Genesis 24:43

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:43 ecce sto iuxta fontem aquæ, et virgo, quæ egredietur ad hauriendam aquam, audierit a me: Da mihi pauxillum aquæ ad bibendum ex hydria tua:

behold, I stand beside the spring of water, and the maiden who shall come out to draw water, when she hears from me, ‘Give me a little water to drink from your pitcher’;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ecce behold INTERJ
2 sto I stand 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
3 iuxta beside / near PREP+ACC
4 fontem spring / fountain ACC.SG.M
5 aquæ of water GEN.SG.F
6 et and CONJ
7 virgo maiden NOM.SG.F
8 quæ who NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
9 egredietur shall come out 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
10 ad to / for PREP+ACC
11 hauriendam to draw (water) GERUNDIVE.ACC.SG.F
12 aquam water ACC.SG.F
13 audierit she hears / will have heard 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
14 a from PREP+ABL
15 me me ABL.SG.1P.PRON
16 Da give 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
17 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
18 pauxillum a little / small amount ACC.SG.N
19 aquæ of water GEN.SG.F
20 ad for / to PREP+ACC
21 bibendum to drink GERUND.ACC.SG.N
22 ex from / out of PREP+ABL
23 hydria pitcher / water jar ABL.SG.F
24 tua your ABL.SG.F POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Declarative Clause: ecce sto iuxta fontem aquæ — demonstrative ecce introduces a vivid scene; sto is the main verb, with iuxta fontem aquæ expressing location (“beside the spring of water”).
Relative Clause: et virgo, quæ egredietur ad hauriendam aquam — nominative virgo (“the maiden”) functions as subject of the future egredietur, a deponent verb meaning “to go out.” The purpose construction ad hauriendam aquam uses the gerundive to indicate intent (“to draw water”).
Temporal/Conditional Clause: audierit a me — the future perfect audierit describes an anticipated event prior to the response, translated “when she hears from me.”
Direct Quotation: Da mihi pauxillum aquæ ad bibendum ex hydria tua — imperative Da introduces a polite request. The diminutive pauxillum adds humility (“a little water”), while ad bibendum expresses purpose. The prepositional phrase ex hydria tua specifies source.
The overall syntax portrays a testing scenario framed as a prayerful expectation, combining narrative anticipation with courteous speech.

Morphology

  1. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Draws attention to present action; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Common biblical deictic marker for vividness.
  2. sto — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I stand”; Notes: Simple present describing the servant’s posture of readiness.
  3. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses proximity; Translation: “beside / near”; Notes: Spatial preposition of nearness.
  4. fontem — Lemma: fons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of iuxta; Translation: “spring / fountain”; Notes: Symbolic meeting place in patriarchal narratives.
  5. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Genitive of specification; Translation: “of water”; Notes: Defines the spring’s content.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive connector.
  7. virgo — Lemma: virgo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of egredietur; Translation: “maiden”; Notes: Marks the awaited figure in the servant’s test.
  8. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of the relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces defining relative clause.
  9. egredietur — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Verb (Deponent); Form: Future Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “will come out / go forth”; Notes: Future deponent verb indicating expected appearance.
  10. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses purpose or direction; Translation: “to / for”; Notes: Introduces gerundive construction.
  11. hauriendam — Lemma: haurio; Part of Speech: Verb (Gerundive); Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Expresses purpose; Translation: “to draw”; Notes: Gerundive agreeing with implied noun aquam.
  12. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of hauriendam; Translation: “water”; Notes: Concrete object of the maiden’s task.
  13. audierit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “when she hears”; Notes: Denotes completed hearing preceding response.
  14. a — Lemma: a / ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks origin of speech (“from me”).
  15. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative Singular; Function: Object of a; Translation: “me”; Notes: Agent of speech in temporal clause.
  16. Da — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperative Active Second Person Singular; Function: Direct command; Translation: “give”; Notes: Polite imperative in direct quotation.
  17. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of request.
  18. pauxillum — Lemma: pauxillum; Part of Speech: Noun (Diminutive); Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of Da; Translation: “a little / small amount”; Notes: Diminutive conveys humility and politeness.
  19. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Partitive genitive with pauxillum; Translation: “of water”; Notes: Specifies content of the request.
  20. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses purpose; Translation: “for / to”; Notes: Links to gerund bibendum.
  21. bibendum — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: Verb (Gerund); Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Purpose; Translation: “to drink”; Notes: Used substantively to express intended action.
  22. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Source or origin; Translation: “from / out of”; Notes: Specifies source of the water.
  23. hydria — Lemma: hydria; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “pitcher / water jar”; Notes: Greek loanword commonly used for vessel of water.
  24. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies hydria; Translation: “your”; Notes: Highlights personal address in polite request.

 

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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