Genesis 24:1

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:1 Erat autem Abraham senex, dierumque multorum: et Dominus in cunctis benedixerat ei.

But Abraham was old and advanced in days, and the LORD had blessed him in all things.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erat was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but CONJ
3 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
4 senex old NOM.SG.M.ADJ
5 dierumque and of days GEN.PL.M + CONJ
6 multorum many GEN.PL.M.ADJ
7 et and CONJ
8 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 cunctis all things ABL.PL.N
11 benedixerat had blessed 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
12 ei him DAT.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Abraham (subject) + erat (verb) + senex (predicative complement) — expresses the state of Abraham’s age.
Phrase: dierum multorum — genitive phrase modifying senex, indicating “of many days,” describing advanced age.
Second Clause: Dominus (subject) + benedixerat ei (verb phrase with indirect object) — conveys completed divine action, “the LORD had blessed him.”
Prepositional Phrase: in cunctis — ablative phrase meaning “in all things,” showing the scope of divine blessing.

Morphology

  1. Erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb of the clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Expresses continuous state in past time.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects this sentence with prior narrative; Translation: “but”; Notes: Provides slight contrast or continuation of thought.
  3. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of the verb erat; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Personal name retained from Hebrew.
  4. senex — Lemma: senex; Part of Speech: Adjective/Substantive; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Predicate adjective agreeing with Abraham; Translation: “old”; Notes: Functions substantively as “an old man.”
  5. dierumque — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun + Conjunction; Form: Genitive Plural Masculine + enclitic -que; Function: Genitive of specification, connected to senex; Translation: “and of days”; Notes: Describes duration of life, idiomatic for “advanced in age.”
  6. multorum — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Genitive Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies dierum; Translation: “many”; Notes: Reinforces sense of longevity.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating conjunction; Function: Connects two clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector without contrastive force.
  8. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of benedixerat; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; therefore rendered as “LORD.”
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs the Ablative; Function: Introduces prepositional phrase indicating sphere; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses domain of blessing.
  10. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective/Substantive; Form: Ablative Plural Neuter; Function: Object of preposition in; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Indicates totality of divine favor.
  11. benedixerat — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “had blessed”; Notes: Describes prior completed action with continuing effect.
  12. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object of benedixerat; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers back to Abraham.

 

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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