Genesis 24:2

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:2 Dixitque ad servum seniorem domus suæ, qui præerat omnibus quæ habebat: Pone manum tuam subter femur meum,

And he said to the elder servant of his house, who was in charge of all that he had: “Place your hand under my thigh,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 servum servant ACC.SG.M
4 seniorem elder ACC.SG.M.ADJ
5 domus of the house GEN.SG.F
6 suæ his GEN.SG.F.PRON
7 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
8 præerat was in charge of 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
9 omnibus all things ABL.PL.N
10 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL.PRON
11 habebat he had 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
12 Pone place 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 manum hand ACC.SG.F
14 tuam your ACC.SG.F.PRON
15 subter under PREP+ACC
16 femur thigh ACC.SG.N
17 meum my ACC.SG.N.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque (verb) + implied subject Abraham — “And he said.”
Indirect Object Phrase: ad servum seniorem domus suæ — prepositional phrase functioning as the indirect object, “to the elder servant of his house.”
Relative Clause: qui præerat omnibus quæ habebat — defines the servant; qui (subject) + præerat (verb) + omnibus (object of preposition) + quæ habebat (object clause explaining what things).
Imperative Clause: Pone manum tuam subter femur meum — direct command; Pone (verb) + manum tuam (object) + subter femur meum (prepositional phrase).
The overall sentence expresses Abraham’s solemn command to his chief servant, initiating a covenantal oath gesture.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb + Conjunction; Form: Perfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular + enclitic -que; Function: Main verb linking to previous narrative; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que connects this action to the preceding verse.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Introduces indirect object; Translation: “to”; Notes: Commonly used to indicate motion or address.
  3. servum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s steward, possibly Eliezer.
  4. seniorem — Lemma: senior; Part of Speech: Adjective (Comparative); Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies servum; Translation: “elder”; Notes: Indicates status or seniority.
  5. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Genitive of possession; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: Describes belonging to Abraham’s household.
  6. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies domus; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring to the subject Abraham.
  7. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of præerat; Translation: “who”; Notes: Introduces the relative clause.
  8. præerat — Lemma: praesum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “was in charge of”; Notes: Compound of prae + sum, indicating authority.
  9. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective/Substantive; Form: Ablative Plural Neuter; Function: Object of implied prae in præerat; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Means “everything under his control.”
  10. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Plural Neuter; Function: Subject of habebat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to all possessions.
  11. habebat — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Indicative 3rd Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had”; Notes: Describes continuing possession.
  12. Pone — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Imperative 2nd Person Singular; Function: Direct command; Translation: “place”; Notes: Marks initiation of a solemn oath gesture.
  13. manum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of Pone; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Concrete act symbolizing oath-bound submission.
  14. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Possessive Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies manum; Translation: “your”; Notes: Addressed directly to the servant.
  15. subter — Lemma: subter; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Introduces spatial relation; Translation: “under”; Notes: Often used with physical placement or position.
  16. femur — Lemma: femur; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of subter; Translation: “thigh”; Notes: Symbol of progeny or covenantal lineage in oath rituals.
  17. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Modifies femur; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes the covenant gesture to Abraham.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.