Genesis 14:20

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:20 et benedictus Deus excelsus, quo protegente, hostes in manibus tuis sunt. Et dedit ei decimas ex omnibus.

And blessed be God Most High, by whose protection your enemies are in your hands.” And he gave him tithes of all.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 benedictus blessed NOM.SG.M PERF.PASS.PTCP
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 excelsus Most High NOM.SG.M ADJ
5 quo by whom ABL.SG.M REL.PRON
6 protegente protecting ABL.SG.M PRES.ACT.PTCP
7 hostes enemies NOM.PL.M
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
10 tuis your ABL.PL.F POSS.ADJ
11 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
12 Et and CONJ
13 dedit he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
14 ei to him DAT.SG.M PRON
15 decimas tithes ACC.PL.F
16 ex from / of PREP+ABL
17 omnibus all things ABL.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause 1: et benedictus Deus excelsus — a declarative blessing formula, with benedictus as predicate adjective and Deus excelsus as subject.
Relative Clause: quo protegente, hostes in manibus tuis sunt — ablative absolute expressing cause: “by whose protection your enemies are in your hands.”
Main Clause 2: Et dedit ei decimas ex omnibus — coordinate clause, the subject implied (Abram) and object ei (to him, i.e., Melchisedech). The direct object is decimas with partitive phrase ex omnibus (“of all”).

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connective particle; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links this blessing formula to the preceding praise of Abram.
  2. benedictus — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: Participle used adjectivally; Form: Nominative singular masculine perfect passive participle; Function: Predicate adjective; Translation: “blessed”; Notes: Expresses doxological blessing toward God.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: The one being blessed, identified in parallel with Abram’s patron deity.
  4. excelsus — Lemma: excelsus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Epithet modifying Deus; Translation: “Most High”; Notes: Superlative sense emphasizing divine supremacy.
  5. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Ablative of means or cause; Translation: “by whom”; Notes: Introduces causal ablative absolute construction.
  6. protegente — Lemma: protego; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Ablative singular masculine present active participle; Function: Part of ablative absolute; Translation: “protecting”; Notes: Indicates divine agency behind Abram’s victory.
  7. hostes — Lemma: hostis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “enemies”; Notes: Refers to the coalition kings defeated by Abram.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial relation indicating control.
  9. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Metaphorically indicates power or possession.
  10. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Modifier of manibus; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s personal possession of victory.
  11. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “are”; Notes: States resulting condition of victory.
  12. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the subsequent act of tithing.
  13. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he gave”; Notes: Perfect tense shows completed sacred offering.
  14. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative singular masculine; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Melchisedech as recipient of Abram’s tithes.
  15. decimas — Lemma: decima; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “tithes”; Notes: Represents the tenth portion given in devotion.
  16. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Denotes source or partitive relation; Translation: “from / of”; Notes: Common in partitive constructions with omnibus.
  17. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective used substantively; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of ex; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Indicates totality of possessions from which tithes were taken.

 

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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