Genesis 12:5

Posted on January 12, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 12:5 Tulitque Sarai uxorem suam, et Lot filium fratris sui, universamque substantiam quam possederant, et animas quas fecerant in Haran: et egressi sunt ut irent in terram Chanaan. Cumque venissent in eam,

And Sarai his wife took, and Lot the son of his brother, and all the possessions which they had acquired, and the persons whom they had made in Haran; and they went out to go into the land of Chanaan. And when they had come into it,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tulitque and took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Sarai Sarai NOM.SG.F
3 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
4 suam his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 Lot Lot ACC.SG.M
7 filium son ACC.SG.M
8 fratris of (his) brother GEN.SG.M
9 sui his PRON.REFL.GEN.SG.M
10 universamque and all ADJ.ACC.SG.F + ENCLITIC
11 substantiam possessions ACC.SG.F
12 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
13 possederant they had possessed 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND
14 et and CONJ
15 animas persons / souls ACC.PL.F
16 quas whom REL.PRON.ACC.PL.F
17 fecerant they had made 3PL.PLUP.ACT.IND
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 Haran Haran ABL.SG.M
20 et and CONJ
21 egressi went out PPP.NOM.PL.M
22 sunt they were / they went 3PL.PERF.IND.AUX
23 ut that / in order to CONJ (FINAL)
24 irent they might go 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
25 in into PREP+ACC
26 terram land ACC.SG.F
27 Chanaan Chanaan ACC.SG.F
28 Cumque and when CONJ + ENCLITIC
29 venissent they had come 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
30 in into PREP+ACC
31 eam it PRON.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Tulitque Sarai uxorem suam — compound perfect form where Tulit is the main verb, Sarai nominative subject, and uxorem suam direct object.
Compound Object Phrases: et Lot filium fratris sui and universamque substantiam quam possederant add parallel direct objects linked by et and -que.
Relative Clauses: quam possederant and quas fecerant in Haran describe the possessions and persons belonging to Abram’s household.
Main Clause 2: et egressi sunt ut irent in terram Chanaan — final clause expressing purpose: “they went out in order to go into the land of Chanaan.”
Subordinate Temporal Clause: Cumque venissent in eam — pluperfect subjunctive verb indicating prior completion: “and when they had come into it.”

Morphology

  1. Tulitque — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular + enclitic “-que”; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and took”; Notes: Perfect tense marking decisive action initiating journey.
  2. Sarai — Lemma: Sarai; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject; Translation: “Sarai”; Notes: Abram’s wife; initiates the action in coordination with her husband’s household.
  3. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Indicates relationship; object of Tulit.
  4. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies uxorem; Translation: “his (own)”; Notes: Reflective possession agreeing in gender and number.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects coordinate objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential linking particle.
  6. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Companion of Abram; object of Tulit.
  7. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to Lot; Translation: “son”; Notes: Clarifies family relation to Abram.
  8. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of (his) brother”; Notes: Indicates Lot’s lineage.
  9. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun/adjective; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Modifies fratris; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Abram.
  10. universamque — Lemma: universus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine + enclitic “-que”; Function: Modifies substantiam; Translation: “and all”; Notes: Enclitic joins clause within series of objects.
  11. substantiam — Lemma: substantia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “possessions / wealth”; Notes: Refers to property gathered during residence in Haran.
  12. quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of possederant; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying substantiam.
  13. possederant — Lemma: possideo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “they had possessed”; Notes: Expresses prior completed possession before departure.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Links next object; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continuation of listing.
  15. animas — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “persons / souls”; Notes: Refers to household servants or dependents.
  16. quas — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Object of fecerant; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces relative clause referring to animas.
  17. fecerant — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “they had made”; Notes: May denote household establishment or conversion under Abram’s household authority.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies place where persons were acquired or trained.
  19. Haran — Lemma: Haran; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular (indeclinable); Function: Object of in; Translation: “Haran”; Notes: Place of origin of Abram’s household expansion.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Coordinating; Function: Connects new clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Begins clause of departure.
  21. egressi — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent participle); Form: Perfect participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: With sunt, forms periphrastic perfect; Translation: “they went out”; Notes: Describes collective movement of the household.
  22. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary; Translation: “were / went”; Notes: Supports deponent participle egressi.
  23. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Subordinating (final); Function: Introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that / in order to”; Notes: Marks divine intent behind the journey.
  24. irent — Lemma: eo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might go”; Notes: Subjunctive reflects potential or intention.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks destination; Translation: “into”; Notes: Expresses motion toward the promised land.
  26. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Destination of migration.
  27. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Accusative singular (indeclinable in Latin); Function: Appositive to terram; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: Identifies the geographic destination of the journey — the land promised by YHWH.
  28. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Conjunction + enclitic “-que”; Form: Compound subordinating conjunction; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Marks temporal relation and continuation from previous action.
  29. venissent — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of subordinate temporal clause; Translation: “they had come”; Notes: Subjunctive used after cum for temporal nuance indicating completed action before the main narrative resumes.
  30. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks destination; Translation: “into”; Notes: Introduces the object of motion, emphasizing arrival.
  31. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “it / her”; Notes: Refers back to terram Chanaan; denotes the land already mentioned as destination.

 

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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