Genesis 18:8

Posted on January 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 18:8 Tulit quoque butyrum et lac, et vitulum quem coxerat, et posuit coram eis: ipse vero stabat iuxta eos sub arbore.

And he also took butter and milk, and the calf which he had cooked, and placed it before them; but he himself stood by them under the tree.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tulit took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 butyrum butter ACC.SG.N
4 et and CONJ
5 lac milk ACC.SG.N
6 et and CONJ
7 vitulum calf ACC.SG.M
8 quem which ACC.SG.M.REL.PRON
9 coxerat he had cooked 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
10 et and CONJ
11 posuit placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 coram before PREP+ABL
13 eis them ABL.PL.M.PRON
14 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M.PRON
15 vero but ADV/CONJ
16 stabat was standing 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
17 iuxta near / beside PREP+ACC
18 eos them ACC.PL.M.PRON
19 sub under PREP+ABL
20 arbore tree ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Tulit quoque butyrum et lac, et vitulum quem coxerat — Tulit quoque (“and he also took”) introduces an additional act of hospitality; butyrum et lac (“butter and milk”) form a compound direct object; vitulum quem coxerat adds another object with a relative clause describing preparation.
Main Clause 2: et posuit coram eis — posuit (“placed”) governs coram eis (“before them”), denoting the serving of the meal.
Contrastive Clause: ipse vero stabat iuxta eos sub arbore — ipse vero (“but he himself”) contrasts the guests’ comfort with Abraham’s standing posture; iuxta eos sub arbore (“beside them under the tree”) describes his humble attentiveness.

Morphology

  1. Tulit — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “took”; Notes: Denotes Abraham’s act of bringing prepared food items personally to the guests.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: additive particle; Translation: “also”; Notes: Emphasizes addition of more provisions to the offering.
  3. butyrum — Lemma: butyrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “tulit”; Translation: “butter”; Notes: Represents a dairy product of abundance and refinement in ancient meals.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins coordinate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links “butyrum” and “lac.”
  5. lac — Lemma: lac; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “tulit”; Translation: “milk”; Notes: Symbol of pastoral hospitality and nourishment.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects a third item to the list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds “vitulum” to the sequence of provisions.
  7. vitulum — Lemma: vitulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “tulit”; Translation: “calf”; Notes: Refers to the cooked meat prepared for the guests, a delicacy in pastoral culture.
  8. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “vitulum”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Connects the calf to its preparation.
  9. coxerat — Lemma: coquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had cooked”; Notes: Indicates completed action before the serving.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Moves to the act of serving.
  11. posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “placed”; Notes: Indicates the respectful presentation of food before the guests.
  12. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location “in presence of”; Translation: “before”; Notes: Conveys reverence by serving in front of guests personally.
  13. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “coram”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the three divine visitors.
  14. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of second clause; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s humility as he waits upon his guests.
  15. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive particle; Translation: “but”; Notes: Highlights Abraham’s posture in contrast to the guests’ rest.
  16. stabat — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb of contrastive clause; Translation: “was standing”; Notes: Continuous action implying reverent attentiveness.
  17. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates proximity; Translation: “beside / near”; Notes: Describes Abraham’s position of readiness to serve.
  18. eos — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “iuxta”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers again to the visitors being served.
  19. sub — Lemma: sub; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates position beneath; Translation: “under”; Notes: Adds geographical context — under the shade of the tree of Mamre.
  20. arbore — Lemma: arbor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “sub”; Translation: “tree”; Notes: Identifies the resting place, signifying peaceful hospitality and divine presence.

 

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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