Genesis 21:33

Posted on January 21, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 21:33 Surrexit autem Abimelech, et Phicol princeps exercitus eius, reversique sunt in terram Palæstinorum. Abraham vero plantavit nemus in Bersabee, et invocavit ibi nomen Domini Dei æterni.

And Abimelech rose up, and Phicol the chief of his army, and they returned to the land of the Palestines. But Abraham planted a grove in Bersabee, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the eternal God.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surrexit rose up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but / however CONJ
3 Abimelech Abimelech NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
4 et and CONJ
5 Phicol Phicol NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
6 princeps chief NOM.SG.M
7 exercitus of the army GEN.SG.M
8 eius his GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
9 reversique and they returned 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
10 sunt they AUX.3PL.PERF.IND.ACT
11 in into / to PREP+ACC
12 terram land ACC.SG.F
13 Palæstinorum of the Philistines GEN.PL.M
14 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
15 vero but / indeed CONJ.ADV
16 plantavit planted 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 nemus grove ACC.SG.N
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 Bersabee Beersheba ABL.SG.F.PROP.NOUN
20 et and CONJ
21 invocavit called upon 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 ibi there ADV
23 nomen name ACC.SG.N
24 Domini of the LORD GEN.SG.M
25 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
26 æterni eternal GEN.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Clause 1: Surrexit autem Abimelech, et Phicol princeps exercitus eius — Two coordinated nominatives (Abimelech and Phicol princeps exercitus eius) act as joint subjects. The conjunction autem contrasts their action with Abraham’s later one.
Clause 2: reversique sunt in terram Palæstinorum — The verb reversi sunt (“they returned”) completes the first scene; in terram Palæstinorum is a prepositional phrase expressing destination.
Clause 3: Abraham vero plantavit nemus in Bersabee — Introduced by vero (“but”), marking contrast. Abraham’s act of planting a nemus (grove) has cultic significance, as sacred trees often symbolized divine covenantal presence.
Clause 4: et invocavit ibi nomen Domini Dei æterni — Abraham’s act of worship follows: the perfect invocavit (“he called upon”) is a formulaic expression of prayer. The genitive construction nomen Domini Dei æterni identifies the divine being worshiped as “the LORD, the eternal God.”

Morphology

  1. Surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “rose up”; Notes: Denotes physical movement initiating the narrative transition from covenant scene to departure.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces a contrast; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Used to distinguish Abimelech’s action from Abraham’s later worship.
  3. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “surrexit”; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar, involved in the covenant with Abraham.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects compound subjects; Translation: “and.”
  5. Phicol — Lemma: Phicol; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: joint subject with “Abimelech”; Translation: “Phicol”; Notes: Chief of Abimelech’s army, representing military authority in the covenant context.
  6. princeps — Lemma: princeps; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive describing Phicol; Translation: “chief”; Notes: Denotes rank or command position over the army.
  7. exercitus — Lemma: exercitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession modifying “princeps”; Translation: “of the army”; Notes: Identifies Phicol’s command role.
  8. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “exercitus”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Abimelech as the owner or ruler of the army.
  9. reversique — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: perfect participle nominative plural masculine + enclitic -que; Function: predicate in compound verb phrase with “sunt”; Translation: “and they returned”; Notes: Denotes motion back to their own land; enclitic connects with prior clause.
  10. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person plural; Function: auxiliary completing “reversi”; Translation: “they (have)”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect with participle to express completed motion.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks direction toward the destination.
  12. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to geographic region under Philistine control.
  13. Palæstinorum — Lemma: Palæstini; Part of Speech: proper noun (plural); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the Philistines”; Notes: Designates the territory ruled by the Philistines.
  14. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “plantavit” and “invocavit”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Patriarch remaining in the land after Abimelech’s departure.
  15. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but / indeed”; Notes: Shifts focus to Abraham’s independent action of worship.
  16. plantavit — Lemma: planto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “planted”; Notes: Describes Abraham’s establishment of a sacred grove symbolizing covenantal permanence.
  17. nemus — Lemma: nemus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “plantavit”; Translation: “grove”; Notes: Possibly a tamarisk grove, typical of sacred shrines or places of prayer in patriarchal narratives.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates the place where the grove was planted.
  19. Bersabee — Lemma: Bersabee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Beersheba”; Notes: Place of Abraham’s covenant and worship, meaning “Well of the Oath.”
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects successive actions; Translation: “and.”
  21. invocavit — Lemma: invoco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active, third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “called upon”; Notes: Common biblical expression for worship or prayer, implying public proclamation of faith.
  22. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: adverb of place; Function: locative modifier of “invocavit”; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers back to Beersheba, the location of Abraham’s worship.
  23. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “invocavit”; Translation: “name”; Notes: In biblical idiom, “to call upon the name” denotes invocation of divine presence.
  24. Domini — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession modifying “nomen”; Translation: “of the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH (the LORD), the covenantal God of Abraham.
  25. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: appositional genitive modifying “Domini”; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Reinforces divine identity and universality of the LORD’s rule.
  26. æterni — Lemma: aeternus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “Dei”; Translation: “eternal”; Notes: Declares the everlasting nature of YHWH, contrasting temporal kingship with divine eternity.

 

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.