Genesis 24:18

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:18 Quæ respondit: Bibe domine mi. celeriterque deposuit hydriam super ulnam suam, et dedit ei potum.

And she replied: “Drink, my lord.” And quickly she lowered her jar upon her arm, and gave him a drink.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who / she NOM.SG.F.REL.PRON
2 respondit replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Bibe drink 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
4 domine lord VOC.SG.M
5 mi my VOC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
6 celeriterque and quickly ADV + ENCLITIC
7 deposuit lowered / set down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 hydriam jar / pitcher ACC.SG.F
9 super upon / on PREP+ACC
10 ulnam arm / forearm ACC.SG.F
11 suam her ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
12 et and CONJ
13 dedit gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
15 potum a drink ACC.SG.M.NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause: Quæ respondit — the relative pronoun quæ refers back to Rebecca, serving as the subject of respondit (“replied”).
Direct Speech: Bibe domine mi — imperative Bibe with vocative address domine mi (“my lord”) expresses politeness and humility.
Subsequent Actions: celeriterque deposuit hydriam super ulnam suam — describes her quick and respectful gesture; deposuit takes hydriam as object and super ulnam suam as prepositional phrase.
Final Clause: et dedit ei potum — perfect verb dedit governs double object: ei (indirect) and potum (direct), expressing the act of offering refreshment.

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of respondit; Translation: “who / she”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca, linking her to the previous context.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “replied”; Notes: Common biblical verb of dialogue, signaling courteous response.
  3. Bibe — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Imperative Second Person Singular; Function: Direct imperative; Translation: “drink”; Notes: Immediate command inviting action.
  4. domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Vocative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct address; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Term of respect, here referring to a human, not YHWH.
  5. mi — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Vocative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domine; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses humility; used often in speech formulae.
  6. celeriterque — Lemma: celeriter + -que; Part of Speech: Adverb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adverb modifying deposuit; Translation: “and quickly”; Notes: Enclitic adds narrative smoothness.
  7. deposuit — Lemma: depono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “lowered / set down”; Notes: Indicates prompt obedience and readiness to serve.
  8. hydriam — Lemma: hydria; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of deposuit; Translation: “jar / pitcher”; Notes: Greek loanword for water vessel.
  9. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses placement or movement onto something; Translation: “upon / on”; Notes: Spatial relation with ulnam.
  10. ulnam — Lemma: ulna; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “arm / forearm”; Notes: Denotes limb used for carrying the jar.
  11. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies ulnam; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflexive, agrees with subject quæ (Rebecca).
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links consecutive actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Maintains narrative continuity.
  13. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “gave”; Notes: Conveys completion of service gesture.
  14. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object of dedit; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s servant.
  15. potum — Lemma: potus; Part of Speech: Noun (verbal noun); Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of dedit; Translation: “a drink”; Notes: Cognate object derived from poto, common idiom in Latin: “to give a drink.”

 

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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