Genesis 13:17

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

17 Surge, et perambula terram in longitudine, et in latitudine sua: quia tibi daturus sum eam.

Rise up and walk through the land, in its length and in its breadth, for I will give it to you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surge rise up 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
2 et and CONJ
3 perambula walk through / traverse 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
4 terram land / earth ACC.SG.F
5 in in / within PREP+ABL
6 longitudine length ABL.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 in in / within PREP+ABL
9 latitudine breadth / width ABL.SG.F
10 sua its ABL.SG.F (POSS.ADJ.)
11 quia for / because CONJ
12 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON
13 daturus about to give FUT.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
14 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
15 eam it / her ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Imperatives: Surge et perambula terram — two coordinated imperatives forming a divine command to Abram.
Prepositional Phrases: in longitudine et in latitudine sua — ablatives of respect, describing the extent of Abram’s exploration.
Causal Clause: quia tibi daturus sum eam — “for I am about to give it to you,” expressing divine motivation for the command.
Predicate Structure: daturus sum combines the future active participle and the auxiliary sum, forming a periphrastic future tense that emphasizes intention.

Morphology

  1. Surge — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Main verb of command; Translation: “rise up”; Notes: Signals readiness and initiation of divine mission.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects two imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins sequential divine actions.
  3. perambula — Lemma: perambulo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: Second command; Translation: “walk through / traverse”; Notes: Calls Abram to survey and claim the land symbolically.
  4. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of perambula; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the promised territory.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses dimension; Translation: “in / within”; Notes: Introduces ablative of measure or extent.
  6. longitudine — Lemma: longitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Ablative of respect; Translation: “length”; Notes: Refers to the longitudinal dimension of the land.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the two measures of space.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses spatial relation; Translation: “in”; Notes: Repeated for parallelism with longitudine.
  9. latitudine — Lemma: latitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Ablative of respect; Translation: “breadth / width”; Notes: Complements longitudine, emphasizing total territorial scope.
  10. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Modifies latitudine; Translation: “its”; Notes: Refers back to terra, showing possession.
  11. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces causal clause; Translation: “for / because”; Notes: Connects reason for command to divine intention.
  12. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Marks Abram as recipient of the promise.
  13. daturus — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Future active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: Predicate adjective with sum; Translation: “about to give”; Notes: Indicates imminent divine action, forming periphrastic future.
  14. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, 1st person singular; Function: Auxiliary verb; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Completes periphrastic future tense emphasizing certainty.
  15. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of daturus sum; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers back to terram, the promised land itself.

 

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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