Genesis 20:1

Posted on January 20, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 20:1 Profectus inde Abraham in terram australem, habitavit inter Cades, et Sur: et peregrinatus est in Geraris.

Abraham set out from there into the southern land, lived between Cades and Sur, and sojourned in Gerar.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Profectus having set out PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 inde from there ADV
3 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M.PROPN
4 in into PREP+ACC
5 terram land ACC.SG.F
6 australem southern ACC.SG.F.ADJ
7 habitavit he lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 inter between PREP+ACC
9 Cades Kadesh ACC.SG.F.PROPN
10 et and CONJ
11 Sur Shur ACC.SG.F.PROPN
12 et and CONJ
13 peregrinatus having sojourned PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
14 est he was / has 3SG.PRES.AUX
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 Geraris in Gerar ABL.SG.F.PROPN

Syntax

Clause 1: Profectus inde Abraham in terram australem — Circumstantial participial phrase introducing Abraham’s journey. Profectus (“having set out”) is nominative agreeing with Abraham; in terram australem expresses destination.
Clause 2: habitavit inter Cades et Sur — Main finite verb habitavit denotes settled habitation; inter governs both proper nouns marking spatial limits.
Clause 3: et peregrinatus est in Geraris — Deponent perfect verb phrase (“he sojourned”) indicates Abraham’s nomadic residence; in Geraris identifies location.

Morphology

  1. Profectus — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: temporal modifier of “habitavit”; Translation: “having set out”; Notes: Marks movement preceding main actions.
  2. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: expresses point of departure; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Refers to the region near Sodom from which Abraham departs.
  3. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of all three verbs; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Patriarch and covenant figure moving southward.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: marks motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Introduces direction of travel.
  5. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to southern Canaan.
  6. australem — Lemma: australis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “terram”; Translation: “southern”; Notes: Specifies direction.
  7. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he lived”; Notes: Describes Abraham’s temporary dwelling.
  8. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates position between; Translation: “between”; Notes: Used with place names Cades and Sur.
  9. Cades — Lemma: Cades; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine (indeclinable); Function: first object of “inter”; Translation: “Kadesh”; Notes: Desert locality in the Negev.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins two nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “Cades” and “Sur.”
  11. Sur — Lemma: Sur; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine (indeclinable); Function: second object of “inter”; Translation: “Shur”; Notes: Eastern desert near Egypt.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects verbs “habitavit” and “peregrinatus est.”
  13. peregrinatus — Lemma: peregrinor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of compound perfect verb; Translation: “having sojourned”; Notes: Deponent verb expressing dwelling as a stranger.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active, third person singular; Function: auxiliary completing perfect deponent; Translation: “has”; Notes: Forms perfect with “peregrinatus.”
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative usage.
  16. Geraris — Lemma: Gerara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Gerar”; Notes: Philistine region where Abraham later meets Abimelech.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.