Genesis 23:9

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:9 ut det mihi speluncam duplicem, quam habet in extrema parte agri sui: pecunia digna tradat eam mihi coram vobis in possessionem sepulchri.

that he may give me the double cave which he has at the far end of his field: let him hand it over to me for full price before you as a possession for a burial place.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ut that CONJ
2 det may give 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 mihi to me DAT.SG
4 speluncam cave ACC.SG.F
5 duplicem double ADJ.ACC.SG.F
6 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
7 habet he has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 in in / at PREP+ABL
9 extrema far / outermost ADJ.ABL.SG.F
10 parte part ABL.SG.F
11 agri of the field GEN.SG.M
12 sui his ADJ.POSS.GEN.SG.M
13 pecunia for money ABL.SG.F
14 digna worthy / proper ADJ.ABL.SG.F
15 tradat let him hand over 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 eam it PRON.ACC.SG.F
17 mihi to me DAT.SG
18 coram before / in the presence of PREP+ABL
19 vobis you (pl.) ABL.PL
20 in into / as PREP+ACC
21 possessionem possession ACC.SG.F
22 sepulchri of burial / of the tomb GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Purpose Clause: ut det mihi speluncam duplicem — introduced by ut with subjunctive det (“that he may give”); mihi is the indirect object and speluncam duplicem the direct object.
Relative Clause: quam habet in extrema parte agri sui — modifies speluncam duplicem; quam is relative pronoun, habet the main verb, and in extrema parte agri sui a prepositional phrase describing its location.
Subjunctive Clause of Request: pecunia digna tradat eam mihi coram vobis — hortatory subjunctive expressing Abraham’s wish; pecunia digna functions adverbially (“for full price”), coram vobis (“before you”) adds public formality.
Final Phrase: in possessionem sepulchri — prepositional phrase expressing purpose or result: “into possession for a burial place.”
Overall Syntax: Abraham formulates a legal request typical of ancient property negotiations—formal, deferential, and complete with witnesses (“before you”).

Morphology

  1. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive det and tradat expressing polite request.
  2. det — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active third person singular; Function: verb of purpose; Translation: “may give”; Notes: Subjunctive for volitional or polite action.
  3. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks recipient of requested gift.
  4. speluncam — Lemma: spelunca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of det; Translation: “cave”; Notes: Refers to the cave of Machpelah (later Sarah’s tomb).
  5. duplicem — Lemma: duplex; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: modifies speluncam; Translation: “double”; Notes: Possibly “two-chambered” or “folded,” indicating physical structure.
  6. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: introduces relative clause modifying speluncam; Translation: “which”; Notes: Standard relative referring to a feminine antecedent.
  7. habet — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “he has”; Notes: Describes Ephron’s possession of the cave.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in / at”; Notes: Denotes spatial location.
  9. extrema — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: modifies parte; Translation: “outermost / farthest”; Notes: Indicates the most distant boundary of the property.
  10. parte — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “part”; Notes: Refers to a section of land.
  11. agri — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: dependent genitive with parte; Translation: “of the field”; Notes: Denotes ownership.
  12. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (reflexive possessive); Form: genitive masculine singular; Function: modifies agri; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Ephron’s property.
  13. pecunia — Lemma: pecunia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative of price or means; Translation: “for money”; Notes: Indicates payment instrument.
  14. digna — Lemma: dignus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: agrees with pecunia; Translation: “worthy / appropriate”; Notes: Idiomatically “for full price.”
  15. tradat — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active third person singular; Function: main verb of hortatory clause; Translation: “let him hand over”; Notes: Expresses wish or polite command.
  16. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: direct object of tradat; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to speluncam.
  17. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of property transfer.
  18. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks presence or witnesses; Translation: “before / in the presence of”; Notes: Legal term ensuring transaction publicity.
  19. vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of coram; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the sons of Heth as witnesses.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses result or transformation; Translation: “into / as”; Notes: Marks transfer of status (“into possession”).
  21. possessionem — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “possession”; Notes: Legal term for land ownership.
  22. sepulchri — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: genitive of purpose or description; Translation: “of burial”; Notes: Defines the property’s use—burial site for his family.

 

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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