Genesis 24:62

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:62 eo autem tempore deambulabat Isaac per viam quæ ducit ad Puteum, cuius nomen est Viventis, et videntis: habitabat enim in terra australi:

now at that time Isaac was walking along the road that leads to the Well of the Living and Seeing; for he was living in the southern land;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 eo that ABL.SG.N DEM.PRON
2 autem however / now CONJ
3 tempore time ABL.SG.N
4 deambulabat was walking 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
5 Isaac Isaac NOM.SG.M PROPN
6 per along / through PREP+ACC
7 viam road / way ACC.SG.F
8 quæ which NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
9 ducit leads 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
11 Puteum Well ACC.SG.M
12 cuius whose GEN.SG.M REL.PRON
13 nomen name NOM.SG.N
14 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 Viventis of the Living GEN.SG.M/N PTC.PRES.ACT SUBST
16 et and CONJ
17 videntis of the Seeing GEN.SG.M/N PTC.PRES.ACT SUBST
18 habitabat was living 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
19 enim for CONJ
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 terra land ABL.SG.F
22 australi southern ABL.SG.F ADJ

Syntax

Temporal Phrase: eo autem tempore — ablative of time when, establishing narrative setting (“at that time”). The particle autem adds smooth continuity within the narrative.
Main Clause: deambulabat Isaac per viam quæ ducit ad Puteum — imperfect verb deambulabat (“was walking”) describes ongoing motion. The prepositional phrase per viam specifies location, and the relative clause quæ ducit ad Puteum qualifies the path as leading to a specific destination.
Subordinate Clause: cuius nomen est Viventis et videntis — genitive relative clause giving the name of the well, literally “the Well of the Living and Seeing.” Both Viventis and videntis function as substantivized participles referring to God.
Explanatory Clause: habitabat enim in terra australi — causal clause explaining Isaac’s presence in the region, with enim introducing the reason (“for he was living in the southern land”).
The syntax portrays calm, reflective motion — Isaac’s walk prefigures his meeting with Rebecca, the scene rich in stillness and divine preparation.

Morphology

  1. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun (Demonstrative); Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Modifies tempore; Translation: “that”; Notes: Forms ablative of time with tempore.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional connective; Translation: “however / now”; Notes: Marks narrative transition.
  3. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “time”; Notes: Establishes temporal context.
  4. deambulabat — Lemma: deambulo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “was walking”; Notes: Describes continuous or leisurely movement.
  5. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of deambulabat; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Central figure in narrative.
  6. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses motion through or along; Translation: “along”; Notes: Indicates path of travel.
  7. viam — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of per; Translation: “road / way”; Notes: Physical route described.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of ducit; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to viam.
  9. ducit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “leads”; Notes: Expresses direction or destination.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses motion toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Indicates destination of the road.
  11. Puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “Well”; Notes: Refers to “Beer-lahai-roi,” the well of divine seeing.
  12. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive relative modifying nomen; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Introduces relative clause explaining the well’s name.
  13. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Neuter; Function: Subject of est; Translation: “name”; Notes: Core of the identification clause.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links nomen with the following predicate.
  15. Viventis — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle, Substantive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine/Neuter; Function: Genitive complement to Puteum; Translation: “of the Living”; Notes: Refers to the living God.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates substantives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects divine epithets.
  17. videntis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle, Substantive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine/Neuter; Function: Genitive complement with Viventis; Translation: “of the Seeing”; Notes: Completes title “the Living and Seeing [One].”
  18. habitabat — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of explanatory clause; Translation: “was living”; Notes: Indicates continuing residence.
  19. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: Gives rationale for Isaac’s presence.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative sense.
  21. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Specifies geographical setting.
  22. australi — Lemma: australis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Adjectival modifier of terra; Translation: “southern”; Notes: Denotes the Negev region, typical dwelling area of Isaac.

 

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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