Genesis 24:17

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:17 Occurritque ei servus, et ait: Pauxillum aquæ mihi ad bibendum præbe de hydria tua.

And the servant ran to meet her, and said: “Give me, I pray, a little water to drink from your jar.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Occurritque and ran to meet 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ei to her DAT.SG.F.PRON
3 servus servant NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Pauxillum a little ACC.SG.N.DIMIN
7 aquæ of water GEN.SG.F
8 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
9 ad for / to PREP+GERUND
10 bibendum to drink ACC.SG.GERUND
11 præbe give / offer 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 hydria jar ABL.SG.F
14 tua your ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Occurritque ei servus — subject servus with verb occurrit (“ran to meet”), governing the dative ei (“to her”). The enclitic -que connects this action with the following speech act.
Main Clause 2: et ait — perfect active verb introducing direct discourse.
Direct Speech: Pauxillum aquæ mihi ad bibendum præbe de hydria tua — imperative request. The diminutive Pauxillum aquæ (“a small amount of water”) functions as the object of præbe. The gerund phrase ad bibendum expresses purpose (“for drinking”), and de hydria tua gives source (“from your jar”).

Morphology

  1. Occurritque — Lemma: occurro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular + enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and ran to meet”; Notes: Takes a dative object (ei); perfect aspect denotes completed motion.
  2. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular Feminine; Function: Indirect object of occurrit; Translation: “to her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca as the one approached.
  3. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of occurrit; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s chief servant, the speaker of the prayer.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds a coordinating link between the servant’s movement and speech.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb (defective); Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common narrative verb for speech in biblical Latin.
  6. Pauxillum — Lemma: pauxillum; Part of Speech: Noun (diminutive of paulum); Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of præbe; Translation: “a little (amount)”; Notes: Expresses humility and politeness in request.
  7. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Partitive genitive with pauxillum; Translation: “of water”; Notes: Indicates quantity—“a little of water.”
  8. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular First Person; Function: Indirect object of præbe; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Dative of advantage in polite imperative speech.
  9. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses purpose with gerund; Translation: “for / to”; Notes: Standard construction for purpose clauses.
  10. bibendum — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: Gerund; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “drinking”; Notes: Purpose gerund forming phrase “for drinking.”
  11. præbe — Lemma: præbeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Imperative Second Person Singular; Function: Main verb of request; Translation: “give / offer”; Notes: Courteous imperative expressing entreaty.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin of water supply.
  13. hydria — Lemma: hydria; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “jar / pitcher”; Notes: Greek loanword for vessel used for water drawing.
  14. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies hydria; Translation: “your”; Notes: Denotes personal possession and agreement in gender, number, and case.

 

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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