Genesis 13:1

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 13:1 Ascendit ergo Abram de Ægypto, ipse et uxor eius, et omnia quæ habebat, et Lot cum eo ad australem plagam.

And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, toward the southern region.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ascendit he went up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore / then ADV
3 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M
4 de from / out of PREP+ABL
5 Ægypto Egypt ABL.SG.F
6 ipse he himself PRON.NOM.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 uxor wife NOM.SG.F
9 eius his PRON.GEN.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
12 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
13 habebat he had 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
14 et and CONJ
15 Lot Lot NOM.SG.M
16 cum with PREP+ABL
17 eo him PRON.ABL.SG.M
18 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
19 australem southern ADJ.ACC.SG.F
20 plagam region / district ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Ascendit ergo Abram de Ægypto — Abram (subject) performs the main action Ascendit (“went up”), modified by the adverb ergo (resumptive particle meaning “then/therefore”), and accompanied by the prepositional phrase de Ægypto (“from Egypt”).
Coordinated Phrases: ipse et uxor eius, et omnia quæ habebat, et Lot cum eo — multiple subjects and objects joined by et; quæ habebat is a relative clause modifying omnia.
Final Directional Phrase: ad australem plagam — prepositional phrase expressing motion toward a region (“to the southern region”).

Morphology

  1. Ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he went up”; Notes: Indicates movement from a lower to higher geographical region; common biblical idiom for leaving Egypt.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Logical or narrative connector; Translation: “therefore / then”; Notes: Connects Abram’s departure with preceding events.
  3. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun (indeclinable Hebrew name); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject of Ascendit; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: Patriarch, central figure of the narrative.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Marks source or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates departure point.
  5. Ægypto — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Destination of Abram’s earlier journey during famine.
  6. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Intensive pronoun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Emphasizes subject identity; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Reinforces Abram as the principal actor.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinated nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connective between participants.
  8. uxor — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Sarai accompanying Abram.
  9. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying uxor; Translation: “his”; Notes: Identifies Sarai as belonging to Abram.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects further items; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues coordination.
  11. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantively; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Object of Ascendit (implied movement with possessions); Translation: “all things”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s goods and property.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to omnia as antecedent.
  13. 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 in past continuous aspect.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adds another coordinated phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins Lot to Abram’s company.
  15. Lot — Lemma: Lot; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Coordinated subject; Translation: “Lot”; Notes: Abram’s nephew traveling with him.
  16. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Indicates association.
  17. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of cum; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Abram.
  18. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses motion toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Indicates destination.
  19. australem — Lemma: australis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Modifies plagam; Translation: “southern”; Notes: Describes geographic orientation.
  20. plagam — Lemma: plaga; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “region / district”; Notes: Refers to the Negeb or southern area of Canaan.

 

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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