Genesis 27:14

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:14 Abiit, et attulit, deditque matri. Paravit illa cibos, sicut velle noverat patrem illius.

He went, and brought them, and gave them to his mother. She prepared the food, as she knew his father liked.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Abiit he went 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 attulit he brought 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 deditque and he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
5 matri to his mother DAT.SG.F
6 Paravit she prepared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 illa she NOM.SG.F.DEM.PRON
8 cibos food / dishes ACC.PL.M
9 sicut as / just as CONJ
10 velle to wish PRES.ACT.INF
11 noverat she knew 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
12 patrem father ACC.SG.M
13 illius of him GEN.SG.M.DEM.PRON

Syntax

Main Clauses: Abiit, et attulit, deditque matri — “He went, and brought them, and gave them to his mother.” Three perfect verbs in sequence narrate consecutive actions of Jacob in obedience.
Second Sentence: Paravit illa cibos, sicut velle noverat patrem illius — “She prepared the food, as she knew his father liked.” The conjunction sicut introduces a comparison clause, and velle (infinitive) with noverat forms indirect discourse: “she knew (that he wished).”
Word order emphasizes the obedience and cooperation between Jacob and Rebecca, moving rapidly from command to completion.

Morphology

  1. Abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he went”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s departure in prompt obedience.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the chain of Jacob’s actions.
  3. attulit — Lemma: affero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of action; Translation: “he brought”; Notes: Refers to the goats Rebecca requested.
  4. deditque — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of transference; Translation: “and he gave”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” links this to the previous actions.
  5. matri — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to his mother”; Notes: Recipient of Jacob’s act of obedience.
  6. Paravit — Lemma: paro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she prepared”; Notes: Marks Rebecca’s immediate follow-up action.
  7. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “she”; Notes: Used for narrative emphasis and contrast.
  8. cibos — Lemma: cibus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “food / dishes”; Notes: Refers to the meal prepared for Isaac.
  9. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: “as”; Notes: Draws comparison with Isaac’s known preference.
  10. velle — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive of indirect statement; Translation: “to wish / to like”; Notes: Used with “noverat” to express Isaac’s desire.
  11. noverat — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of comparative clause; Translation: “she knew”; Notes: Pluperfect tense expresses prior knowledge from experience.
  12. patrem — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: subject accusative in indirect discourse; Translation: “father”; Notes: Logical subject of “velle.”
  13. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob—“his father.”

 

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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