Genesis 22:5

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

5 dixitque ad pueros suos: Expectate hic cum asino: ego et puer illuc usque properantes, postquam adoraverimus, revertemur ad vos.

and he said to his young men: “Wait here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there quickly, and after we have worshiped, we will return to you.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 pueros young men ACC.PL.M
4 suos his ADJ.POSS.ACC.PL.M
5 Expectate wait 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
6 hic here ADV
7 cum with PREP+ABL
8 asino donkey ABL.SG.M
9 ego I PRON.NOM.SG
10 et and CONJ
11 puer boy NOM.SG.M
12 illuc there ADV
13 usque as far as ADV
14 properantes hurrying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
15 postquam after CONJ
16 adoraverimus we have worshiped 1PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
17 revertemur we will return 1PL.FUT.DEP.IND
18 ad to PREP+ACC
19 vos you PRON.ACC.PL

Syntax

Main Clause: dixitque ad pueros suos — main narrative action; dixitque (verb) governs indirect object ad pueros suos.
Direct Speech: begins with Expectate hic cum asino, an imperative addressed to his servants.
Coordinate Clause: ego et puer illuc usque properantes — nominative subjects with participial phrase modifying the implied verb of motion.
Subordinate Clause: postquam adoraverimus — temporal clause expressing the action preceding return.
Final Clause: revertemur ad vos — main clause in future tense expressing confident return.

Morphology

  1. dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: enclitic “-que” joins with the previous action.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Common preposition of direction or address.
  3. pueros — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: object of ad; Translation: “young men”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s servants.
  4. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: modifies pueros; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, agreeing with Abraham as possessor.
  5. Expectate — Lemma: expecto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active second person plural; Function: command; Translation: “wait”; Notes: Directed to the servants; imperative of patient waiting.
  6. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: locative adverb; Translation: “here”; Notes: Indicates the position to remain.
  7. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces companion phrase.
  8. asino — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative masculine singular; Function: object of preposition cum; Translation: “donkey”; Notes: Same animal prepared earlier for the journey.
  9. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphasizes Abraham’s involvement with his son.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links two subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects ego and puer as dual actors.
  11. puer — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “boy”; Notes: Refers to Isaac.
  12. illuc — Lemma: illuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of direction; Translation: “there”; Notes: Specifies destination.
  13. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier of direction; Translation: “as far as”; Notes: Strengthens illuc, indicating extent.
  14. properantes — Lemma: propero; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative masculine plural; Function: modifying ego et puer; Translation: “hurrying”; Notes: Expresses eagerness or readiness to act.
  15. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Often followed by a perfect or future perfect verb.
  16. adoraverimus — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect indicative active first person plural; Function: verb of subordinate temporal clause; Translation: “we have worshiped”; Notes: Expresses completion before future action (revertemur).
  17. revertemur — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative first person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “we will return”; Notes: Expresses confident faith in returning safely.
  18. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces destination; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates movement toward the listeners.
  19. vos — Lemma: vos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of ad; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s servants addressed in the command.

 

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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