Genesis 22:13

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 22:13 Levavit Abraham oculos suos, viditque post tergum arietem inter vepres hærentem cornibus, quem assumens obtulit holocaustum pro filio.

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw behind him a ram caught by the horns in a thicket, which he, taking up, offered as a burnt offering in place of his son.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Levavit he lifted 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
3 oculos eyes ACC.PL.M
4 suos his ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
5 viditque and he saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 post behind PREP+ACC
7 tergum back ACC.SG.N
8 arietem ram ACC.SG.M
9 inter among PREP+ACC
10 vepres thickets ACC.PL.F
11 hærentem clinging PRES.ACT.PTCP.ACC.SG.M
12 cornibus by the horns ABL.PL.N
13 quem whom REL.PRON.ACC.SG.M
14 assumens taking up PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
15 obtulit offered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 holocaustum burnt offering ACC.SG.N
17 pro in place of PREP+ABL
18 filio son ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Levavit Abraham oculos suos, viditque post tergum arietem — compound main clause with verbs Levavit and viditque, subject Abraham, object oculos suos (for Levavit), and second object arietem (for viditque).
Prepositional Phrase: post tergum — denotes spatial location “behind him.”
Participial Phrase: arietem inter vepres hærentem cornibus — describes the ram’s condition, with participle hærentem modifying arietem.
Relative Clause: quem assumens obtulit holocaustum pro filio — expresses Abraham’s subsequent action, with assumens (participle) modifying the subject and obtulit as the main verb of the clause.
Prepositional Phrase: pro filio — denotes substitution: “in place of his son.”

Morphology

  1. Levavit — Lemma: levo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he lifted”; Notes: Marks physical and metaphorical elevation of vision.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The central actor in the narrative.
  3. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: direct object of Levavit; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Represents perception and spiritual awareness.
  4. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies oculos; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring to Abraham.
  5. viditque — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular with enclitic “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he saw”; Notes: Introduces new perception linked with previous verb.
  6. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “behind”; Notes: Used spatially with tergum.
  7. tergum — Lemma: tergum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: object of post; Translation: “back”; Notes: Literally “behind his back.”
  8. arietem — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of viditque; Translation: “ram”; Notes: Symbolic substitute for Isaac.
  9. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position among; Translation: “among”; Notes: Indicates entanglement within the thicket.
  10. vepres — Lemma: vepres; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative feminine plural; Function: object of preposition inter; Translation: “thickets”; Notes: Plural form for dense shrubbery.
  11. hærentem — Lemma: hæreo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies arietem; Translation: “clinging / caught”; Notes: Describes the ram’s physical state.
  12. cornibus — Lemma: cornu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative neuter plural; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by the horns”; Notes: Denotes instrument of entrapment.
  13. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of obtulit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to the ram.
  14. assumens — Lemma: assumo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine singular; Function: modifies Abraham; Translation: “taking up”; Notes: Indicates preparatory action before sacrifice.
  15. obtulit — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “he offered”; Notes: Refers to sacrificial substitution.
  16. holocaustum — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter singular; Function: direct object of obtulit; Translation: “burnt offering”; Notes: The offering replaced Isaac in the ritual.
  17. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses substitution; Translation: “in place of”; Notes: Common idiom for exchange or representation.
  18. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of preposition pro; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, spared through divine provision.

 

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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