Genesis 48:3

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:3 Et ingresso ad se ait: Deus omnipotens apparuit mihi in Luza, quæ est in Terra Chanaan: benedixitque mihi,

And when he had come in to him, he said: “God Almighty appeared to me in Luza, which is in the land of Chanaan, and He blessed me,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ingresso having entered ABL.SG.M.PTCP.PERF.PASS
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 se him ACC.SG.REFL.PRON
5 ait he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
6 Deus God NOM.SG.M
7 omnipotens almighty NOM.SG.M.ADJ
8 apparuit appeared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 mihi to me DAT.SG.PRON
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 Luza Luz ABL.SG.F.PROP
12 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
13 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 Terra Land ABL.SG.F
16 Chanaan Canaan ABL.SG.F.PROP
17 benedixitque and He blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
18 mihi me DAT.SG.PRON

Syntax

Ablative Absolute:
ingresso ad se — “when he had come in to him”
• ingresso = ablative singular perfect passive participle
• ad se = prepositional phrase with reflexive pronoun

Main Clause:
ait — “he said,” introducing direct discourse

Divine Appearance Statement:
Deus omnipotens apparuit mihi — “God Almighty appeared to me”
• Deus omnipotens = subject
• apparuit = verb
• mihi = dative of the person acted upon

Relative Clause:
quæ est in Terra Chanaan — “which is in the land of Chanaan”
• quæ = subject
• est = copula
• in Terra Chanaan = locative phrase

Coordinated Verb with Enclitic:
benedixitque mihi — “and He blessed me”
• benedixit = perfect verb
• -que links to previous statement

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard narrative connector.
  2. ingresso — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: ablative absolute; Translation: “having entered”; Notes: Although ingredior is deponent, the participle is passive in form with active meaning.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Motion toward the person.
  4. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative third singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Classical verb with defective forms.
  6. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Follow standard capitalization.
  7. omnipotens — Lemma: omnipotens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Deus; Translation: “almighty”; Notes: Divine epithet.
  8. apparuit — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “appeared”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed revelation.
  9. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of divine appearance.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Geographic location.
  11. Luza — Lemma: Luza; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Luz”; Notes: Early name for Bethel.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to Luz.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Defines location.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Geographic marker.
  15. Terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Region name.
  16. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies Terra; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: Geographic specification.
  17. benedixitque — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular with enclitic -que; Function: coordinated action; Translation: “and He blessed”; Notes: Divine blessing action.
  18. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “me”; Notes: Recipient of blessing.

 

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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