Genesis 24:26

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:26 Inclinavit se homo, et adoravit Dominum,

The man bowed himself and worshiped the LORD,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Inclinavit bowed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 se himself ACC.SG.REFL.PRON
3 homo man NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 adoravit worshiped 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Dominum LORD ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Inclinavit se homo — the verb inclinavit governs reflexive pronoun se, meaning “bowed himself”; homo serves as the explicit subject.
Coordinated Clause: et adoravit Dominum — the conjunction et joins the second action; adoravit takes Dominum as its direct object (“worshiped the LORD”).
Together, the clauses form a sequential expression of reverence: bodily bowing followed by spiritual worship.

Morphology

  1. Inclinavit — Lemma: inclino; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of first clause; Translation: “he bowed / bent down”; Notes: Expresses gesture of humility and reverence, often preceding adoration in Hebrew idiom.
  2. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: Reflexive pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Direct object of inclinavit; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Indicates the subject is performing the action upon himself (“he bowed himself”).
  3. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of inclinavit and adoravit; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s servant, the human agent of gratitude and faith.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects two coordinated actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential link emphasizing dual act of physical and spiritual devotion.
  5. adoravit — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “worshiped”; Notes: Denotes reverence directed toward the divine; etymologically from ad + orare (“to speak toward”), connoting prayerful submission.
  6. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct object of adoravit; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, emphasizing the servant’s immediate recognition of divine providence.

 

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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