Genesis 18:7

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:7 Ipse vero ad armentum cucurrit, et tulit inde vitulum tenerrimum et optimum, deditque puero: qui festinavit, et coxit illum.

But he himself ran to the herd, and took from there a tender and good calf, and gave it to the servant, who hastened and cooked it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.PRON
2 vero but CONJ/ADV
3 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
4 armentum herd ACC.SG.N
5 cucurrit ran 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 et and CONJ
7 tulit took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 inde from there ADV
9 vitulum calf ACC.SG.M
10 tenerrimum very tender ACC.SG.M.SUPERL.ADJ
11 et and CONJ
12 optimum best ACC.SG.M.SUPERL.ADJ
13 deditque and gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 puero to the boy / servant DAT.SG.M
15 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
16 festinavit hastened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 et and CONJ
18 coxit cooked 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 illum it ACC.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Ipse vero ad armentum cucurrit — Ipse vero (“but he himself”) marks Abraham’s personal initiative and eagerness; ad armentum (“to the herd”) expresses goal of motion; cucurrit (“ran”) denotes swift, voluntary movement.
Coordinated Actions: et tulit inde vitulum tenerrimum et optimum — tulit (“took”) governs the direct object vitulum with two adjectives tenerrimum et optimum emphasizing quality.
Indirect Object Clause: deditque puero — deditque (“and he gave”) introduces the recipient puero (“to the servant”).
Relative Clause: qui festinavit et coxit illum — qui (“who”) refers to the servant; festinavit (“hastened”) and coxit (“cooked”) describe rapid and faithful service.

Morphology

  1. Ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject, emphasizing agent; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Highlights Abraham’s personal involvement rather than delegating others initially.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional particle; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks contrast with Sarah’s simultaneous activity inside the tent.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: direction toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Introduces destination of Abraham’s haste.
  4. armentum — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “herd”; Notes: Refers to cattle from which he selects the offering.
  5. cucurrit — Lemma: curro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “ran”; Notes: Conveys Abraham’s urgency and reverent zeal.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins subsequent actions in quick succession.
  7. tulit — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “took”; Notes: Indicates Abraham’s deliberate choice from among the herd.
  8. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of place; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Specifies the source of the chosen calf.
  9. vitulum — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “tulit”; Translation: “calf”; Notes: Represents the food offering being prepared for the guests.
  10. tenerrimum — Lemma: tener; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine superlative; Function: modifies “vitulum”; Translation: “very tender”; Notes: Expresses quality, indicating choice meat for honored visitors.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins paired adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two descriptive qualities of the calf.
  12. optimum — Lemma: optimus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine superlative; Function: modifies “vitulum”; Translation: “best”; Notes: Reinforces selection of the finest animal, reflecting generosity.
  13. deditque — Lemma: do + que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “and gave”; Notes: Continues sequence of actions, introducing the servant’s role.
  14. puero — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “deditque”; Translation: “to the servant”; Notes: Denotes Abraham’s young attendant who completes the preparation.
  15. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the servant receiving the calf.
  16. festinavit — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: predicate verb in relative clause; Translation: “hastened”; Notes: Echoes Abraham’s zeal, showing faithful cooperation.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins two verbs in same clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the servant’s haste with his action.
  18. coxit — Lemma: coquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: predicate verb; Translation: “cooked”; Notes: Describes completion of meal preparation, emphasizing promptness and obedience.
  19. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “coxit”; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the calf, completing the chain of actions from Abraham’s haste to the servant’s service.

 

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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