Genesis 26:23

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:23 Ascendit autem ex illo loco in Bersabee,

But he went up from that place to Bersabee,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ascendit he went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but CONJ
3 ex from PREP+ABL
4 illo that ABL.SG.M.DEMON.PRON
5 loco place ABL.SG.M
6 in to PREP+ACC
7 Bersabee Beersheba ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Ascendit autem ex illo loco in Bersabee — “But he went up from that place to Bersabee.”
Ascendit is the main verb, autem provides contrast, ex illo loco marks origin (“from that place”), and in Bersabee marks destination.
The subject (Isaac) is implied from the context of preceding verses.

Morphology

  1. Ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he went up”; Notes: Describes Isaac’s movement toward Beersheba, continuing the narrative of relocation.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces contrast or transition; Translation: “but”; Notes: Connects this sentence with the preceding peaceful outcome.
  3. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin or separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the point of departure.
  4. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “loco”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Demonstrative referring back to the previous site of the well Latitudo.
  5. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition “ex”; Translation: “place”; Notes: Indicates the specific location Isaac departed from.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the goal of movement.
  7. Bersabee — Lemma: Bersabee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: object of preposition “in”; Translation: “Bersabee”; Notes: Latin form of Beersheba, Isaac’s final destination.

 

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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