Genesis 14:6

Posted on January 14, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 14:6 et Chorræos in montibus Seir, usque ad Campestria Pharan, quæ est in solitudine.

And the Chorites in the mountains of Seir, as far as the plains of Paran, which is in the wilderness.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 Chorræos Horites ACC.PL.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
3 in in / among PREP+ABL
4 montibus mountains ABL.PL.M
5 Seir Seir ABL.SG.M (INDECL. HEBR.)
6 usque as far as / up to ADV + PREP
7 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
8 Campestria plains ACC.PL.N
9 Pharan Paran GEN.SG.F (INDECL. HEBR.)
10 quæ which NOM.SG.F
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 solitudine wilderness ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: et Chorræos in montibus Seir — continues the list of conquered peoples; Chorræos (Horites) is the direct object of the verb percusserunt understood from the previous verse.
Prepositional Phrase: in montibus Seir — locative ablative describing the region where the Horites lived.
Prepositional Extension: usque ad Campestria Pharan — expresses the geographical extent of the campaign (“as far as the plains of Paran”).
Relative Clause: quæ est in solitudine — modifies Pharan, indicating its location “which is in the wilderness.”

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects to previous series of conquests; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the narrative sequence of battles.
  2. Chorræos — Lemma: Chorræus; Part of Speech: Proper noun (ethnic); Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Direct object of implied verb percusserunt; Translation: “Horites”; Notes: Inhabitants of Mount Seir, related to Edomite territory.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “in / among”; Notes: Locative use indicating dwelling place.
  4. montibus — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “mountains”; Notes: Plural to reflect the rugged terrain of Seir.
  5. Seir — Lemma: Seir; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Ablative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: Appositive to montibus; Translation: “Seir”; Notes: Mountain range southeast of the Dead Sea.
  6. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: Adverb / preposition; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Forms prepositional phrase with ad expressing limit; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: Emphasizes spatial extent.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Marks direction or limit; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Completes expression usque ad.
  8. Campestria — Lemma: campestris (substantivized); Part of Speech: Noun / adjective used substantively; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “plains”; Notes: Refers to flat open region contrasting mountainous Seir.
  9. Pharan — Lemma: Pharan; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: Genitive of specification with Campestria; Translation: “of Paran”; Notes: The wilderness area south of Canaan associated with the Israelites’ later wanderings.
  10. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative singular feminine; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to Pharan, introducing descriptive detail.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: Main verb of relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: Equative verb identifying location.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Expresses place; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the setting of Pharan.
  13. solitudine — Lemma: solitudo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “wilderness”; Notes: Refers to desert or uninhabited land; locative meaning.

 

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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