Genesis 26:1

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:1 Orta autem fame super terram post eam sterilitatem, quæ acciderat in diebus Abraham, abiit Isaac ad Abimelech regem Palæstinorum in Gerara.

But when a famine arose upon the land, after that barrenness which had occurred in the days of Abraham, Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Palestines, to Gerar.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Orta having arisen PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
2 autem but / however CONJ
3 fame famine NOUN.ABL.SG.F
4 super upon / over PREP+ACC
5 terram land NOUN.ACC.SG.F
6 post after PREP+ACC
7 eam that PRON.DEM.ACC.SG.F
8 sterilitatem barrenness / drought NOUN.ACC.SG.F
9 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
10 acciderat had happened 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
11 in in / during PREP+ABL
12 diebus days NOUN.ABL.PL.M
13 Abraham Abraham PROPN.GEN.SG.M
14 abiit went 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 Isaac Isaac PROPN.NOM.SG.M
16 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
17 Abimelech Abimelech PROPN.ACC.SG.M
18 regem king NOUN.ACC.SG.M
19 Palæstinorum of the Philistines NOUN.GEN.PL.M
20 in in / into PREP+ACC
21 Gerara Gerar PROPN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: Orta autem fame super terram — “But when a famine had arisen upon the land.” Orta (feminine participle) and fame (ablative noun) form the absolute construction indicating temporal circumstance.
Temporal Clause: post eam sterilitatem quæ acciderat in diebus Abraham — “after that barrenness which had occurred in the days of Abraham,” giving historical reference.
Main Clause: abiit Isaac ad Abimelech regem Palæstinorum in Gerara — Isaac (subject) + abiit (verb) + ad Abimelech regem Palæstinorum (object of motion) + in Gerara (final destination).

Morphology

  1. Orta — Lemma: orior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive nominative singular feminine; Function: in ablative absolute with “fame”; Translation: “having arisen”; Notes: Refers to the beginning of famine.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional connector; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Indicates narrative shift.
  3. fame — Lemma: fames; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “famine”; Notes: Describes widespread hunger.
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates area affected; Translation: “upon / over”; Notes: Shows scope of famine.
  5. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the region of dwelling.
  6. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses time after; Translation: “after”; Notes: Introduces temporal phrase.
  7. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: demonstrative referring to “sterilitatem”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers back to previous famine in Abraham’s time.
  8. sterilitatem — Lemma: sterilitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “barrenness / drought”; Notes: Figuratively used for lack of produce.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “acciderat”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “sterilitatem.”
  10. acciderat — Lemma: accido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had happened”; Notes: Denotes prior historical event.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses temporal duration; Translation: “in / during”; Notes: Used with “diebus.”
  12. diebus — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: complement of “in”; Translation: “days”; Notes: Refers to the period of Abraham’s life.
  13. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Marks patriarchal era.
  14. abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “went”; Notes: Indicates physical movement.
  15. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Patriarch, son of Abraham.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Introduces indirect object of motion.
  17. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of the Philistines, title like “Pharaoh.”
  18. regem — Lemma: rex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “Abimelech”; Translation: “king”; Notes: Describes his title.
  19. Palæstinorum — Lemma: Palæstinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the Philistines”; Notes: Identifies nationality.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion into; Translation: “into / to”; Notes: Specifies destination.
  21. Gerara — Lemma: Gerara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Gerar”; Notes: City in Philistine territory where Isaac dwelt.

 

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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