Genesis 23:7

Posted on January 23, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 23:7 Surrexit Abraham, et adoravit populum terræ, filios videlicet Heth:

And Abraham rose up and bowed himself before the people of the land, namely the sons of Heth;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Surrexit rose up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Abraham Abraham NOM.SG.M
3 et and CONJ
4 adoravit bowed / worshipped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 populum people ACC.SG.M
6 terræ of the land GEN.SG.F
7 filios sons ACC.PL.M
8 videlicet namely / that is ADV
9 Heth Heth GEN.SG.M (INDECL. NAME)

Syntax

Main Clause: Surrexit Abraham et adoravit populum terræ — two coordinated verbs (surrexit, adoravit) joined by et; Abraham is the shared subject. The first verb marks a respectful act of standing; the second (adoravit) expresses bowing in reverence or gratitude.
Appositive Clarification: filios videlicet Heth — specifies who “the people of the land” were; the adverb videlicet (“namely”) introduces this explanatory apposition.
Overall Syntax: The sentence describes Abraham’s reverent response to the Hittites’ offer, combining gesture (surrexit) and homage (adoravit) as a mark of diplomatic respect.

Morphology

  1. Surrexit — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: first main verb; Translation: “rose up”; Notes: Expresses physical movement from a seated or bowed posture; often denotes readiness or formality in Hebrew-influenced Latin narrative.
  2. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative masculine singular; Function: subject of both verbs; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Patriarch performing an act of respect before local leaders.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins surrexit and adoravit; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential actions as part of one courteous response.
  4. adoravit — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active third person singular; Function: second main verb; Translation: “bowed” or “worshipped”; Notes: Here used in its extended sense of “to bow down in homage” rather than religious worship—an act of respect toward others of rank.
  5. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine singular; Function: direct object of adoravit; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to the local Hittite population as a civic body.
  6. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive feminine singular; Function: genitive of specification with populum; Translation: “of the land”; Notes: Identifies the Hittites as residents or landowners of Canaanite territory.
  7. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative masculine plural; Function: appositive to populum terræ; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Denotes lineage and tribal belonging, equivalent to “the descendants.”
  8. videlicet — Lemma: videlicet; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces clarification; Translation: “namely / that is”; Notes: Used to specify or correct a preceding noun; here identifying who the “people of the land” were.
  9. Heth — Lemma: Heth; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable Hebraism); Form: genitive singular; Function: dependent genitive with filios; Translation: “of Heth”; Notes: Represents the Hittite tribe descended from Heth (חֵת‎), one of the sons of Canaan.

 

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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