Genesis 22:9

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 22:9 et venerunt ad locum quem ostenderat ei Deus, in quo ædificavit altare, et desuper ligna composuit: cumque alligasset Isaac filium suum, posuit eum in altare super struem lignorum.

and they came to the place which God had shown him, where he built an altar and arranged the wood upon it. And when he had bound Isaac his son, he placed him on the altar upon the pile of wood.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 venerunt they came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ad to PREP+ACC
4 locum place ACC.SG.M
5 quem which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.M
6 ostenderat had shown 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
7 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
8 Deus God NOM.SG.M
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 quo where REL.PRON.ABL.SG.M
11 ædificavit he built 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 altare altar ACC.SG.N
13 et and CONJ
14 desuper on top ADV
15 ligna wood ACC.PL.N
16 composuit he arranged 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 cumque and when CONJ
18 alligasset had bound 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
19 Isaac Isaac ACC.SG.M
20 filium son ACC.SG.M
21 suum his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
22 posuit he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
24 in on PREP+ABL
25 altare altar ABL.SG.N
26 super upon PREP+ACC
27 struem pile ACC.SG.F
28 lignorum of the wood GEN.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: et venerunt ad locum quem ostenderat ei Deus — compound subject (Abraham and Isaac implied), main verb venerunt, with prepositional phrase marking destination.
Relative Clause: quem ostenderat ei Deus — describes the place previously revealed by God, with ostenderat (pluperfect) marking prior revelation.
Locative Clause: in quo ædificavit altare — identifies the place as the site of altar construction.
Sequential Action: et desuper ligna composuit — continues narrative action with conjunction et.
Subordinate Temporal Clause: cumque alligasset Isaac filium suum — pluperfect subjunctive showing action completed before posuit eum.
Final Main Action: posuit eum in altare super struem lignorum — culmination of Abraham’s obedience, positioning Isaac on the altar.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues narrative flow.
  2. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they came”; Notes: Marks arrival at divinely appointed location.
  3. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward a place.
  4. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to the mountain shown by God.
  5. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of ostenderat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause.
  6. ostenderat — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had shown”; Notes: Indicates prior divine revelation.
  7. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative masculine singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  8. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of ostenderat; Translation: “God”; Notes: The one revealing the sacred location.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: Denotes position of activity.
  10. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “where”; Notes: Refers to location of building.
  11. ædificavit — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he built”; Notes: Marks construction of altar.
  12. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Central structure for the sacrifice.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds consecutive action.
  14. desuper — Lemma: desuper; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies composuit; Translation: “on top”; Notes: Denotes spatial placement.
  15. ligna — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object of composuit; Translation: “wood”; Notes: The material arranged for the sacrifice.
  16. composuit — Lemma: compono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he arranged”; Notes: Indicates careful preparation of the offering site.
  17. cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable with enclitic “-que”; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Denotes action preceding the next clause.
  18. alligasset — Lemma: alligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect subjunctive active third person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had bound”; Notes: Marks completion before subsequent act.
  19. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of alligasset; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: The object of Abraham’s obedience.
  20. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: apposition to Isaac; Translation: “son”; Notes: Specifies relationship.
  21. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies filium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Emphasizes paternal connection.
  22. posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he placed”; Notes: Describes the act of laying Isaac on the altar.
  23. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of posuit; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac.
  24. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “on”; Notes: Marks physical placement.
  25. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter singular; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Site of sacrificial act.
  26. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Adds vertical emphasis of placement.
  27. struem — Lemma: strues; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: object of super; Translation: “pile”; Notes: Refers to arranged heap of wood.
  28. lignorum — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter plural; Function: genitive of composition; Translation: “of the wood”; Notes: Specifies what the pile consists of.

 

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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