Genesis 26:32

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:32 Ecce autem venerunt in ipso die servi Isaac annunciantes ei de puteo, quem foderant, atque dicentes: Invenimus aquam.

And behold, on that very day the servants of Isaac came, announcing to him about the well which they had dug, and saying: “We have found water.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ecce behold INTERJ
2 autem and CONJ
3 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 in on PREP+ABL
5 ipso very ABL.SG.M.DEMON.ADJ
6 die day ABL.SG.M
7 servi servants NOM.PL.M
8 Isaac Isaac GEN.SG.M (proper noun)
9 annunciantes announcing NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
10 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
11 de about PREP+ABL
12 puteo well ABL.SG.M
13 quem which ACC.SG.M.REL.PRON
14 foderant they had dug 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
15 atque and CONJ
16 dicentes saying NOM.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
17 Invenimus we have found 1PL.PERF.ACT.IND
18 aquam water ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Ecce autem venerunt … servi Isaac — “And behold, the servants of Isaac came.”
The interjection Ecce draws attention to a significant event; autem adds mild transition. The main verb venerunt governs the nominative subject servi Isaac.
Participial Phrase: annunciantes ei de puteo, quem foderant — “announcing to him about the well which they had dug.” The participle annunciantes agrees with servi, expressing concurrent action. The prepositional phrase de puteo indicates the topic of the announcement, while quem foderant is a relative clause specifying the well.
Direct Speech: atque dicentes: Invenimus aquam — “and saying: ‘We have found water.’” The participle dicentes introduces direct speech with perfect verb Invenimus and object aquam.

Morphology

  1. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariant; Function: introduces vivid narrative detail; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Signals a sudden or important occurrence.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: indicates transition or mild contrast; Translation: “and / however”; Notes: Often used in narrative continuation.
  3. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they came”; Notes: Marks the arrival of Isaac’s servants.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses time within; Translation: “on”; Notes: Used with time expression “ipso die.”
  5. ipso — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: intensifier; Translation: “very”; Notes: Emphasizes the immediacy of the event.
  6. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition “in”; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies the time of occurrence.
  7. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Isaac’s attendants engaged in well-digging.
  8. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Isaac”; Notes: Marks ownership of the servants.
  9. annunciantes — Lemma: annuncio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “announcing”; Notes: Indicates simultaneous reporting action.
  10. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac as recipient of the news.
  11. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses topic or relation; Translation: “about”; Notes: Introduces the subject of the announcement.
  12. puteo — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “well”; Notes: Refers to the well newly dug by Isaac’s servants.
  13. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “puteo.”
  14. foderant — Lemma: fodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active 3rd person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “they had dug”; Notes: Describes prior completed action before their arrival.
  15. atque — Lemma: atque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects participles; Translation: “and”; Notes: Strengthens connection between “annunciantes” and “dicentes.”
  16. dicentes — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Sets up the reported exclamation.
  17. Invenimus — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 1st person plural; Function: verb of direct speech; Translation: “we have found”; Notes: Joyful declaration of success.
  18. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “water”; Notes: Represents divine provision and blessing for Isaac’s household.

 

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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