the right of a sepulchre with you, that I may bury my dead.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Advena stranger NOM.SG.M
2 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 et and CONJ
4 peregrinus sojourner NOM.SG.M
5 apud among / with PREP+ACC
6 vos you (pl.) ACC.PL
7 date give (you all) 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
8 mihi to me DAT.SG
9 ius right / title ACC.SG.N
10 sepulchri of a sepulchre GEN.SG.N
11 vobiscum with you ABL.PL + CUM
12 ut so that CONJ (PURPOSE)
13 sepeliam I may bury 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
14 mortuum the dead (one) ACC.SG.M
15 meum my ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Advena sum et peregrinus apud vos — copular clause with two predicate nominatives (Advena, peregrinus) describing legal/social status; apud vos marks social location “among you.”
Main Clause 2: date mihi ius sepulchri vobiscum — imperative request; mihi dative of recipient; ius sepulchri direct object (“legal right/title of a burial place”); vobiscum indicates situational association “with you (in your land/community).”
Purpose Clause: ut sepeliam mortuum meum — ut + present subjunctive expresses intended purpose; object is mortuum meum (Sarah, understood). The juxtaposition of humble status and precise legal language underscores a formal property negotiation.

Morphology

  1. Advena — Lemma: advena; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative with sum; Translation: “stranger”; Notes: Denotes a non-citizen resident without land rights; sets up the legal necessity of requesting a burial plot.
  2. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active first person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Present tense states current legal status preparatory to a petition.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates two predicates; Translation: “and”; Notes: Polysyndetic humility formula (“stranger and sojourner”) typical of resident aliens.
  4. peregrinus — Lemma: peregrinus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative with sum; Translation: “sojourner”; Notes: Implies longer-term residence but without inheritance or civic rights.
  5. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks social-spatial relation; Translation: “among/with”; Notes: Often used for presence within a community rather than mere physical location.
  6. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of apud; Translation: “you (pl.)”; Notes: The addressed civic body (sons of Heth).
  7. date — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person plural; Function: principal verb of request; Translation: “give (you all)”; Notes: Formal legal petition initiating negotiation for property rights.
  8. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of recipient; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks Abraham as beneficiary of the requested right.
  9. ius — Lemma: ius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object of date; Translation: “right, legal title”; Notes: Technical term for recognized claim/ownership, not merely permission.
  10. sepulchri — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: genitive of specification with ius; Translation: “of a sepulchre”; Notes: Specifies the subject-matter of the legal right (burial plot).
  11. vobiscum — Lemma: vos + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun + enclitic; Form: ablative plural; Function: associative/locative phrase; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Indicates the burial right is to be exercised within their territory/community bounds.
  12. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: marks intended result; Translation: “so that/that”; Notes: Standard marker for telic (purpose) subordination.
  13. sepeliam — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active first person singular; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “I may bury”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses aim rather than assertion; aligns with legal request tone.
  14. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of sepeliam; Translation: “the dead (one)”; Notes: Substantivized adjective referring to Sarah, delicately avoiding her name in the legal plea.
  15. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personal possessive foregrounds kinship responsibility as the basis for burial.

 

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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