Genesis 23:6

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:6 Audi nos domine, princeps Dei es apud nos: in electis sepulchris nostris sepeli mortuum tuum: nullusque te prohibere poterit quin in monumento eius sepelias mortuum tuum.

“Hear us, lord, you are a prince of God among us: in our chosen sepulchres bury your dead; and none of us can forbid you from burying your dead in his monument.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Audi hear 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 nos us ACC.PL
3 domine lord VOC.SG.M
4 princeps prince NOM.SG.M
5 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
6 es are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 apud among PREP+ACC
8 nos us ACC.PL
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 electis chosen ABL.PL.N
11 sepulchris sepulchres ABL.PL.N
12 nostris our ADJ.POSS.ABL.PL.N
13 sepeli bury 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 mortuum dead (person) ACC.SG.M
15 tuum your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
16 nullusque and no one ADJ.INDEF.NOM.SG.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
17 te you ACC.SG
18 prohibere to forbid PRES.ACT.INF
19 poterit will be able 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 quin that not / but that CONJ
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 monumento monument / tomb ABL.SG.N
23 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
24 sepelias you may bury 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
25 mortuum dead (person) ACC.SG.M
26 tuum your ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Imperative Clause: Audi nos domine — polite appeal, vocative domine (“lord”) marking respect; direct object nos (“us”) with imperative verb audi (“hear”).
Descriptive Clause: princeps Dei es apud nos — predicate nominative construction “you are a prince of God among us”; apud nos expresses relational standing within their community.
Imperative of Permission: in electis sepulchris nostris sepeli mortuum tuum — prepositional phrase in electis sepulchris nostris (locative of generosity) introduces invitation; sepeli (imperative) commands gracious permission to bury.
Prohibitive Clause: nullusque te prohibere poterit quin in monumento eius sepelias mortuum tuum — future indicative poterit (“will be able”) with infinitive prohibere and subjunctive sepelias after quin (“but that / from doing so”) expresses impossibility of restraint.
Overall Syntax: The speech is formally deferential yet assertive, using balanced imperatives and future assertions to confirm Abraham’s respected status and unrestricted burial rights.

Morphology

  1. Audi — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: main verb of command; Translation: “hear”; Notes: Used in polite address, not harsh command; tone of supplication and respect.
  2. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of audi; Translation: “us”; Notes: Inclusive plural referring to the Hittite speakers.
  3. domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative masculine singular; Function: direct address; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Courtesy title recognizing Abraham’s dignity and social rank.
  4. princeps — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: predicate nominative with es; Translation: “prince / leader”; Notes: Conveys honorific recognition—“chief of God.”
  5. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: genitive of possession/modification; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Suggests divine favor or blessing (“a prince blessed by God”).
  6. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active second person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Simple identification of status.
  7. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relationship or esteem; Translation: “among”; Notes: Indicates standing within the community.
  8. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of apud; Translation: “us”; Notes: Refers again to the Hittites as collective interlocutors.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks location within offered burial sites.
  10. electis — Lemma: electus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: modifies sepulchris; Translation: “chosen”; Notes: Implies selected or family-owned sepulchres of esteem.
  11. sepulchris — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “sepulchres”; Notes: Refers to family burial sites.
  12. nostris — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: agrees with sepulchris; Translation: “our”; Notes: Marks generosity and shared social property.
  13. sepeli — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person singular; Function: command of permission; Translation: “bury”; Notes: Expresses invitation rather than obligation; a courteous imperative.
  14. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of sepeli; Translation: “dead (person)”; Notes: Refers to Sarah, euphemistic term avoiding her name.
  15. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Affectionate possessive acknowledging Abraham’s kinship duty.
  16. nullusque — Lemma: nullus + que; Part of Speech: adjective + enclitic; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of poterit; Translation: “and no one”; Notes: Enclitic links prohibition clause emphatically to preceding offer.
  17. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of prohibere; Translation: “you”; Notes: Recipient of hypothetical prohibition.
  18. prohibere — Lemma: prohibeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with poterit; Translation: “to forbid”; Notes: Common infinitive following verbs of ability or possibility.
  19. poterit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of prohibition clause; Translation: “will be able”; Notes: Future expresses assured impossibility of restraint.
  20. quin — Lemma: quin; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative consecutive clause; Translation: “that not / but that”; Notes: Regularly follows verbs of hindering or denying; introduces subjunctive clause sepelias.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks specific burial site.
  22. monumento — Lemma: monumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “monument / tomb”; Notes: Refers to physical tomb or memorial structure.
  23. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: possessive modifier of monumento; Translation: “his”; Notes: Likely means “of his own” (his chosen place).
  24. sepelias — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active second person singular; Function: verb of quin-clause; Translation: “you may bury”; Notes: Subjunctive governed by quin after negative hindering verb.
  25. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of sepelias; Translation: “dead (person)”; Notes: Refers again to Sarah.
  26. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Reinforces repeated tenderness and familial duty.

 

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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