Genesis 13:4

Posted on January 13, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 13:4 in loco altaris quod fecerat prius, et invocavit ibi nomen Domini.

At the place of the altar which he had made before, and there he called upon the name of the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 in in / at PREP+ABL
2 loco place ABL.SG.M
3 altaris of the altar GEN.SG.N
4 quod which REL.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
5 fecerat he had made 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
6 prius before / formerly ADV
7 et and CONJ
8 invocavit he called upon 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 ibi there ADV
10 nomen name ACC.SG.N
11 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Prepositional Phrase: in loco altaris quod fecerat prius — expresses location (“at the place of the altar which he had made before”). altaris is a genitive of specification modifying loco, and quod fecerat prius is a relative clause describing the altar.
Main Clause: et invocavit ibi nomen Domini — invocavit (“called upon”) is the main verb; nomen (“name”) is its direct object, and Domini is a genitive of possession (“of the LORD”); ibi marks the place of worship.

Morphology

  1. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “in / at”; Notes: Marks spatial position of Abram’s act of worship.
  2. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “place”; Notes: Refers to the site where Abram previously built an altar.
  3. altaris — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Genitive of specification modifying loco; Translation: “of the altar”; Notes: Identifies the particular place as that of the altar.
  4. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: Introduces relative clause modifying altaris; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to altaris.
  5. fecerat — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had made”; Notes: Describes Abram’s earlier act of altar construction.
  6. prius — Lemma: prius; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal adverb; Translation: “before / formerly”; Notes: Indicates prior time reference to fecerat.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links descriptive clause with narrative action.
  8. invocavit — Lemma: invoco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of new clause; Translation: “he called upon”; Notes: Expresses act of prayer or proclamation directed to the LORD.
  9. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to same physical location as loco.
  10. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular neuter; Function: Direct object of invocavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: In biblical idiom, the “name” represents God’s person and authority.
  11. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun (title); Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; signifies divine presence invoked by Abram.

 

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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