Genesis 20:8

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:8 Statimque de nocte consurgens Abimelech, vocavit omnes servos suos: et locutus est universa verba hæc in auribus eorum, timueruntque omnes viri valde.

And immediately Abimelech, rising up in the night, called all his servants and spoke all these words in their hearing, and all the men were very afraid.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Statimque and immediately ADV+ENCLIT.CONJ
2 de from PREP+ABL
3 nocte night NOUN.ABL.SG.F
4 consurgens rising up PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
5 Abimelech Abimelech NOUN.NOM.SG.M
6 vocavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 omnes all ADJ.ACC.PL.M
8 servos servants NOUN.ACC.PL.M
9 suos his ADJ.ACC.PL.M
10 et and CONJ
11 locutus having spoken PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
12 est is/has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
13 universa all ADJ.ACC.PL.N
14 verba words NOUN.ACC.PL.N
15 hæc these PRON.DEM.ACC.PL.N
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 auribus ears NOUN.ABL.PL.F
18 eorum of them PRON.GEN.PL.M
19 timueruntque and they feared 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLIT.CONJ
20 omnes all ADJ.NOM.PL.M
21 viri men NOUN.NOM.PL.M
22 valde greatly ADV

Syntax

Temporal Frame: Statimque de nocte consurgens — adverb + ablative of time with a circumstantial present participle modifying Abimelech.
Main Clause 1: Abimelech vocavit omnes servos suos — subject + perfect verb + direct object phrase.
Main Clause 2 (deponent perfect): et locutus est universa verba hæc — periphrastic perfect of deponent loquor (“he spoke”), with locutus (perfect participle) + auxiliary est, object universa verba hæc.
Adverbial PP: in auribus eorum — “in their hearing,” ablative with in of location/attendant circumstance.
Result: timueruntque omnes viri valde — perfect indicating completed reaction; valde intensifies.

Morphology

  1. Statimque — Lemma: statim + -que; Part of Speech: adverb with enclitic conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: temporal adverb joined to the narrative chain; Translation: “and immediately”; Notes: -que links with the prior context.
  2. De — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: ablative of time (“out of the night” = at night); Translation: “from/at”; Notes: Idiomatically in time expressions.
  3. Nocte — Lemma: nox, noctis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: time when; Translation: “(at) night”; Notes: Sets time of action.
  4. Consurgens — Lemma: cōnsurgō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Abimelech; Translation: “rising up”; Notes: Action contemporaneous with the main verb.
  5. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar.
  6. Vocavit — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “called”; Notes: Completed action.
  7. Omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies servos; Translation: “all”; Notes: Totality of the group.
  8. Servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Those summoned.
  9. Suos — Lemma: suus, sua, suum; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: agrees with servos; Translation: “his (own)”; Notes: Reflexive to the subject.
  10. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinator; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links clauses.
  11. Locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent system); Form: perfect participle passive form, nominative singular masculine (active sense); Function: with auxiliary est to form perfect indicative; Translation: “(having) spoken”; Notes: Deponent perfect is analytic: participle + sum.
  12. Est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: auxiliary with locutus; Translation: “has/is (spoke)”; Notes: Supplies tense/mood for deponent perfect.
  13. Universa — Lemma: ūniversus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: modifies verba; Translation: “all”; Notes: Completeness of content.
  14. Verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of the speaking; Translation: “words”; Notes: Direct object of the verbal idea.
  15. Hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun/adjective; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: deictic modifier of verba; Translation: “these”; Notes: Points to the reported message.
  16. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in”; Notes: Sets the hearing context.
  17. Auribus — Lemma: auris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “ears”; Notes: Idiom “in their ears.”
  18. Eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive with auribus; Translation: “of them/their”; Notes: Refers to the servants.
  19. Timueruntque — Lemma: timeō + -que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative, third person plural; Function: main verb of resultant clause; Translation: “and they feared”; Notes: Perfective reaction; -que continues the sequence.
  20. Omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject modifier; Translation: “all”; Notes: Universal subject.
  21. Viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “men”; Notes: The populace under Abimelech.
  22. Valde — Lemma: valdē; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: intensifier; Translation: “greatly/very much”; Notes: Heightens the fear.

 

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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