Genesis 22:6

Posted on January 22, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 22:6 Tulit quoque ligna holocausti, et imposuit super Isaac filium suum: ipse vero portabat in manibus ignem et gladium. Cumque duo pergerent simul,

He also took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it upon Isaac his son; but he himself carried in his hands the fire and the sword. And as the two went on together,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tulit he took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also ADV
3 ligna wood ACC.PL.N
4 holocausti of the burnt offering GEN.SG.N
5 et and CONJ
6 imposuit he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 super upon PREP+ACC
8 Isaac Isaac ACC.SG.M
9 filium son ACC.SG.M
10 suum his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
11 ipse he himself PRON.NOM.SG.M
12 vero but CONJ
13 portabat was carrying 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
14 in in PREP+ABL
15 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
16 ignem fire ACC.SG.M
17 et and CONJ
18 gladium sword ACC.SG.M
19 Cumque and when CONJ
20 duo two NUM.NOM.PL.M
21 pergerent were going 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
22 simul together ADV

Syntax

Main Clause: Tulit quoque ligna holocausti — subject implied (Abraham); Tulit (verb) and ligna holocausti (object with genitive complement).
Coordinated Clause: et imposuit super Isaac filium suum — expresses consecutive action; Isaac filium suum serves as the object of super.
Contrast Clause: ipse vero portabat in manibus ignem et gladium — contrasts Abraham’s actions with Isaac’s role; ipse emphasizes personal involvement.
Subordinate Clause: Cumque duo pergerent simul — temporal clause introduced by cumque with subjunctive pergerent, marking simultaneous movement.

Morphology

  1. Tulit — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he took”; Notes: Expresses completed action at the start of the journey.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates continuation of previous actions.
  3. ligna — Lemma: lignum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative neuter plural; Function: direct object of tulit; Translation: “wood”; Notes: Material for the sacrifice.
  4. holocausti — Lemma: holocaustum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive neuter singular; Function: genitive of purpose; Translation: “of the burnt offering”; Notes: Specifies the intended use of the wood.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links consecutive actions.
  6. imposuit — Lemma: impono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he placed”; Notes: Denotes action of laying the wood on Isaac.
  7. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Introduces the object of imposition.
  8. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: object of super; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: The son who carries the wood for the sacrifice.
  9. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: apposition to Isaac; Translation: “son”; Notes: Clarifies relationship to Abraham.
  10. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: modifies filium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive pronoun referring to Abraham.
  11. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Marks contrast with Isaac’s burden.
  12. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrasts clauses; Translation: “but”; Notes: Strengthens the distinction of Abraham’s role.
  13. portabat — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active third person singular; Function: verb of description; Translation: “was carrying”; Notes: Indicates ongoing action during travel.
  14. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Used with ablative to denote place or means.
  15. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural; Function: complement of preposition in; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Instrumental ablative in sense.
  16. ignem — Lemma: ignis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of portabat; Translation: “fire”; Notes: Represents instrument of sacrifice.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins two objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates ignem and gladium.
  18. gladium — Lemma: gladius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: second direct object of portabat; Translation: “sword”; Notes: Symbol of sacrifice and severity.
  19. Cumque — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable with enclitic “-que”; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Denotes simultaneity of subsequent action.
  20. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative masculine plural; Function: subject of pergerent; Translation: “two”; Notes: Refers to Abraham and Isaac together.
  21. pergerent — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive active third person plural; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “were going”; Notes: Subjunctive after cum expresses contemporaneous action.
  22. simul — Lemma: simul; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies pergerent; Translation: “together”; Notes: Emphasizes unity of father and son.

 

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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