Genesis 46:1

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:1 Profectusque Israel cum omnibus quæ habebat, venit ad Puteum iuramenti. et mactatis ibi victimis Deo patris sui Isaac,

And Israel set out with all the things he had, and he came to the Well of the Oath, and after sacrificing victims there to the God of his father Isaac,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Profectusque and having set out NOM.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.DEP + -QUE
2 Israel Israel NOM.SG.M.PROP
3 cum with PREP + ABL
4 omnibus all ABL.PL.N
5 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL
6 habebat he had 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
7 venit he came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ad to PREP + ACC
9 Puteum Well ACC.SG.M
10 iuramenti of the oath GEN.SG.N
11 et and CONJ
12 mactatis with victims having been slain ABL.PL.F.PTCP.PERF.PASS
13 ibi there ADV
14 victimis victims ABL.PL.F
15 Deo to God DAT.SG.M
16 patris of the father GEN.SG.M
17 sui his GEN.SG.M.REFL
18 Isaac Isaac GEN.SG.M.PROP

Syntax

Main clause:
• Profectusque Israel … venit — perfect active sense from a perfect participle: “Israel, having set out, came.”
Subject: Israel.
Verb: venit.

Prepositional phrase:
• cum omnibus quæ habebat — “with all which he had.”
— quæ introduces a relative clause modifying omnibus.
— habebat: imperfect indicating continuous possession.

Goal of movement:
• ad Puteum iuramenti — accusative after ad.

Ablative absolute:
• mactatis ibi victimis — “after victims had been slain there.”
— Perfect passive participle indicates prior action relative to venit.

Indirect reference to deity:
• Deo patris sui Isaac — dative of recipient of the sacrifice.
Genitives patris sui Isaac specify “the God of his father Isaac.”

Morphology

  1. Profectusque — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: deponent participle + enclitic; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle + -que; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “and having set out”; Notes: deponent verb with active meaning.
  2. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of venit; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: patriarch Jacob.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment phrase; Translation: “with”; Notes: standard comitative use.
  4. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: object of cum; Translation: “all things”; Notes: neuter plural for possessions.
  5. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of habebat; Translation: “which”; Notes: agrees with omnibus.
  6. habebat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “he had”; Notes: continuous past possession.
  7. venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he came”; Notes: narrative perfect.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: common directional preposition.
  9. Puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Well”; Notes: geographical cultic site.
  10. iuramenti — Lemma: iuramentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of the oath”; Notes: identifies the well by title.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: simple connector.
  12. mactatis — Lemma: macto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural feminine perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “with … having been slain”; Notes: prior action to main verb.
  13. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: locative modifier; Translation: “there”; Notes: indicates location of sacrifice.
  14. victimis — Lemma: victima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute; Translation: “victims”; Notes: liturgical sacrificial context.
  15. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of the sacrificial action; Translation: “to God”; Notes: recipient of offerings.
  16. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the father”; Notes: part of genitive chain.
  17. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers back to Israel.
  18. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: specifies whose father; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: patriarchal 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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.