Genesis 24:40

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:40 Dominus, ait, in cuius conspectu ambulo, mittet angelum suum tecum, et diriget viam tuam: accipiesque uxorem filio meo de cognatione mea, et de domo patris mei.

He said: ‘The LORD, in whose presence I walk, will send His angel with you and will direct your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my kindred and from my father’s house.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 cuius whose GEN.SG.M REL.PRON
5 conspectu presence / sight ABL.SG.M
6 ambulo I walk 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 mittet will send 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
8 angelum angel ACC.SG.M
9 suum his ACC.SG.M POSS.ADJ
10 tecum with you PREP (cum) + ABL.SG.2P.PRON
11 et and CONJ
12 diriget will direct 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 viam way / path ACC.SG.F
14 tuam your ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ
15 accipiesque and you shall take 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
16 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
17 filio to (the) son DAT.SG.M
18 meo my DAT.SG.M POSS.ADJ
19 de from PREP+ABL
20 cognatione kindred ABL.SG.F
21 mea my ABL.SG.F POSS.ADJ
22 et and CONJ
23 de from PREP+ABL
24 domo house ABL.SG.F
25 patris of (the) father GEN.SG.M
26 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Introductory Clause: Dominus, ait — standard Vulgate narrative frame where Dominus (“the LORD”) functions as nominative subject of mittet later in the sentence, with ait (“he said”) introducing the divine assurance.
Relative Clause: in cuius conspectu ambulo — ablative prepositional phrase (“in whose presence I walk”) expressing covenantal closeness between Abraham and YHWH. The verb ambulo emphasizes a habitual, intimate relationship with God.
Main Prophetic Clause: mittet angelum suum tecum, et diriget viam tuam — the future verbs mittet and diriget are predictive assurances; the dative of accompaniment tecum (“with you”) underscores divine guidance.
Resulting Command: accipiesque uxorem filio meo de cognatione mea et de domo patris mei — accipiesque (future indicative with -que) coordinates the human action following divine provision. Two ablative phrases (de cognatione mea, de domo patris mei) mark the legitimate sources of the bride.
The syntax exhibits symmetrical balance: divine action (“will send… will direct”) precedes human obedience (“you shall take”), reflecting covenantal cooperation in Hebrew idiom.

Morphology

  1. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of mittet; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; capitalized to reflect divine reference.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of saying introducing direct discourse; Translation: “said”; Notes: Commonly used parenthetical speech verb in biblical narrative.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Introduces spatial relationship; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used metaphorically to denote presence or sphere.
  4. cuius — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive in relative clause; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Connects Dominus to conspectu.
  5. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “presence / sight”; Notes: Denotes divine visibility or awareness; idiom of walking “before the LORD.”
  6. ambulo — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “I walk”; Notes: Symbolic of moral and spiritual conduct in Hebrew thought.
  7. mittet — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “will send”; Notes: Expresses divine promise; prophetic certainty.
  8. angelum — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of mittet; Translation: “angel”; Notes: Heavenly messenger representing divine assistance.
  9. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies angelum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive to Dominus; denotes belonging to God Himself.
  10. tecum — Lemma: cum + tu; Part of Speech: Prepositional phrase; Form: Ablative Singular; Function: Ablative of accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Preposition encliticized; conveys divine companionship.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects two future verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Equal linkage of sending and guiding actions.
  12. diriget — Lemma: dirigo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of coordination; Translation: “will direct”; Notes: Suggests providential guidance of the journey.
  13. viam — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of diriget; Translation: “way / path”; Notes: Figurative for mission or life’s course.
  14. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies viam; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to the servant’s personal mission.
  15. accipiesque — Lemma: accipio + -que; Part of Speech: Verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: Future Active Indicative Second Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “and you shall take”; Notes: Indicates fulfillment of divine plan through human obedience.
  16. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of accipiesque; Translation: “wife”; Notes: The goal of Abraham’s servant’s journey.
  17. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “for (the) son”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the covenant heir.
  18. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies filio; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes paternal instruction.
  19. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Specifies source of the wife.
  20. cognatione — Lemma: cognatio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “kindred / family”; Notes: Emphasizes kinship purity within Abraham’s line.
  21. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies cognatione; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces familial restriction.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects parallel ablative phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins cognatione mea with domo patris mei.
  23. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Indicates source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  24. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “house”; Notes: Represents extended family household.
  25. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “of (the) father”; Notes: Refers to Terah, ancestral patriarch.
  26. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies patris; Translation: “my”; Notes: Concludes clause with reiteration of paternal lineage emphasizing obedience to divine genealogy.

 

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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