Genesis 24:5

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:5 Respondit servus: Si noluerit mulier venire mecum in terram hanc, numquid reducere debeo filium tuum ad locum, de quo egressus es?

The servant answered: “If the woman will not wish to come with me into this land, should I then bring back your son to the place from which you came out?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 servus servant NOM.SG.M
3 Si if CONJ.COND
4 noluerit she will not wish 3SG.FUTPERF.ACT.IND
5 mulier woman NOM.SG.F
6 venire to come PRES.ACT.INF
7 mecum with me PREP+PRON.ABL
8 in into PREP+ACC
9 terram land ACC.SG.F
10 hanc this ACC.SG.F.DEM
11 numquid surely not? INTERROG.PART
12 reducere to bring back PRES.ACT.INF
13 debeo ought I 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 filium son ACC.SG.M
15 tuum your ACC.SG.M.PRON
16 ad to PREP+ACC
17 locum place ACC.SG.M
18 de from PREP+ABL
19 quo from which ABL.SG.M.REL.PRON
20 egressus you went out PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
21 es you are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Respondit servus — narrative statement introducing the speaker; servus (subject) + respondit (verb).
Conditional Clause: Si noluerit mulier venire mecum in terram hanc — protasis of the conditional; Si introduces condition, noluerit (future perfect verb) expresses the condition, mulier (subject) + venire (infinitive complement).
Main Interrogative Clause: numquid reducere debeo filium tuum ad locum, de quo egressus es? — rhetorical question; numquid signals a question expecting a negative answer; debeo (main verb) governs infinitive reducere, with filium tuum as object and ad locum as destination.
Relative Clause: de quo egressus es — modifies locum; quo (relative pronoun, ablative) + egressus es (perfect deponent verb), meaning “from which you came out.”
This sentence expresses the servant’s careful inquiry about the possibility that the woman may refuse, showing obedience and concern for Abraham’s instructions.

Morphology

  1. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Main verb introducing dialogue; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Indicates completed action in narrative sequence.
  2. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of respondit; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s chief steward.
  3. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Conditional; Function: Introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Governs future perfect verb.
  4. noluerit — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Verb of condition; Translation: “she will not wish”; Notes: Future perfect emphasizes completed refusal before the main action.
  5. mulier — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of noluerit; Translation: “woman”; Notes: The potential bride of Isaac.
  6. venire — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive to noluerit; Translation: “to come”; Notes: Dependent on expression of desire or will.
  7. mecum — Lemma: cum me; Part of Speech: Preposition + Pronoun; Form: Ablative Singular; Function: Adverbial complement; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Enclitic form of cum after pronoun.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Introduces destination phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: Used with motion toward.
  9. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the land of Canaan.
  10. hanc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies terram; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies the current land.
  11. numquid — Lemma: numquid; Part of Speech: Interrogative Particle; Form: —; Function: Introduces a question expecting negative answer; Translation: “surely not?”; Notes: Adds rhetorical tone of hesitation.
  12. reducere — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive of debeo; Translation: “to bring back”; Notes: Indicates action considered.
  13. debeo — Lemma: debeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative 1st Person Singular; Function: Main verb of question; Translation: “ought I”; Notes: Expresses moral or procedural obligation.
  14. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of reducere; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Isaac.
  15. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies filium; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Introduces destination phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: Used with verbs of motion.
  17. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to the land of origin.
  18. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Introduces relative clause phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates separation or source.
  19. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of de in relative clause; Translation: “from which”; Notes: Refers to locum.
  20. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Deponent Verb (Participle); Form: Perfect Participle Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Predicate complement of es; Translation: “you went out”; Notes: Deponent participle expressing completed motion.
  21. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Indicative 2nd Person Singular; Function: Auxiliary verb completing egressus; Translation: “you are”; Notes: Used periphrastically with deponent participle for perfect tense.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.