Genesis 25:18

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:18 Habitavit autem ab Hevila usque Sur, quæ respicit Ægyptum introeuntibus Assyrios. coram cunctis fratribus suis obiit.

And he lived from Hevila as far as Sur, which faces Egypt toward those entering Assyria; in the presence of all his brothers he died.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habitavit he lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however CONJ.ADV
3 ab from PREP+ABL
4 Hevila Havilah PROPN.ABL.SG.F
5 usque as far as PREP+ACC
6 Sur Shur PROPN.ACC.SG.F
7 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
8 respicit faces 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Ægyptum Egypt PROPN.ACC.SG.F
10 introeuntibus to those entering PART.PRES.ACT.DAT/ABL.PL.M
11 Assyrios Assyrians PROPN.ACC.PL.M
12 coram before / in the presence of PREP+ABL
13 cunctis all ADJ.ABL.PL.M
14 fratribus brothers NOUN.ABL.PL.M
15 suis his PRON.REFL.ABL.PL.M
16 obiit he died 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Habitavit autem ab Hevila usque Sur — Habitavit (verb) with ab Hevila usque Sur (prepositional phrase) defines the geographical span of Ismael’s dwelling.
The relative clause quæ respicit Ægyptum introeuntibus Assyrios modifies Sur, describing its position facing Egypt toward those coming from Assyria.
Main Clause 2: coram cunctis fratribus suis obiit — obiit (verb) with coram cunctis fratribus suis (prepositional phrase) conveys the manner of death, “in the presence of all his brothers.”

Morphology

  1. Habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he lived”; Notes: Describes Ismael’s settled territory.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional connector; Translation: “however / and so”; Notes: Marks narrative continuation or contrast.
  3. ab — Lemma: ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates starting point; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with ablative “Hevila.”
  4. Hevila — Lemma: Hevila; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “ab”; Translation: “Hevila”; Notes: Denotes a region near Arabia.
  5. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates extent; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: Used with “Sur.”
  6. Sur — Lemma: Sur; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “usque”; Translation: “Sur”; Notes: Marks southern boundary near Egypt.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “respicit”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “Sur.”
  8. respicit — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “faces”; Notes: Indicates geographical orientation.
  9. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “respicit”; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Object of the verb indicating direction.
  10. introeuntibus — Lemma: introeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active dative/ablative plural masculine; Function: indirect object or dative of reference; Translation: “to those entering”; Notes: Describes those approaching from Assyria.
  11. Assyrios — Lemma: Assyrius; Part of Speech: proper adjective used substantively; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of participle “introeuntibus”; Translation: “Assyrians”; Notes: Refers to inhabitants of Assyria.
  12. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence or proximity; Translation: “before / in the presence of”; Notes: Often used in biblical idiom.
  13. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “fratribus”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes entirety of brothers.
  14. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition “coram”; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to fellow descendants of Abraham.
  15. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “fratribus”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Denotes familial possession.
  16. obiit — Lemma: obeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “he died”; Notes: Common Latin euphemism for death, literally “he went away.”

 

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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