Genesis 24:27

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:27 dicens: Benedictus Dominus Deus domini mei Abraham, qui non abstulit misericordiam et veritatem suam a domino meo, et recto itinere me perduxit in domum fratris domini mei.

saying: “Blessed be the LORD, the God of my lord Abraham, who has not withheld His mercy and His truth from my lord, and has led me by the right way into the house of my lord’s brother.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT
2 Benedictus blessed NOM.SG.M PTCP.PERF.PASS (ADJECTIVAL)
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M NOUN
4 Deus God NOM.SG.M NOUN
5 domini of (my) lord GEN.SG.M NOUN
6 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.PRON
7 Abraham Abraham GEN.SG.M PROP.N
8 qui who NOM.SG.M REL.PRON
9 non not ADV
10 abstulit has taken away / withheld 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 misericordiam mercy ACC.SG.F NOUN
12 et and CONJ
13 veritatem truth ACC.SG.F NOUN
14 suam His ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ
15 a from PREP+ABL
16 domino lord ABL.SG.M NOUN
17 meo my ABL.SG.M POSS.PRON
18 et and CONJ
19 recto right / straight ABL.SG.N ADJ
20 itinere way / path ABL.SG.N NOUN
21 me me ACC.SG 1P.PRON
22 perduxit has led 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 in into PREP+ACC
24 domum house ACC.SG.F NOUN
25 fratris of (the) brother GEN.SG.M NOUN
26 domini of (my) lord GEN.SG.M NOUN
27 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.PRON

Syntax

Introductory Participle: dicens — circumstantial participle introducing the doxology, linked to the previously mentioned servant.
Main Doxology: Benedictus Dominus Deus domini mei Abraham — predicate adjective Benedictus agrees with subject Dominus; Deus domini mei Abraham is appositional, specifying the LORD as “God of my lord Abraham.”
Relative Clause 1: qui non abstulit misericordiam et veritatem suam a domino meo — subject qui (= the LORD) with verb abstulit; double object (misericordiam, veritatem); separation marked by a + ablative (domino meo).
Relative Clause 2: et recto itinere me perduxit in domum fratris domini mei — coordination by et; ablative of means or manner recto itinere; verb perduxit with object me; destination expressed by in + accusative (domum) and possessed by genitives fratris domini mei.

Morphology

  1. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Circumstantial participle introducing the quoted praise; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Agrees with the (masculine) servant understood from the context; participle marks transition from action to speech.
  2. Benedictus — Lemma: benedico (as PPP used adjectivally); Part of Speech: Participle (adjectival); Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Predicate adjective with Dominus; Translation: “blessed”; Notes: Standard biblical blessing formula; PPP functioning as a predicate adjective.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of the doxology; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH (rendered “LORD” per rule), the object of praise.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Apposition to Dominus; Translation: “God”; Notes: Forms the title “the LORD God of my lord Abraham.”
  5. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive genitive with Deus; Translation: “of (my) lord”; Notes: Indicates Abraham as the master of the speaking servant.
  6. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personal relationship marker between servant and Abraham.
  7. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine (indeclinable form in Vulgate usage); Function: Complements domini mei; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Hebrew proper name used with genitive sense without Latin genitive ending.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of both relative-clause verbs; Translation: “who”; Notes: Antecedent is Dominus.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negates abstulit; Translation: “not”; Notes: Strengthens the assertion of divine faithfulness.
  10. abstulit — Lemma: aufero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of the first relative clause; Translation: “has withheld / taken away”; Notes: Perfect aspect marks completed, negated action—He did not withdraw favor.
  11. misericordiam — Lemma: misericordia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of abstulit; Translation: “mercy”; Notes: Part of a covenant pair with veritatem (steadfast love and faithfulness).
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links coordinated objects and clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  13. veritatem — Lemma: veritas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of abstulit; Translation: “truth / faithfulness”; Notes: Complements misericordiam, expressing covenant reliability.
  14. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: Possessive adjective; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies both misericordiam and veritatem by sense; Translation: “His”; Notes: Reflexive to the subject of the relative clause (the LORD).
  15. a — Lemma: a/ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Marks separation/source; Translation: “from”; Notes: With verbs of taking/withholding.
  16. domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, the servant’s master.
  17. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive pronoun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domino; Translation: “my”; Notes: Agreement in gender, case, number.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates the second relative clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple clause linkage.
  19. recto — Lemma: rectus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Modifies itinere; Translation: “right / straight”; Notes: Moral and physical nuance: “straight/right way.”
  20. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Ablative of means/manner; Translation: “way / journey”; Notes: Means by which the LORD guided the servant.
  21. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Direct object of perduxit; Translation: “me”; Notes: The guided party (the servant).
  22. perduxit — Lemma: perduco; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second relative clause; Translation: “has led / conducted”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed arrival at destination.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Directional preposition with goal.
  24. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in (motion); Translation: “house”; Notes: Destination of the journey.
  25. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive genitive modifying domum; Translation: “of (the) brother”; Notes: Identifies the house as that of Abraham’s brother.
  26. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Dependent genitive on fratris; Translation: “of (my) lord”; Notes: Indicates kinship to Abraham.
  27. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Possessive pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: Completes the genitive chain “the house of the brother of my lord.”

 

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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