Genesis 27:9

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

9 et pergens ad gregem, affer mihi duos hœdos optimos, ut faciam ex eis escas patri tuo, quibus libenter vescitur:

and going to the flock, bring me two of the best kids, that I may make from them food for your father, which he eats gladly;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 pergens going PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
3 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
4 gregem flock ACC.SG.M
5 affer bring 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 mihi to me DAT.SG.1ST.PRON
7 duos two ACC.PL.M.NUM
8 hœdos kids ACC.PL.M
9 optimos best ACC.PL.M.SUPERL.ADJ
10 ut that CONJ
11 faciam I may make 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 ex from PREP+ABL
13 eis them ABL.PL.3RD.PRON
14 escas food / dishes ACC.PL.F
15 patri to (your) father DAT.SG.M
16 tuo your DAT.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
17 quibus which / with which ABL.PL.F.REL.PRON
18 libenter gladly ADV
19 vescitur he eats 3SG.PRES.DEP.IND

Syntax

Participial Phrase: et pergens ad gregem — “and going to the flock.” The present participle pergens functions circumstantially, describing the preparatory action preceding the main command.
Main Imperative: affer mihi duos hœdos optimos — “bring me two of the best kids.” The imperative affer governs mihi (indirect object) and duos hœdos optimos (direct object phrase).
Purpose Clause: ut faciam ex eis escas patri tuo — “that I may make from them food for your father.” The conjunction ut introduces a clause of purpose with subjunctive faciam. The prepositional phrase ex eis indicates the material used.
Relative Clause: quibus libenter vescitur — “which he eats gladly.” The relative pronoun quibus refers back to escas, and the deponent verb vescitur takes the ablative of means quibus.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links this instruction to Rebecca’s preceding command.
  2. pergens — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial modifier; Translation: “going”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s movement toward the flock before fetching the animals.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Expresses motion toward the location of the flock.
  4. gregem — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition “ad”; Translation: “flock”; Notes: Denotes the herd or group of animals Jacob is to approach.
  5. affer — Lemma: affero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: main verb (command); Translation: “bring”; Notes: Urges immediate action by Jacob.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates Rebecca as the recipient of the action.
  7. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: numeral modifier; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies the number of kids to be brought.
  8. hœdos — Lemma: hædus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “kids”; Notes: Refers to young goats, commonly used for food offerings.
  9. optimos — Lemma: optimus; Part of Speech: adjective (superlative); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “hœdos”; Translation: “best”; Notes: Emphasizes quality and suitability for Isaac’s favorite dish.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Connects the command with its intended purpose.
  11. faciam — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 1st person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I may make”; Notes: Expresses Rebecca’s intent to prepare food from the goats.
  12. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes source or material; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces the ablative phrase indicating material origin.
  13. eis — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural; Function: object of preposition “ex”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the two kids.
  14. escas — Lemma: esca; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “food / dishes”; Notes: Denotes prepared meals, possibly referring to Isaac’s favorite stew.
  15. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to (your) father”; Notes: Marks the recipient of Rebecca’s intended dish.
  16. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies “patri”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Specifies Jacob’s filial relationship to Isaac.
  17. quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “which / with which”; Notes: Refers to “escas” and connects to the verb “vescitur.”
  18. libenter — Lemma: libenter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: modifies “vescitur”; Translation: “gladly”; Notes: Expresses Isaac’s pleasure in consuming the food.
  19. vescitur — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present indicative deponent 3rd person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “he eats”; Notes: Deponent verb taking ablative of means; describes Isaac’s habitual enjoyment of the food.

 

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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