Genesis 24:48

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:48 Pronusque adoravi Dominum, benedicens Domino Deo domini mei Abraham, qui perduxit me recto itinere, ut sumerem filiam fratris domini mei filio eius.

And I bowed down and worshiped the LORD, blessing the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who led me by the right way, so that I might take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Pronusque and bowed down ADJ.NOM.SG.M + ENCL.CONJ
2 adoravi I worshiped 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dominum LORD ACC.SG.M
4 benedicens blessing NOM.SG.M PTC.PRES.ACT
5 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M
6 Deo to God DAT.SG.M
7 domini of (my) master GEN.SG.M
8 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJ
9 Abraham Abraham GEN.SG.M PROPN
10 qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
11 perduxit led 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 me me ACC.SG.1P.PRON
13 recto straight / right ABL.SG.N ADJ
14 itinere path / way ABL.SG.N
15 ut so that CONJ
16 sumerem I might take 1SG.IMP.ACT.SUBJ
17 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F
18 fratris of (my) brother GEN.SG.M
19 domini of (my) master GEN.SG.M
20 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJ
21 filio for (his) son DAT.SG.M
22 eius his GEN.SG.M PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Pronusque adoravi Dominum — the adjective Pronus (literally “bent forward”) functions adverbially, describing posture during worship; adoravi (perfect tense) narrates a completed act of worship directed toward Dominum (the LORD).
Participle Phrase: benedicens Domino Deo domini mei Abraham — present participle benedicens (“blessing”) expresses concurrent praise. The dative pair Domino Deo expands the title “LORD God,” with successive genitives specifying allegiance (“of my master Abraham”).
Relative Clause: qui perduxit me recto itinere — qui links to Dominus; perduxit describes divine guidance, with recto itinere (ablative of means) denoting the straight or right path.
Final Clause: ut sumerem filiam fratris domini mei filio eius — subjunctive sumerem expresses purpose (“so that I might take”); the nested genitives mark family relations (“the daughter of my master’s brother”), with the dative filio eius (“for his son”) indicating intended recipient.
The syntax gracefully combines gratitude, divine guidance, and covenantal fulfillment in a single prayerful utterance.

Morphology

  1. Pronusque — Lemma: pronus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine + Enclitic -que; Function: Adverbial modifier of adoravi; Translation: “and bowed down”; Notes: Describes humble bodily action in worship.
  2. adoravi — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I worshiped”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed reverent act.
  3. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of adoravi; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH in the context of divine worship.
  4. benedicens — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle); Form: Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Describes concurrent action; Translation: “blessing”; Notes: Indicates simultaneous praise while worshiping.
  5. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: Marks direction of blessing.
  6. Deo — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: In apposition to Domino; Translation: “to God”; Notes: Reinforces divine identity of the LORD.
  7. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “of (my) master”; Notes: Refers to Abraham as human superior.
  8. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates personal subordination.
  9. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Genitive of possession; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Hebrew name of patriarch.
  10. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Pronoun (Relative); Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of perduxit; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to Dominus.
  11. perduxit — Lemma: perduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of the relative clause; Translation: “led”; Notes: Indicates divine guidance.
  12. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Object of perduxit; Translation: “me”; Notes: Recipient of divine guidance.
  13. recto — Lemma: rectus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Modifies itinere; Translation: “straight / right”; Notes: Moral and directional sense.
  14. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Ablative of means; Translation: “path”; Notes: Figurative of moral and literal journey.
  15. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating; Function: Introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Introduces the telos of divine guidance.
  16. sumerem — Lemma: sumo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Subjunctive First Person Singular; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I might take”; Notes: Expresses potential or intended act.
  17. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of sumerem; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Object of intended marriage arrangement.
  18. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Genitive of relationship; Translation: “of (my) brother”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s brother Nachor.
  19. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying fratris; Translation: “of (my) master”; Notes: Nested genitive expresses family lineage.
  20. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces servant’s humility.
  21. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Dative of advantage; Translation: “for (his) son”; Notes: Marks the beneficiary of the act.
  22. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive pronoun modifying filio; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Abraham.

 

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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