Genesis 24:6

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:6 Dixitque Abraham: Cave nequando reducas filium meum illuc.

And Abraham said: “Beware that you never bring my son back there.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
3 Cave beware 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 nequando lest ever CONJ.NEG
5 reducas you bring back 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
6 filium son ACC.SG.M
7 meum my ACC.SG.M.PRON
8 illuc there ADV

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque Abraham — narrative introduction; Abraham (subject) + Dixitque (verb with enclitic conjunction).
Imperative Clause: Cave nequando reducas filium meum illuc — negative command construction; Cave (imperative) governs a subordinate clause introduced by nequando with subjunctive reducas.
The structure literally means “Be careful lest you ever bring back my son there,” conveying both warning and prohibition.
The adverb illuc denotes the direction “to that place,” referring to Mesopotamia, Abraham’s homeland.
This syntax expresses a solemn command emphasizing that Isaac must not return to the land from which Abraham departed.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb + Conjunction; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular + enclitic -que; Function: Main narrative verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que links with prior discourse, typical of narrative style.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of Dixitque; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Retained as indeclinable in Latin from Hebrew origin.
  3. Cave — Lemma: caveo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Imperative 2nd Person Singular; Function: Main verb of exhortation; Translation: “beware”; Notes: Used idiomatically to introduce prohibitive clauses with ne or nequando.
  4. nequando — Lemma: nequando; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Negative-purpose conjunction; Function: Introduces clause of prohibition with subjunctive verb; Translation: “lest ever”; Notes: Intensifies the warning tone.
  5. reducas — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Subjunctive 2nd Person Singular; Function: Verb of the dependent clause governed by Cave; Translation: “you bring back”; Notes: Subjunctive after ne expresses prohibited action.
  6. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of reducas; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the son of Abraham.
  7. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies filium; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive agreeing with its noun in case, number, and gender.
  8. illuc — Lemma: illuc; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: —; Function: Adverb of place indicating motion toward; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to Mesopotamia, Abraham’s country of origin.

 

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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