Genesis 26:10

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:10 Dixitque Abimelech: Quare imposuisti nobis? potuit coire quispiam de populo cum uxore tua, et induxeras super nos grande peccatum. Præcepitque omni populo, dicens:

And Abimelech said: “Why have you brought this upon us? Someone from the people might have lain with your wife, and you would have brought upon us a great sin.” And he commanded all the people, saying:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Abimelech Abimelech NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 Quare why ADV
4 imposuisti have brought upon 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 nobis us PRON.DAT.PL.M
6 potuit might have been able 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 coire to lie with INF.PRES.ACT
8 quispiam someone INDEF.PRON.NOM.SG.M
9 de from PREP+ABL
10 populo people NOUN.ABL.SG.M
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 uxore wife NOUN.ABL.SG.F
13 tua your POSS.ADJ.ABL.SG.F
14 et and CONJ
15 induxeras you would have brought upon 2SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
16 super upon PREP+ACC
17 nos us PRON.ACC.PL.M
18 grande great ADJ.ACC.SG.N
19 peccatum sin NOUN.ACC.SG.N
20 Præcepitque and he commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 omni to all ADJ.DAT.SG.M
22 populo people NOUN.DAT.SG.M
23 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clauses: Dixitque Abimelech — introduces direct speech.
Præcepitque omni populo, dicens — another main clause introducing his command.
Subordinate Clauses:
— Quare imposuisti nobis? — direct question, “Why have you brought this upon us?”
— potuit coire quispiam de populo cum uxore tua — potential clause expressing possibility.
— et induxeras super nos grande peccatum — hypothetical consequence expressing result.
Phrases: de populo — partitive prepositional phrase.
cum uxore tua — prepositional phrase expressing accompaniment.
super nos — prepositional phrase of effect or impact.
Participial phrase: dicens — nominative participle introducing the quoted speech following Præcepitque.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and said”; Notes: -que links this action with previous narrative.
  2. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: Philistine king addressing Isaac.
  3. Quare — Lemma: quare; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: Composed of qua re meaning “by what thing.”
  4. imposuisti — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “have brought upon”; Notes: Expresses accusation of harm caused.
  5. nobis — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to us”; Notes: Dative of disadvantage.
  6. potuit — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of potential statement; Translation: “might have been able”; Notes: Indicates hypothetical ability.
  7. coire — Lemma: coeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive of potuit; Translation: “to lie with”; Notes: Euphemistic expression for sexual union.
  8. quispiam — Lemma: quispiam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of coire; Translation: “someone”; Notes: Refers to any person among the people.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin or partitive relation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with populo to denote part of a group.
  10. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers collectively to Abimelech’s nation.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces phrase cum uxore tua.
  12. uxore — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  13. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies uxore; Translation: “your”; Notes: Agrees with uxore in gender, number, and case.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the hypothetical consequence to the potential action.
  15. induxeras — Lemma: induco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of hypothetical consequence; Translation: “you would have brought upon”; Notes: Expresses unrealized past condition.
  16. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces phrase of effect; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Used figuratively for moral impact.
  17. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of super; Translation: “us”; Notes: Refers collectively to Abimelech and his people.
  18. grande — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies peccatum; Translation: “great”; Notes: Describes magnitude of sin.
  19. peccatum — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super nos phrase; Translation: “sin”; Notes: Refers to moral wrongdoing.
  20. Præcepitque — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb of following action; Translation: “and he commanded”; Notes: Transition to subsequent order.
  21. omni — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies populo; Translation: “to all”; Notes: Dative after praecipio.
  22. populo — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of praecipio; Translation: “people”; Notes: Recipient of the command.
  23. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participial clause introducing direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Prepares the next spoken directive.

 

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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