Genesis 22:3

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

3 Igitur Abraham de nocte consurgens, stravit asinum suum: ducens secum duos iuvenes, et Isaac filium suum: cumque concidisset ligna in holocaustum, abiit ad locum quem præceperat ei Deus.

Therefore Abraham, rising up in the night, saddled his donkey, taking with him two young men and Isaac his son; and when he had cut the wood for the burnt offering, he went to the place which God had commanded him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Igitur therefore CONJ
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 nocte night ABL.SG.F
5 consurgens rising up PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
6 stravit saddled 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 asinum donkey ACC.SG.M
8 suum his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
9 ducens leading PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
10 secum with him ADV
11 duos two NUM.ACC.PL.M
12 iuvenes young men ACC.PL.M
13 et and CONJ
14 Isaac Isaac ACC.SG.M
15 filium son ACC.SG.M
16 suum his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
17 cumque and when CONJ
18 concidisset had cut 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
19 ligna wood ACC.PL.N
20 in for PREP+ACC
21 holocaustum burnt offering ACC.SG.N
22 abiit went 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 ad to PREP+ACC
24 locum place ACC.SG.M
25 quem which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.M
26 præceperat had commanded 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
27 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
28 Deus God NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Abraham stravit asinum suum — subject Abraham, verb stravit, object asinum suum.
Temporal Modifier: de nocte consurgens — temporal participial phrase meaning “rising up in the night.”
Accompanying Phrase: ducens secum duos iuvenes et Isaac filium suum — participial phrase denoting simultaneous action of taking companions.
Subordinate Clause: cumque concidisset ligna in holocaustum — temporal clause with subjunctive “had cut,” preceding the main action.
Final Clause: abiit ad locum quem præceperat ei Deus — expresses purpose and obedience; relative clause quem præceperat ei Deus specifies the destination as divinely appointed.

Morphology

  1. Igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces logical or temporal continuation; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Often used narratively to connect sequential events.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Patriarch’s name used consistently in nominative.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates separation or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Here expresses time: “in the night.”
  4. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative feminine singular; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “night”; Notes: Indicates temporal setting.
  5. consurgens — Lemma: consurgo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: temporal participle modifying Abraham; Translation: “rising up”; Notes: Describes preparatory action before departure.
  6. stravit — Lemma: sterno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “saddled”; Notes: Literally “spread” or “laid out,” used idiomatically for “saddled.”
  7. asinum — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “donkey”; Notes: The animal prepared for the journey.
  8. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies asinum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring to Abraham.
  9. ducens — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: participial clause; Translation: “leading”; Notes: Describes accompanying action with main verb.
  10. secum — Lemma: secum; Part of Speech: adverbial pronoun; Form: contraction of “cum se”; Function: means “with him(self)”; Translation: “with him”; Notes: Indicates accompaniment.
  11. duos — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies iuvenes; Translation: “two”; Notes: Specifies number of companions.
  12. iuvenes — Lemma: juvenis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of ducens; Translation: “young men”; Notes: Refers to servants accompanying Abraham.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinated objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins Isaac to the previous noun phrase.
  14. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ducens; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Direct object in parallel with duos iuvenes.
  15. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: apposition to Isaac; Translation: “son”; Notes: Clarifies Isaac’s relationship.
  16. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies filium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s paternal link.
  17. cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Compound with “que” to indicate sequence.
  18. concidisset — Lemma: concido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect subjunctive active third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had cut”; Notes: Indicates completed action prior to departure.
  19. ligna — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: object of concidisset; Translation: “wood”; Notes: Material for the offering.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: Denotes purpose of the wood’s preparation.
  21. holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: complement of in; Translation: “burnt offering”; Notes: Specifies the sacrificial use.
  22. abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “went”; Notes: Marks the start of Abraham’s journey.
  23. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: Directional preposition.
  24. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to the site of sacrifice.
  25. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of præceperat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
  26. præceperat — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “had commanded”; Notes: Refers to prior divine instruction.
  27. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  28. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of præceperat; Translation: “God”; Notes: The one issuing the command.

 

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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