Judges. Iahel et Sisara.
Brief Comments on the Latin:
[Note: You will find other helpful information by looking at the segmented text, which shows clearly how the sentences and clauses are organized. You can also choose to have the verbs and/or bold speech highlighted, which often makes the Latin easier to understand.]
4:14 The name Barac does not decline; here it is in the accusative. The pronoun ipse refers back to Dominus. The name Thabor does not decline; here it is in the ablative.
4:15 The name Barac does not decline; here it is in the genitive (ad conspectum Barac, "at the sight of Barak"). The participle-verb combination, desiliens fugeret, can be translated as verb-verb: "he jumped down... and fled..."
4:16 The place name Asoreth does not decline; here it is in the accusative.
4:17 The name Iahel does not decline; here it is in the genitive (ad tentorium Iahel, "to Yael's tent"), in apposition with uxoris. The name Aber does not decline; here it is in the genitive (uxoris Aber, "the wife of Heber"; domum Aber, "the house of Heber"), in apposition with Cinei. The name Iabin does not decline; here it is in the accusative. The place name Asor does not decline; here it is in the genitive.
4:18 The participle-verb combination, egressa dixit, can be translated as verb-verb: "Yael went out... and said..." The phrase domine mi is vocative. Latin often uses a relative pronoun, qui, to join together what would be two separate sentences in English: "(and) he went in..." The participles ingressus and opertus can be translated as verbs, together with the dixit of the following verse: "he went in... and was covered... and said..."
4:19 The phrase obsecro is like the English "please" (da mihi obsecro, "please give me"). Latin often uses a relative pronoun, quae, to join together what would be two separate sentences in English: "(and) she opened..."
4:20 The word numquid introduces a question. Notice the direct question (numquid hid est aliquis) inside the direct statement made by Sisara; the question has not been transformed into indirect question using the subjunctive.
4:21 The name Aber does not decline; here it is in the genitive. The participle-verb combination, ingressa ... posuit, can be translated as verb-verb: "she entered... and put..." The percussum refers back to clavum, and can be translated as "she hit the nail with the hammer and drove it ..." (lit., "she drove the nail, struck with the hammer...") Latin often uses a relative pronoun, qui, to join together what would be two separate sentences in English: "(and) he ... died."
4:22 Latin often uses a relative pronoun, qui, to join together what would be two separate sentences in English: "(and) when he entered..."
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