Genesis 26:14

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:14 habuit quoque possessiones ovium et armentorum, et familiæ plurimum. Ob hoc invidentes ei Palæstini,

and he also had possessions of sheep and herds, and a very large household. Because of this, the Palestines envied him,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 habuit had 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 possessiones possessions NOUN.ACC.PL.F
4 ovium of sheep NOUN.GEN.PL.F
5 et and CONJ
6 armentorum of herds NOUN.GEN.PL.N
7 et and CONJ
8 familiæ of household / servants NOUN.GEN.SG.F
9 plurimum very much / a great deal ADV
10 Ob because of PREP+ACC
11 hoc this PRON.ACC.SG.N
12 invidentes envying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.PL.M
13 ei him PRON.DAT.SG.M
14 Palæstini Philistines NOUN.NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clauses:
Habuit quoque possessiones ovium et armentorum, et familiæ plurimum — statement of abundance; subject implied (Isaac).
Ob hoc invidentes ei Palæstini — causal construction indicating reaction of the Philistines (“Because of this, the Philistines envied him”).
Subjects: implied subject Isaac for habuit; Palæstini for invidentes.
Objects: possessiones is the direct object of habuit; ei is the dative object of invidentes.
Phrases: ovium et armentorum — genitives of content modifying possessiones; familiæ plurimum — genitive of measure meaning “a great number of household members.”
Ob hoc — prepositional phrase expressing cause (“because of this”).

Morphology

  1. habuit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “had”; Notes: Refers to Isaac’s acquired possessions.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: emphasizes addition; Translation: “also”; Notes: Follows the word it modifies, typical of Latin style.
  3. possessiones — Lemma: possessio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of habuit; Translation: “possessions”; Notes: Refers to property or wealth in livestock.
  4. ovium — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of content; Translation: “of sheep”; Notes: Specifies the type of possessions.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: joins genitive nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links ovium and armentorum.
  6. armentorum — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: genitive of content; Translation: “of herds”; Notes: Refers to cattle or large livestock.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the possession of animals with servants.
  8. familiæ — Lemma: familia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of quantity; Translation: “of household / servants”; Notes: Refers to dependents or laborers under Isaac’s authority.
  9. plurimum — Lemma: plurimus; Part of Speech: adverb (superlative form used adverbially); Form: —; Function: modifies habuit; Translation: “a great deal / very much”; Notes: Expresses large degree of possession.
  10. Ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces causal phrase; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Used to indicate reason or cause.
  11. hoc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ob; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to Isaac’s prosperity.
  12. invidentes — Lemma: invideo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate describing Palæstini; Translation: “envying”; Notes: Denotes continuous attitude of jealousy.
  13. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of invidentes; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac as the object of envy.
  14. Palæstini — Lemma: Palæstinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of invidentes; Translation: “Philistines”; Notes: Identifies the group reacting to Isaac’s success.

 

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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