Genesis 28:20

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:20 Vovit etiam votum, dicens: Si fuerit Deus mecum, et custodierit me in via, per quam ego ambulo, et dederit mihi panem ad vescendum, et vestimentum ad induendum,

And he also made a vow, saying: “If God will be with me, and will keep me in the way by which I walk, and will give me bread to eat and clothing to put on,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vovit he vowed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 etiam also ADV
3 votum vow ACC.SG.N
4 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PART.PRES.ACT
5 Si if CONJ
6 fuerit will be 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Deus God NOM.SG.M
8 mecum with me PREP+ABL.PRON
9 et and CONJ
10 custodierit will keep 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
11 me me ACC.SG.PRON
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 via way ABL.SG.F
14 per through PREP+ACC
15 quam which ACC.SG.F.REL
16 ego I NOM.SG.PRON
17 ambulo I walk 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
18 et and CONJ
19 dederit will give 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
20 mihi to me DAT.SG.PRON
21 panem bread ACC.SG.M
22 ad for/to PREP+ACC
23 vescendum eating ACC.SG.N.GERUND
24 et and CONJ
25 vestimentum clothing ACC.SG.N
26 ad for/to PREP+ACC
27 induendum putting on ACC.SG.N.GERUND

Syntax

Main Clause: Vovit etiam votum, dicens — perfect indicative statement describing the act of making a vow, with participle dicens introducing indirect discourse.
Conditional Clause: Si fuerit Deus mecum, et custodierit me in via per quam ego ambulo, et dederit mihi panem ad vescendum et vestimentum ad induendum — compound future perfect condition, expressing dependence on divine favor:
– fuerit Deus mecum — first condition (“if God will be with me”);
– custodierit me in via… — second (“and will keep me in the way by which I walk”);
– dederit mihi panem… — third (“and will give me bread and clothing”).
Each verb in the future perfect marks anticipation before fulfillment of the vow.

Morphology

  1. Vovit — Lemma: voveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he vowed”; Notes: Denotes solemn promise or oath to God.
  2. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: intensifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: Emphasizes addition to previous actions.
  3. votum — Lemma: votum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of vovit; Translation: “vow”; Notes: Refers to sacred promise to the LORD.
  4. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: introduces content of vow; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Expresses speech in indirect discourse.
  5. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces protasis of vow; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks conditional statement dependent on divine response.
  6. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of first conditional clause; Translation: “will be”; Notes: Expresses certainty of divine presence.
  7. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of fuerit; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to the LORD as covenant protector.
  8. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: prepositional phrase; Form: cum + ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Attached form of preposition + pronoun.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins sequential conditions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues logical flow of the vow.
  10. custodierit — Lemma: custodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of second condition; Translation: “will keep”; Notes: Expresses divine protection.
  11. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of custodierit; Translation: “me”; Notes: Jacob as the one guarded.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces locative phrase “in the way.”
  13. via — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “way”; Notes: Figurative for journey or life path.
  14. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “through”; Notes: Spatial preposition of motion.
  15. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to viam.
  16. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of ambulo; Translation: “I”; Notes: Expresses subjectivity of the vow.
  17. ambulo — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “I walk”; Notes: Simple present describing current life journey.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins next conditional clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces another divine action requested.
  19. dederit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of third condition; Translation: “will give”; Notes: Expresses anticipated divine provision.
  20. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of dederit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of divine gifts.
  21. panem — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of dederit; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Basic sustenance representing provision.
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks purpose; Translation: “for/to”; Notes: Introduces gerund phrase expressing purpose.
  23. vescendum — Lemma: vescor; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad expressing purpose; Translation: “eating”; Notes: Indicates the bread’s intended use.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects two gerund phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links two aspects of divine provision.
  25. vestimentum — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of dederit; Translation: “clothing”; Notes: Represents protection and modesty.
  26. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces gerund; Translation: “for/to”; Notes: Expresses intended purpose of use.
  27. induendum — Lemma: induo; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “putting on”; Notes: Conveys action of wearing clothes, parallel to ad vescendum.

 

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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