Genesis 14:24

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:24 exceptis his, quæ comederunt iuvenes, et partibus virorum, qui venerunt mecum, Aner, Eschol, et Mambre: isti accipient partes suas.

Except only what the young men have eaten, and the portions belonging to the men who came with me—Aner, Eschol, and Mambre: they shall take their shares.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 exceptis except ABL.PL.N PERF.PASS.PTCP
2 his these things ABL.PL.N DEM.PRON
3 quæ which NOM.PL.N REL.PRON
4 comederunt they have eaten 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
5 iuvenes young men NOM.PL.M
6 et and CONJ
7 partibus portions DAT.PL.F
8 virorum of the men GEN.PL.M
9 qui who NOM.PL.M REL.PRON
10 venerunt came 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
11 mecum with me ADV.PHR (CUM+ABL.PRON)
12 Aner Aner NOM.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
13 Eschol Eschol NOM.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
14 et and CONJ
15 Mambre Mambre NOM.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
16 isti these men NOM.PL.M DEM.PRON
17 accipient shall take 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
18 partes shares ACC.PL.F
19 suas their ACC.PL.F POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Exceptis his, quæ comederunt iuvenes — ablative absolute meaning “except what the young men have eaten,” marking exclusion from Abram’s vow.
Second Clause: et partibus virorum, qui venerunt mecum — dative of reference (“and to the portions of the men who came with me”), identifying those entitled to a share.
Final Clause: isti accipient partes suas — independent future declaration assigning rightful portions to Abram’s allies Aner, Eschol, and Mambre.
Overall Syntax: Three-part structure of exception, inclusion, and affirmation completing Abram’s speech to the king of Sodom.

Morphology

  1. exceptis — Lemma: excipio; Part of Speech: Participle (used adjectivally); Form: Ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle; Function: Introduces ablative absolute; Translation: “except”; Notes: Marks an exception to Abram’s oath.
  2. his — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Ablative plural neuter; Function: Object of exceptis; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to provisions already consumed.
  3. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of comederunt; Translation: “which”; Notes: Connects clause specifying what was eaten.
  4. comederunt — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb; Translation: “they have eaten”; Notes: Completed action showing food already consumed.
  5. iuvenes — Lemma: juvenis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of comederunt; Translation: “young men”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s trained servants or soldiers.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects coordinate elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the next phrase in the exception.
  7. partibus — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative plural feminine; Function: Dative of possession or reference; Translation: “portions”; Notes: Refers to shares allotted to allies.
  8. virorum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the men”; Notes: Specifies whose portions are meant.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of venerunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Abram’s confederates.
  10. venerunt — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “came”; Notes: Denotes their participation in the campaign.
  11. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: Adverbial phrase; Form: Preposition with enclitic pronoun; Function: Expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Highlights Abram’s allies in battle.
  12. Aner — Lemma: Aner; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Appositive; Translation: “Aner”; Notes: One of Abram’s Canaanite confederates.
  13. Eschol — Lemma: Eschol; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Appositive; Translation: “Eschol”; Notes: Named among Abram’s local allies.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links final name in the list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Final link of a coordinate list.
  15. Mambre — Lemma: Mambre; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Final appositive; Translation: “Mambre”; Notes: Chief of a local confederate tribe allied with Abram.
  16. isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: Demonstrative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of accipient; Translation: “these men”; Notes: Emphasizes fairness in Abram’s statement.
  17. accipient — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of final declaration; Translation: “shall take”; Notes: Predicts rightful reward to Abram’s allies.
  18. partes — Lemma: pars; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object of accipient; Translation: “shares”; Notes: Refers to their respective spoils or recompense.
  19. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Modifies partes; Translation: “their”; Notes: Reflexive possessive highlighting each man’s proper portion.

 

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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