Genesis 13:3

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 13:3 Reversusque est per iter, quo venerat, a meridie in Bethel usque ad locum ubi prius fixerat tabernaculum inter Bethel et Hai:

And he returned by the way by which he had come, from the south to Bethel, to the place where he had formerly pitched his tent, between Bethel and Hai.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversusque and he returned PERF.PART.M.NOM.SG + -QUE
2 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 per through / by PREP+ACC
4 iter way / route ACC.SG.N
5 quo by which REL.PRON.ABL.SG.N
6 venerat he had come 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
7 a from PREP+ABL
8 meridie the south ABL.SG.M
9 in into / to PREP+ACC
10 Bethel Bethel ACC.SG.F (indecl. Hebr.)
11 usque as far as ADV/PREP
12 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
13 locum place ACC.SG.M
14 ubi where REL.ADV
15 prius formerly / before ADV
16 fixerat he had pitched / set up 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
17 tabernaculum tent ACC.SG.N
18 inter between PREP+ACC
19 Bethel Bethel ACC.SG.F (indecl. Hebr.)
20 et and CONJ
21 Hai Hai ACC.SG.F (indecl. Hebr.)

Syntax

Main Clause: Reversusque est per iter quo venerat — The periphrastic perfect Reversus est (“he returned”) serves as the main verb; per iter (“by the way”) expresses the route, and quo venerat (“by which he had come”) is a relative clause modifying iter.
Directional Phrase: a meridie in Bethel — movement from a southern region toward Bethel.
Prepositional Phrase of Goal: usque ad locum ubi prius fixerat tabernaculum — expresses extent of travel, “as far as the place where he had previously pitched his tent.”
Final Phrase: inter Bethel et Hai — locative phrase giving precise position of the tent between two towns.

Morphology

  1. Reversusque — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Deponent verb (perfect participle + enclitic); Form: Perfect participle masculine nominative singular + enclitic -que; Function: Subject complement in periphrastic verb; Translation: “and he returned”; Notes: Deponent participle forms perfect tense with sum.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: Present indicative active, 3rd person singular; Function: Auxiliary with participle reversus; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Forms the perfect of deponent verb revertor.
  3. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses motion through or along; Translation: “by / through”; Notes: Marks the route taken.
  4. iter — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Object of per; Translation: “way / route”; Notes: Indicates the physical path of return.
  5. quo — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Ablative singular neuter; Function: Ablative of means/location; Translation: “by which”; Notes: Connects relative clause to iter.
  6. venerat — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had come”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s prior travel northward from the south.
  7. a — Lemma: a (ab); Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Denotes point of departure.
  8. meridie — Lemma: meridies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “the south”; Notes: Refers to the southern region (Negeb).
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Indicates movement toward; Translation: “into / to”; Notes: Shows direction toward Bethel.
  10. Bethel — Lemma: Bethel; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable Hebrew name); Form: Accusative singular; Function: Object of in; Translation: “Bethel”; Notes: Canaanite city, location of Abram’s altar.
  11. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Adverb / preposition; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Denotes extent or limit; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: Common in travel or boundary descriptions.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses goal of motion; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Works together with usque to intensify the limit.
  13. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of usque ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to previous campsite of Abram.
  14. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces relative clause of location; Translation: “where”; Notes: Connects with locum.
  15. prius — Lemma: prius; Part of Speech: Adverb (comparative of prae); Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal adverb; Translation: “before / formerly”; Notes: Indicates earlier time.
  16. fixerat — Lemma: figo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “he had pitched / fixed”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s previous act of setting up his tent.
  17. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of fixerat; Translation: “tent”; Notes: Nomadic dwelling, symbolizing Abram’s pilgrim status.
  18. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses spatial relation; Translation: “between”; Notes: Introduces locative pair.
  19. Bethel — Lemma: Bethel; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable Hebrew name); Form: Accusative singular; Function: First object of inter; Translation: “Bethel”; Notes: One boundary of Abram’s campsite.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects two objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the two locations.
  21. Hai — Lemma: Hai; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable Hebrew name); Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Second object of inter; Translation: “Hai”; Notes: Another Canaanite city marking Abram’s encampment site.

 

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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