Genesis 16:14

Posted on January 16, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 16:14 Propterea appellavit puteum illum, Puteum viventis et videntis me. Ipse est inter Cades et Barad.

Therefore she called that well, “The well of the Living One who sees me.” It is between Cades and Barad.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Propterea therefore ADV
2 appellavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 puteum well ACC.SG.M
4 illum that ACC.SG.M.DEM.PRON
5 Puteum Well ACC.SG.M
6 viventis of the living GEN.SG.PRES.PART.ACT.M
7 et and CONJ
8 videntis of the one seeing GEN.SG.PRES.PART.ACT.M
9 me me ACC.SG
10 Ipse itself / he NOM.SG.M.DEM.PRON
11 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 inter between PREP+ACC
13 Cades Kadesh ACC.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
14 et and CONJ
15 Barad Barad ACC.SG.M.PROP.NOUN

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Propterea appellavit puteum illum — the adverb Propterea introduces the causal reason; appellavit (verb) is the main action; puteum illum (object phrase) specifies what she named.
Appositional Phrase: Puteum viventis et videntis me — serves as the given name, literally “Well of the Living and Seeing One.”
Main Clause 2: Ipse est inter Cades et Barad — a declarative clause describing the location of the well.

Morphology

  1. Propterea — Lemma: propterea; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Derived from “propter ea,” meaning “for that reason.”
  2. appellavit — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “called” or “named”; Notes: Indicates completed action — she named the well.
  3. puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “appellavit”; Translation: “well”; Notes: Denotes a water source or spring.
  4. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “puteum”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Points to a specific well previously mentioned.
  5. Puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: appositive name; Translation: “Well”; Notes: Repetition for naming emphasis.
  6. viventis — Lemma: vivo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive singular present active participle masculine; Function: modifies the implied “Dei”; Translation: “of the living”; Notes: Expresses divine vitality — “Living One.”
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links two genitival participles; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects parallel divine attributes.
  8. videntis — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive singular present active participle masculine; Function: modifies implied “Dei”; Translation: “of the one seeing”; Notes: Refers to divine omniscience.
  9. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “videntis”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Personal reference — the one seen by God.
  10. Ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “itself / he”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun stressing the same well’s identity.
  11. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, third person singular; Function: copula linking subject and prepositional phrase; Translation: “is”; Notes: Simple present of existence.
  12. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces spatial relation; Translation: “between”; Notes: Indicates geographical placement.
  13. Cades — Lemma: Cades; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “Kadesh”; Notes: Refers to a desert oasis region.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links “Cades” and “Barad”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two place names.
  15. Barad — Lemma: Barad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “Barad”; Notes: Geographical location marking boundary of the well.

 

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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