Genesis 23:8

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:8 dixitque ad eos: Si placet animæ vestræ ut sepeliam mortuum meum, audite me, et intercedite pro me apud Ephron filium Seor:

and he spoke to them, saying: “If it pleases your soul that I may bury my dead, hear me, and intercede for me with Ephron, the son of Seor;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eos them ACC.PL.M
4 Si if CONJ
5 placet it pleases 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 animæ to the soul DAT.SG.F
7 vestræ your ADJ.POSS.DAT.SG.F
8 ut that / so that CONJ
9 sepeliam I may bury 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
10 mortuum dead (person) ACC.SG.M
11 meum my ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
12 audite hear 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 me me ACC.SG
14 et and CONJ
15 intercedite intercede 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
16 pro for PREP+ABL
17 me me ABL.SG
18 apud with / before PREP+ACC
19 Ephron Ephron ACC.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)
20 filium son ACC.SG.M
21 Seor Zohar GEN.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)

Syntax

Introductory Clause: dixitque ad eos — compound with enclitic -que joining this verse to the preceding one; ad eos marks the indirect object “to them.”
Conditional Clause: Si placet animæ vestræ ut sepeliam mortuum meum — protasis introduced by si with main verb placet governing dative animæ vestræ (“if it pleases your soul”); subordinate purpose clause introduced by ut with subjunctive sepeliam (“that I may bury”).
Main Requests: audite me et intercedite pro me apud Ephron filium Seor — two coordinated imperatives forming polite appeals; apud Ephron filium Seor specifies the direction of their intercession.
Overall Syntax: Abraham employs a formal, deferential diplomatic tone. The structure uses courteous subjunctive and imperative verbs to combine humility (“hear me”) with persuasion (“intercede for me”).

Morphology

  1. dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic links seamlessly with the previous action, continuing narrative flow.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Regular with verbs of speech.
  3. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of ad; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the sons of Heth.
  4. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks courteous proposal dependent on audience’s goodwill.
  5. placet — Lemma: placeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of the condition; Translation: “it pleases”; Notes: Common in polite requests implying consent.
  6. animæ — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative feminine singular; Function: indirect object with placet; Translation: “to the soul”; Notes: Dative of person affected—idiomatic for “to your will / desire.”
  7. vestræ — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative feminine singular; Function: modifies animæ; Translation: “your”; Notes: Polite plural address to the Hittite community.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that / so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive sepeliam.
  9. sepeliam — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active first person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I may bury”; Notes: Subjunctive conveys polite intention or request.
  10. mortuum — Lemma: mortuus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of sepeliam; Translation: “dead (person)”; Notes: Refers to Sarah; respectful euphemism.
  11. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies mortuum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes personal loss, emotional appeal in negotiation.
  12. audite — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person plural; Function: main command; Translation: “hear”; Notes: Polite imperative—“please listen.”
  13. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of audite; Translation: “me”; Notes: Personal plea, reinforcing Abraham’s humble tone.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects two imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins twin appeals of hearing and advocacy.
  15. intercedite — Lemma: intercedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person plural; Function: second imperative; Translation: “intercede”; Notes: Diplomatic vocabulary; requests mediation before Ephron.
  16. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates advocacy; Translation: “for / on behalf of”; Notes: Regular preposition for intercessory contexts.
  17. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of pro; Translation: “for me”; Notes: Personal appeal to represent Abraham’s cause.
  18. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: locative / relational preposition; Translation: “with / before”; Notes: Indicates negotiation context or audience.
  19. Ephron — Lemma: Ephron; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular (indeclinable); Function: object of apud; Translation: “Ephron”; Notes: Name of Hittite landowner whose field Abraham seeks to buy.
  20. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: appositive to Ephron; Translation: “son”; Notes: Provides genealogical identification.
  21. Seor — Lemma: Seor; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable); Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive with filium; Translation: “of Seor”; Notes: Identifies paternal lineage, important in property transfer contexts.

 

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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