Genesis 24:16

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:16 puella decora nimis, virgoque pulcherrima, et incognita viro: descenderat autem ad fontem, et impleverat hydriam, ac revertebatur.

the girl was exceedingly beautiful, a very fair virgin, and unknown to man; she had gone down to the spring, and had filled her jar, and was returning.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 puella girl NOM.SG.F
2 decora beautiful NOM.SG.F.ADJ
3 nimis very / exceedingly ADV
4 virgoque and (a) virgin NOM.SG.F.NOUN + ENCLITIC
5 pulcherrima most beautiful NOM.SG.F.SUP.ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 incognita unknown NOM.SG.F.PART.PERF.PASS
8 viro to man DAT.SG.M
9 descenderat had gone down 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
10 autem however / moreover CONJ
11 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
12 fontem spring / well ACC.SG.M
13 et and CONJ
14 impleverat had filled 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
15 hydriam jar / pitcher ACC.SG.F
16 ac and / and also CONJ
17 revertebatur was returning 3SG.IMPF.DEP.IND

Syntax

Descriptive Clause: puella decora nimis, virgoque pulcherrima, et incognita viro — a series of nominal and adjectival phrases describing Rebecca. decora nimis (“exceedingly beautiful”) and virgoque pulcherrima (“and a most fair virgin”) are coordinated appositions. The participle incognita with viro forms a dative construction meaning “unknown to man,” highlighting her purity.
Narrative Sequence: descenderat autem ad fontem, et impleverat hydriam, ac revertebatur — three sequential pluperfect and imperfect verbs describe her completed and ongoing actions. descenderat and impleverat express completed past acts, while revertebatur (deponent) describes continuous motion. The conjunctions et…ac mark rhythm and slight variation in narrative tone.

Morphology

  1. puella — Lemma: puella; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of the descriptive clause; Translation: “girl”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca, focal subject of the verse.
  2. decora — Lemma: decorus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Predicate adjective with puella; Translation: “beautiful / graceful”; Notes: Denotes moral and physical beauty.
  3. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Intensifier of decora; Translation: “very / exceedingly”; Notes: Classical intensifier modifying adjectives and verbs.
  4. virgoque — Lemma: virgo + -que; Part of Speech: Noun + enclitic conjunction; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Coordinated apposition with puella; Translation: “and a virgin”; Notes: The enclitic -que joins descriptive elements closely.
  5. pulcherrima — Lemma: pulcher; Part of Speech: Adjective (superlative); Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Predicate complement with virgo; Translation: “most beautiful”; Notes: Superlative emphasizing perfection of beauty.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate adjectives or clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Reinforces cumulative description.
  7. incognita — Lemma: incognitus; Part of Speech: Perfect Passive Participle (used adjectivally); Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “unknown”; Notes: Implies virginity or chastity; agrees with puella.
  8. viro — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Dative of agent or relation with incognita; Translation: “to man”; Notes: Denotes she was untouched or unacquainted with any man.
  9. descenderat — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb in narrative sequence; Translation: “had gone down”; Notes: Indicates a completed past event prior to her filling the jar.
  10. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Transitional conjunction; Translation: “however / moreover”; Notes: Adds narrative flow rather than opposition.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Used with verbs of motion.
  12. fontem — Lemma: fons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “spring / well”; Notes: Place of divine encounter and hospitality in Genesis narratives.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Joins clauses in sequence; Translation: “and”; Notes: Maintains narrative continuity.
  14. impleverat — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of completed action; Translation: “had filled”; Notes: Expresses completion of task, preceding return motion.
  15. hydriam — Lemma: hydria; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of impleverat; Translation: “jar / pitcher”; Notes: Greek borrowing common in the Vulgate for water vessels.
  16. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects final clause with elegant variation from et; Translation: “and / and also”; Notes: Lighter in tone, avoids repetition of et.
  17. revertebatur — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Imperfect Indicative Passive Form (active in sense) Third Person Singular; Function: Final verb describing ongoing return; Translation: “was returning”; Notes: Deponent form indicating continuous motion back from the well.

 

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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