Genesis 24:55

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:55 Responderuntque fratres eius, et mater: Maneat puella saltem decem dies apud nos, et postea proficiscetur.

And her brothers and mother answered: “Let the girl remain with us at least ten days, and afterward she shall depart.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Responderuntque and they answered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL.CONJ
2 fratres brothers NOM.PL.M
3 eius her GEN.SG.F PRON
4 et and CONJ
5 mater mother NOM.SG.F
6 Maneat let her remain 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
7 puella girl NOM.SG.F
8 saltem at least ADV
9 decem ten NUM.INDECL
10 dies days ACC.PL.M
11 apud with / among PREP+ACC
12 nos us ACC.PL.1P.PRON
13 et and CONJ
14 postea afterward ADV
15 proficiscetur she will depart 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Responderuntque fratres eius, et mater — compound subject (fratres and mater) joined by et with perfect verb Responderunt meaning “they answered.” The enclitic -que continues narrative flow from the previous verse.
Quoted Subjunctive Clause: Maneat puella saltem decem dies apud nos — jussive subjunctive Maneat expresses polite request (“Let the girl remain”). The adverb saltem (“at least”) softens the petition. The phrase apud nos identifies location (“with us”).
Coordinated Future Clause: et postea proficiscetur — temporal adverb postea introduces the sequential event (“and afterward she will depart”).
The syntax presents family hesitation before releasing Rebecca, showing protective affection and lingering attachment before her journey.

Morphology

  1. Responderuntque — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Plural + Enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and they answered”; Notes: Perfect tense narrates completed response; enclitic -que links to previous statement.
  2. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Plural Masculine; Function: Part of compound subject; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca’s family representatives.
  3. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Possessive modifier; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective joining fratres and mater.
  5. mater — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject with fratres; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Represents parental authority.
  6. Maneat — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Subjunctive Third Person Singular; Function: Jussive subjunctive; Translation: “let her remain”; Notes: Expresses a polite or tentative wish.
  7. puella — Lemma: puella; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of Maneat; Translation: “girl”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca, emphasizing her youth and modesty.
  8. saltem — Lemma: saltem; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Modifies duration expression; Translation: “at least”; Notes: Suggests negotiation tone within request.
  9. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: Numeral; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Quantifies dies; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Cardinal numeral without inflection.
  10. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Accusative of duration; Translation: “days”; Notes: Indicates temporal span of proposed delay.
  11. apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Marks association or proximity; Translation: “with / among”; Notes: Commonly used for residence or fellowship.
  12. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Plural First Person; Function: Object of apud; Translation: “us”; Notes: Indicates the family’s household as place of stay.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins sequential proposition.
  14. postea — Lemma: postea; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal adverb; Translation: “afterward”; Notes: Marks following time after stay.
  15. proficiscetur — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: Verb (Deponent); Form: Future Deponent Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “she will depart”; Notes: Deponent with active sense, expressing planned journey.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.