Genesis 22:19

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 22:19 Reversus est Abraham ad pueros suos, abieruntque Bersabee simul, et habitavit ibi.

And Abraham returned to his young men, and they went together to Beersheba, and he lived there.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversus having returned PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 pueros young men ACC.PL.M
6 suos his ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
7 abieruntque and they went away 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
8 Bersabee Beersheba ACC.SG.F
9 simul together ADV
10 et and CONJ
11 habitavit he lived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 ibi there ADV

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Reversus est Abraham ad pueros suos — perfect periphrastic form combining reversus (perfect participle) with auxiliary est, subject Abraham, and prepositional phrase ad pueros suos (“to his young men”).
Main Clause 2: abieruntque Bersabee simul — compound verb with enclitic -que joining to previous clause; subject implied (“they”), with adverb simul emphasizing joint travel.
Main Clause 3: et habitavit ibi — continuation with et linking final action; subject Abraham understood, predicate habitavit (“he lived”), and adverb ibi (“there”) indicating settled dwelling.
Overall Structure: Narrative sequence of return, journey, and settlement following the divine test.

Morphology

  1. Reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative masculine singular; Function: part of periphrastic construction with est; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: Middle sense “returned” despite passive form, common with deponent verbs.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active third person singular; Function: auxiliary forming perfect tense; Translation: “has”; Notes: Combines with participle to form perfect deponent verb.
  3. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of both clauses; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Central patriarchal figure returning from divine encounter.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Common motion preposition.
  5. pueros — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of preposition ad; Translation: “young men”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s attendants waiting below the mountain.
  6. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies pueros; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring back to Abraham.
  7. abieruntque — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person plural with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and they went away”; Notes: Describes joint departure with Isaac.
  8. Bersabee — Lemma: Bersabee; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative feminine singular; Function: destination of motion; Translation: “Beersheba”; Notes: Covenant site of Abraham’s dwelling.
  9. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies abieruntque; Translation: “together”; Notes: Emphasizes unity of return.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues narrative sequence.
  11. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he lived / dwelt”; Notes: Marks conclusion of journey and settlement.
  12. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: locative adverb; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to Beersheba, where Abraham remained.

 

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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