Genesis 24:24

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 4:24 Quæ respondit: Filia sum Bathuelis, filii Melchæ, quem peperit ipsi Nachor.

She answered: I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Melcha, whom she bore to Nachor.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who / she NOM.SG.F.REL.PRON
2 respondit answered / responded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Filia daughter NOM.SG.F
4 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 Bathuelis of Bathuel GEN.SG.M
6 filii son GEN.SG.M
7 Melchæ of Micah GEN.SG.F
8 quem whom ACC.SG.M.REL.PRON
9 peperit bore / gave birth to 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 ipsi to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
11 Nachor Nahor NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Quæ respondit — relative pronoun Quæ functions as the subject (“she”), with respondit as the verb of speaking, introducing direct discourse.
Direct Speech: Filia sum Bathuelis, filii Melchæ — predicate nominative Filia with linking verb sum; genitive Bathuelis expresses possession (“daughter of Bathuel”), and filii Melchæ defines Bathuel as “son of Melcha.”
Relative Clause: quem peperit ipsi Nachor — quem refers to Bathuel as the object of peperit; subject understood as Melcha; ipsi Nachor (dative) marks the recipient of birth (“to Nachor”).

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of respondit; Translation: “she / who”; Notes: Serves as a connective pronoun linking Rebecca’s response to the previous narrative.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “answered / responded”; Notes: Common narrative verb introducing direct speech.
  3. Filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Identifies the speaker’s family lineage.
  4. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Linking verb; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Connects subject and predicate nominative.
  5. Bathuelis — Lemma: Bathuel; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying Filia; Translation: “of Bathuel”; Notes: Indicates Rebecca’s father.
  6. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Genitive of relationship modifying Bathuelis; Translation: “son (of Melcha)”; Notes: Adds another generational link in the genealogy.
  7. Melchæ — Lemma: Melcha; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Possessive genitive depending on filii; Translation: “of Melcha”; Notes: Identifies Bathuel’s mother, establishing lineage through the matriline.
  8. quem — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of peperit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to Bathuel in the relative clause.
  9. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of the relative clause; Translation: “bore / gave birth to”; Notes: Subject understood as Melcha, performing the action of childbirth.
  10. ipsi — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: Intensive pronoun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object of peperit; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Emphasizes the personal recipient, Nachor.
  11. Nachor — Lemma: Nachor; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Appositive to ipsi (dative of reference); Translation: “Nachor”; Notes: Patriarchal ancestor, brother of 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.
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