Tag Archives: Genesis 49:30

Ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ διπλῷ τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη ἐν τῇ γῇ Χανααν ὃ ἐκτήσατο Αβρααμ τὸ σπήλαιον παρὰ Εφρων τοῦ Χετταίου ἐν κτήσει μνημείου (Genesis 49:30 LXX) Introductory Reflection

This verse from the Greek Septuagint encapsulates the burial site of the patriarchs — the Cave of Machpelah, in the land of Kenaʿan, purchased by Abraham. The sentence is a tapestry of articular participles, genitive chains, and prepositional phrases that embody the deep themes of inheritance, death, and ownership.

Location Layers: Nested Prepositional Phrases ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ τῷ διπλῷ τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη ἐν: locative preposition — “in” τῷ σπηλαίῳ: “the cave” — dative singular, the object of location τῷ διπλῷ: “the double” — adjective modifying “cave”; Machpelah = “double cave” τῷ ἀπέναντι Μαμβρη: “which is opposite Mamre”

This pile-up of three articular phrases with shared gender, number, and case (dative singular neuter) forms a stacked attributive structure:

“in the double cave, the one opposite Mamre”

Such layering emphasizes specificity — not just any cave, but the exact one, tied to memory, geography, and history.… Learn Koine Greek