Genesis 28:10

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:10 Igitur egressus Iacob de Bersabee, pergebat Haran.

Therefore Jacob, having departed from Bersabee, was going toward Haran.

# Latin Gloss GRAMMAR TAG
1 Igitur therefore CONJ
2 egressus having departed PERF.DEP.PART.NOM.SG.M
3 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 Bersabee Beersheba ABL.SG.F
6 pergebat was going / journeying 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
7 Haran Ḥaran ACC.SG.PROPER.NAME

Syntax

Main Clause: Igitur egressus Iacob de Bersabee, pergebat Haran — The conjunction Igitur links this verse to the preceding narrative, showing causal or sequential transition. The perfect participle egressus (“having departed”) provides a circumstantial background for the imperfect pergebat (“was going”), which serves as the main verb.
Prepositional Phrase: de Bersabee — “from Beersheba,” specifies the place of departure.
Direct Object of Motion: Haran — “toward Ḥaran,” functions as the destination of Jacob’s journey.

Morphology

  1. Igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces logical or narrative consequence; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Marks a transition showing that Jacob’s journey follows Isaac’s instructions and Esau’s actions.
  2. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying “Iacob”; Translation: “having departed”; Notes: The deponent participle conveys completed action prior to the main verb; it introduces Jacob’s physical and symbolic departure from Beersheba, leaving his parents’ household.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “pergebat”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: The central figure, beginning his divinely guided journey toward Ḥaran to seek a wife and fulfill covenant destiny.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses separation or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces the place of departure in ablative case.
  5. Bersabee — Lemma: Bersabee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “Beersheba”; Notes: The patriarchal dwelling place of Isaac and Rebekah; symbolizes the covenantal homeland from which Jacob sets forth.
  6. pergebat — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “was going / journeying”; Notes: The imperfect conveys continuous action, depicting Jacob’s ongoing travel rather than completed movement. The verb also carries a sense of steadfast purpose.
  7. Haran — Lemma: Haran; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular (Greek origin, indeclinable in Latin use); Function: destination of motion; Translation: “Ḥaran”; Notes: The city in Mesopotamia associated with Abraham’s family, destination of Jacob’s journey to find a wife and continue the Abrahamic lineage.

 

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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