Nm 33:56 et quidquid illis cogitaveram facere, vobis faciam.
and whatever I had intended to do to them, I will do to you.
| # | Latin | Gloss | Grammar Tag |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | et | and | CONJ.INVAR |
| 2 | quidquid | whatever | ACC.SG.N.INDEF.REL |
| 3 | illis | to them | DAT.PL.M.DEM |
| 4 | cogitaveram | I had intended | 1SG.PLUP.ACT.IND |
| 5 | facere | to do | PRES.ACT.INF |
| 6 | vobis | to you | DAT.PL.2.PERS |
| 7 | faciam | I will do | 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND |
Syntax
Overall Construction: et quidquid illis cogitaveram facere, vobis faciam means “And whatever I had intended to do to them, I will do to you.” The sentence consists of a free relative clause, quidquid illis cogitaveram facere, followed by the principal clause vobis faciam. The conjunction et connects this declaration with the preceding warning.
Coordinating Conjunction: et means “and.” It links the present statement to the preceding prediction that the remaining inhabitants will oppose the Israelites. The conjunction introduces a further consequence within the same divine warning.
Free Relative Clause: quidquid illis cogitaveram facere means “whatever I had intended to do to them.” The indefinite relative pronoun quidquid introduces a substantive relative clause without requiring an expressed antecedent. The entire clause identifies the action that will be transferred from the original intended recipients to the Israelites.
Indefinite Relative Pronoun: quidquid is accusative singular neuter, meaning “whatever” or “anything that.” It functions as the direct object of the infinitive facere. Its indefinite meaning encompasses the action contemplated by the speaker without specifying that action within this sentence.
Pluperfect Main Verb within the Relative Clause: cogitaveram is the first person singular pluperfect active indicative of cogito. It means “I had thought,” “I had planned,” or “I had intended.” The pluperfect places the intention before the future action expressed by faciam.
Complementary Infinitive: facere is the present active infinitive of facio. It completes the meaning of cogitaveram by specifying what the speaker had intended to do. The infinitive governs quidquid as its direct object and is accompanied by illis, identifying those toward whom the intended action was directed.
First Dative: illis means “to them.” It is dative plural masculine and refers to the inhabitants of the land mentioned in the preceding warning. In the expression illis … facere, the dative identifies those to whom the contemplated action would be directed. The surrounding context gives the phrase an adverse sense.
Principal Clause: vobis faciam means “I will do to you.” The verb faciam is understood here as the first person singular future active indicative of facio. Its subject is the LORD, expressed by the first person singular verbal ending. The dative plural vobis identifies the Israelites as the recipients of the threatened action.
Future Indicative: faciam can be either first person singular future active indicative or first person singular present active subjunctive in isolation. In this declarative warning, the future indicative is the appropriate interpretation: “I will do.” It expresses the consequence that the LORD declares will follow.
Understood Direct Object: The principal clause does not repeat quidquid. Its meaning is supplied by the preceding free relative clause. Thus vobis faciam is understood as “I will do that to you,” where “that” refers to whatever the LORD had intended to do to the inhabitants.
Contrast Between the Datives: The sentence contrasts illis, “to them,” with vobis, “to you.” Both pronouns are dative plural, but they identify different recipients. The parallel construction emphasizes that the action previously intended for the inhabitants of the land will instead be directed toward the Israelites if the condition stated in the preceding verse is fulfilled.
Contrast Between the Tenses: The pluperfect cogitaveram describes a previously formed intention, whereas the future faciam announces what the speaker will do. This contrast between past intention and future execution is central to the meaning of the sentence.
Grammatical and Contextual Force: The sentence concludes the preceding conditional warning. Its force is not merely a prediction of opposition from the remaining inhabitants but a declaration of divine judgment. The grammar presents the threatened consequence through the repetition of facio in two forms: the infinitive facere and the future indicative faciam.
Morphology
- et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Coordinating conjunction; Form: Invariable; Function: Connects the present declaration with the preceding warning; Translation: “and”; Notes: The conjunction introduces an additional consequence of the conditional situation described in the preceding verse.
- quidquid — Lemma: quisquis, quidquid; Part of Speech: Indefinite relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular neuter, identical in form to the nominative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of facere and introductory element of a free relative clause; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: The pronoun refers comprehensively to anything the LORD had intended to do. Its accusative function is determined by the infinitive facere. The whole relative clause supplies the understood object of faciam.
- illis — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Dative complement identifying the recipients of the action contemplated by cogitaveram facere; Translation: “to them”; Notes: The pronoun refers to the inhabitants of the land mentioned in the preceding passage. Its dative case marks those toward whom the contemplated action was directed.
- cogitaveram — Lemma: cogito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular, pluperfect active indicative, first conjugation; Function: Finite verb of the free relative clause, governing the complementary infinitive facere; Translation: “I had intended”; Notes: The verb cogito can mean “to think,” “to consider,” “to plan,” or “to intend.” The pluperfect indicates an intention formed before the future action announced by faciam. The subject is the LORD, expressed by the first person singular ending.
- facere — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb, infinitive; Form: Present active infinitive, third conjugation in -io; Function: Complementary infinitive dependent on cogitaveram, governing quidquid as its direct object; Translation: “to do”; Notes: The infinitive identifies the contemplated action. Its present form expresses an action contemporaneous with the intention in a relative sense and does not independently locate that action in present time.
- vobis — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: Personal pronoun; Form: Dative plural, second person; Function: Dative complement of faciam, identifying those toward whom the announced action will be directed; Translation: “to you”; Notes: The pronoun refers to the Israelites. Its placement before faciam emphasizes the contrast with illis, the recipients originally contemplated.
- faciam — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: First person singular, future active indicative, third conjugation in -io; Function: Main finite verb of the principal clause, with the action expressed by the preceding free relative clause understood as its object; Translation: “I will do”; Notes: The form is morphologically identical to the first person singular present active subjunctive, but the declarative context supports the future indicative. It announces that the LORD will carry out against the Israelites what he had previously intended to do to the inhabitants of the land.