Genesis 13:18

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 13:18 Movens igitur tabernaculum suum Abram, venit et habitavit iuxta convallem Mambre, quæ est in Hebron: ædificavitque ibi altare Domino.

Therefore Abram, moving his tent, came and lived near the valley of Mambre, which is in Hebron; and he built there an altar to the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Movens moving PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
2 igitur therefore CONJ
3 tabernaculum tent ACC.SG.N
4 suum his ACC.SG.N (POSS.ADJ.)
5 Abram Abram NOM.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
6 venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 et and CONJ
8 habitavit lived / dwelt 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 iuxta near / beside PREP+ACC
10 convallem valley ACC.SG.F
11 Mambre Mamre GEN.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
12 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
13 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
14 in in / within PREP+ABL
15 Hebron Hebron ABL.SG.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
16 ædificavitque and he built 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -que
17 ibi there ADV
18 altare altar ACC.SG.N
19 Domino to the LORD DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Introductory Participle: Movens igitur tabernaculum suum — an ablative absolute-like participial phrase describing preparatory action, “after moving his tent.”
Main Clause: Abram venit et habitavit — the compound main clause describing Abram’s settlement movement.
Locative Phrase: iuxta convallem Mambre — expresses proximity to a geographic location, “near the valley of Mamre.”
Relative Clause: quæ est in Hebron — modifies convallem, specifying its location within Hebron.
Final Action: ædificavitque ibi altare Domino — “and he built there an altar to the LORD,” an act of worship concluding the narrative.

Morphology

  1. Movens — Lemma: moveo; Part of Speech: Verb (participle); Form: Present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: Circumstantial participle; Translation: “moving”; Notes: Describes Abram’s action preceding his journey.
  2. igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Logical connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Marks narrative consequence.
  3. tabernaculum — Lemma: tabernaculum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of movens; Translation: “tent”; Notes: Symbolizes Abram’s semi-nomadic life.
  4. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Modifies tabernaculum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s own dwelling.
  5. Abram — Lemma: Abram; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Subject of venit and habitavit; Translation: “Abram”; Notes: The main agent of the narrative.
  6. venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Marks the completion of Abram’s movement.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential verbs in narrative.
  8. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Second main verb; Translation: “lived / dwelt”; Notes: Describes Abram’s settlement in the region.
  9. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses proximity; Translation: “near”; Notes: Commonly used in geographic expressions.
  10. convallem — Lemma: convallis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of iuxta; Translation: “valley”; Notes: A topographic term, here referring to Mamre.
  11. Mambre — Lemma: Mambre; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of Mamre”; Notes: Local chief or region associated with Abram.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of est; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to convallem.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: Indicates current geographical identity.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces geographic context.
  15. Hebron — Lemma: Hebron; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Object of in; Translation: “Hebron”; Notes: Ancient city in southern Kena’an.
  16. ædificavitque — Lemma: ædifico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular + enclitic -que; Function: Main verb of final action; Translation: “and he built”; Notes: Enclitic links the clause to the previous sequence of actions.
  17. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Locative adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Indicates place of the altar.
  18. altare — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of ædificavit; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Represents worship and covenantal devotion.
  19. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun (title); Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the one receiving Abram’s worship.

 

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.