image of Samson and Delilah

Week 3. Vulgata: Samson.

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Reading #1: Book of Judges, 16.4-15

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post haec
amavit mulierem
quae habitabat
in valle Sorech
et vocabatur Dalila

post haec: i.e., after Samson's adventure in Gaza

[Samson] amavit mulierem

Sorech: genitive singular (Hebrew names usually do not decline)

  who did Samson fall in love with?
veneruntque ad eam
principes Philisthinorum
atque dixerunt
"decipe eum
et disce ab illo
in quo
tantam habeat fortitudinem
et quomodo
eum superare valeamus
et vinctum adfligere!

principes: s.v. princeps
in quo habeat... quomodo valeamus: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by the word disce

vinctum: s.v. vincio (notice how the participle basically replaces an infinitive: quomodo eum superare valeamus et vincire et adfligere)

valeamus: takes complementary infinitives (superare, adfligere)

  what did the Philistines want to find out?
quod si feceris,
dabimus tibi singuli
mille centum argenteos!"
quod: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "si hoc feceris")

singuli: nominative plural, [nos] singuli dabimus tibi, "each of us will give you"

  what will the Philistines give to Delilah if she helps them?
locuta est ergo
Dalila ad Samson
"dic mihi,
obsecro,
in quo sit
tua maxima fortitudo
et quid sit
quo ligatus
erumpere nequeas?"

ergo: postpositive (notice how locuta est is treated as if it were a single word; it was probably pronounced as something like locuta-st)
Samson: accusative singular (Hebrew names)

in quo sit: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by dic
quid sit: subjunctive in indirect question introduced by dic
quid sit [hoc] quo ligatus: don't worry when the antecedent of the relative pronoun falls out
ligatus: modifies subject of nequeas (= "tu, Samson")

what does Delilah ask Samson?
cui respondit Samson
"si septem nervicis funibus,
necdum siccis
et adhuc humentibus,
ligatus fuero,
infirmus ero,
ut ceteri homines."
cui: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "Dalilae respondit")

funibus: s.v. funis
humentibus: s.v. umeo (the problem of "silent h")

ut: here "ut" simply means "like" or "as"

  according to Samson, what can she do to make him weak like other men?
adtuleruntque ad eam
satrapae Philisthinorum
septem funes,
ut dixerat,
quibus vinxit eum,

adtulerunt: s.v. affero (ad + fero: assimilation)
satrapae = principes (nominative plural)
funes: s.v. funis (accusative plural)
ut: here "ut" simply means "like" or "as"
vinxit: s.v. vincio (subject is Dalila)

  what did the Philistines bring to Delilah, and what did she do?
latentibus apud se insidiis
et in cubiculo
finem rei expectantibus

(satrapis Philisthinorum) latentibus... expectantibus: ablative absolute
apud se: apud Dalilam, in Delilah's house

  where did the Philistines wait and watch to see what would happen?
clamavitque ad eum
"Philisthim super te,
Samson!"

[Dalila] clamavit
Philisthim: Hebrew plural (Philisthini)

 

  what did Delilah shout?
qui rupit vincula,
quomodo si rumpat quis
filum de stuppae
tortum putamine,
cum odorem ignis acceperit

qui: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "Samson rupit")
rupit: s.v. rumpo
quomodo si ... quis = quomodo si aliquis...:  as if somebody were to...
putamine: s.v. putamen
tortum: s.v. torqueo
cum acceperit: cum + subjunctive
ignis: s.v. ignis (genitive singular)

  what did Samson do when he woke up and realized he was bound with the seven ropes?
et non est cognitum
in quo esset fortitudo eius
in quo esset: subjunctive in indirect question (introduced by cognitum est)
  what did Delilah and the Philistines realize?
dixitque ad eum Dalila
"ecce! inlusisti mihi
et falsum locutus es!
saltim nunc indica
quo ligari debeas."

inlusisti: s.v. illudo (in + ludo)
locutus es: s.v. loquor (deponent verb)
ligari: present passive infinitive
quo debeas: subjunctive in indirect question (introduced by indica)

what did Delilah say to Samson now?
cui ille respondit
"si ligatus fuero
novis funibus,
qui numquam fuerunt
in opere,
infirmus ero
et aliorum hominum similis."
cui: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "Dalilae respondit")

opere: s.v. opus

similis: this adjective often takes the genitive

  according to Samson, what can be done to render him weak? how is this explanation different from the explanation he offered before?
quibus rursum
Dalila vinxit eum
et clamavit
"Philisthim super te,
Samson!"
(in cubiculo
insidiis praeparatis)

quibus: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "funibus vinxit eum")
rursum: adverb

insidiis praeparatis: ablative absolute clause

 

  what did Delilah and the Philistines do next?
qui ita rupit vincula
quasi fila telarum
qui: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "Samson rupit")
  what happened when Samson awoke and found he was bound with the new ropes?
dixitque Dalila rursum ad eum
"usquequo decipis me
et falsum loqueris?!
ostende
quo vinciri debeas!"

decipis...loqueris: present for immediate future

quo debeas: subjunctive in indirect question (introduced by ostende)

vinciri: present passive infinitive, s.v. vincio

  what did Delilah say to Samson now?
"si" inquit "septem crines
capitis mei
cum licio
plexueris,
et clavum his circumligatum
terrae fixeris,
infirmus ero."

inquit: postpositive
crines: s.v. crinis
capitis: s.v. caput
licio: s.v. licium (ablative, with cum)
plexueris: s.v. plecto
fixeris: s.v. figo
terrae: dative with fixeris

  what is Samson's third explanation for how to render him powerless?
quod cum fecisset,
Dalila dixit ad eum
"Philisthim super te, Samson!"
qui consurgens de somno
extraxit clavum
cum crinibus et licio
quod: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "cum hoc fecisset")
cum fecisset:  cum + subjunctive

qui: relative pronoun at "beginning" of sentence (= "Samson extraxit")
consurgens extraxit:  participle with main verb
extraxit: s.v. extraho

  what happened when Samson woke up and found that his hair had been nailed to the ground?
dixitque ad eum Dalila 
"quomodo dicis
quod ames me,
cum animus tuus non sit mecum?
quod ames me: quod for indirect statement

cum...sit:  cum plus subjunctive

 

how does Delilah feel now?
per tres vices
mentitus es mihi,
et noluisti dicere
in quo sit tua maxima fortitudo"

vices: s.v. vicis
mentitus es: s.v. mentior (deponent verb)
in quo sit: subjunctive in indirect question (introduced by dicere)

  how many times has Samson tricked her?

Go to Reading #2 ->


Modern Languages 4970 / MRS 4903: Medieval Latin. Spring 2003 Online Course at the University of Oklahoma. Visit http://www.ou.edu/online/ for more info.
Laura Gibbs, University of Oklahoma - Information Technology © 2003.  laura-gibbs@ou.edu. Last updated: December 29, 2002 7:12 PM