Genesis 24:36

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:36 Et peperit Sara uxor domini mei filium domino meo in senectute sua, deditque illi omnia quæ habuerat.

And Sarah, the wife of my master, bore a son to my master in her old age, and he gave to him all that he had.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Sara Sarah NOM.SG.F PROPN
4 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
5 domini of the master GEN.SG.M
6 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJ
7 filium son ACC.SG.M
8 domino to the master DAT.SG.M
9 meo my DAT.SG.M POSS.ADJ
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 senectute old age ABL.SG.F
12 sua her ABL.SG.F POSS.ADJ
13 deditque and gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
14 illi to him DAT.SG.M 3P.PRON
15 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
16 quæ which NOM.PL.N REL.PRON
17 habuerat he had possessed 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Clause 1: Et peperit Sara uxor domini mei filium domino meo — perfect verb peperit governs direct object filium (“a son”). The nominative subject is Sara uxor domini mei (“Sarah, the wife of my master”), with genitive phrase domini mei specifying possession. The indirect object domino meo identifies the recipient of the son, Abraham.
Prepositional Phrase: in senectute sua — ablative of time or circumstance, “in her old age,” emphasizing miraculous birth.
Clause 2: deditque illi omnia quæ habuerat — the enclitic -que connects the second clause. Verb dedit governs the dative illi (“to him”) and the object omnia (“all things”), expanded by the relative clause quæ habuerat (“which he had possessed”).
The syntax reflects typical Vulgate parataxis, highlighting divine fulfillment and inheritance transmission to Isaac.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective particle; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links narrative events.
  2. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “bore / gave birth”; Notes: Perfect tense marking completed event of birth.
  3. Sara — Lemma: Sara; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of peperit; Translation: “Sarah”; Notes: Hebrew name unchanged; denotes Abraham’s wife.
  4. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Appositive to Sara; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Clarifies her relational status to Abraham.
  5. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive with uxor; Translation: “of (the) master”; Notes: Identifies Abraham as Sarah’s husband; refers to him with respectful title.
  6. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates the servant’s loyalty and subordination.
  7. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of peperit; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the child of promise.
  8. domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to the master”; Notes: Recipient of the son, Abraham.
  9. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domino; Translation: “my”; Notes: Matches the genitive possessive earlier for coherence.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Introduces circumstance; Translation: “in”; Notes: Expresses temporal or situational context.
  11. senectute — Lemma: senectus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “old age”; Notes: Refers to advanced years of Sarah; emphasizes miracle.
  12. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies senectute; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflexive to Sara; denotes personal condition.
  13. deditque — Lemma: do + -que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “and he gave”; Notes: The perfect tense shows final transfer of inheritance; -que joins to preceding narrative.
  14. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object of deditque; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, recipient of all possessions.
  15. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective (used substantively); Form: Accusative Plural Neuter; Function: Direct object of deditque; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Comprehensive term for inheritance.
  16. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative Plural Neuter; Function: Subject of habuerat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying omnia.
  17. habuerat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had possessed”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s total possessions; pluperfect emphasizes completion prior to inheritance.

 

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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