Genesis 12:20

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

20 Præcepitque Pharao super Abram viris: et deduxerunt eum, et uxorem illius, et omnia quæ habebat.

And Pharaoh gave orders concerning Abram to his men; and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcepitque and he commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
2 Pharao Pharaoh NOM.SG.M
3 super concerning / over PREP+ACC
4 Abram Abram ACC.SG.M
5 viris to the men DAT.PL.M
6 et and CONJ
7 deduxerunt they led away / sent away 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
11 illius of him / his PRON.GEN.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
14 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
15 habebat he had 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Præcepitque Pharao super Abram viris — Pharao (subject) performs the verb præcepit (“commanded”), with super Abram marking the object of concern (“concerning Abram”), and viris as the dative of the persons receiving the command (“to the men”).
Coordinated Clause: et deduxerunt eum — new main clause coordinated by et; deduxerunt (“they led/sent away”) takes eum as the direct object.
Additional Objects: et uxorem illius, et omnia quæ habebat — further objects of deduxerunt, coordinated by et; quæ habebat is a relative clause modifying omnia.

Morphology

  1. Præcepitque — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular, with enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and he commanded”; Notes: Introduces Pharaoh’s directive to his officers; perfect tense marks a completed order.
  2. Pharao — Lemma: Pharao; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of præcepit; Translation: “Pharaoh”; Notes: The Egyptian ruler giving orders regarding Abram.
  3. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses relation “concerning / about”; Translation: “concerning”; Notes: Indicates the subject matter of Pharaoh’s order.
  4. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable Hebrew name); Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: The person about whom Pharaoh issued instructions.
  5. viris — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural masculine; Function: Indirect object (“to the men”); Translation: “to the men”; Notes: Refers to Pharaoh’s servants or guards commanded to act.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinated clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the narrative sequence.
  7. deduxerunt — Lemma: deduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of coordinated clause; Translation: “they led away / sent away”; Notes: Denotes escorting Abram and his household out of Egypt.
  8. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object of deduxerunt; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abram himself.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects objects of deduxerunt; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connective.
  10. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of deduxerunt; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Sarai, included in the expulsion order.
  11. illius — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying uxorem; Translation: “his”; Notes: Identifies Sarai as belonging to Abram.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects additional objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds the final element of the list.
  13. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective functioning substantively; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Direct object of deduxerunt; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s possessions.
  14. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces the clause describing what Abram possessed.
  15. habebat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had”; Notes: Describes Abram’s possessions as ongoing at that time.

 

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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