Genesis 24:37

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

37 Et adiuravit me dominus meus, dicens: Non accipies uxorem filio meo de filiabus Chananæorum, in quorum terra habito:

And my master made me swear, saying: “You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Chanaanites, in whose land I live,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 adiuravit made (me) swear 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 me me ACC.SG.1P.PRON
4 dominus master NOM.SG.M
5 meus my NOM.SG.M POSS.ADJ
6 dicens saying NOM.SG.M PTCP.PRES.ACT
7 Non not ADV
8 accipies you shall take 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
9 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
10 filio to (the) son DAT.SG.M
11 meo my DAT.SG.M POSS.ADJ
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 filiabus daughters ABL.PL.F
14 Chananæorum of the Canaanites GEN.PL.M PROPN
15 in in PREP+ABL
16 quorum whose GEN.PL.M REL.PRON
17 terra land ABL.SG.F
18 habito I live 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Et adiuravit me dominus meus, dicens — perfect verb adiuravit (“made [me] swear”) governs direct object me and nominative subject dominus meus (“my master”). The participle dicens introduces the content of the oath in indirect speech.
Quoted Speech: Non accipies uxorem filio meo de filiabus Chananæorum — negative command expressed with future indicative accipies, a Semitic idiom for prohibition, “you shall not take.” The double dative filio meo specifies for whom the wife is intended. The prepositional phrase de filiabus Chananæorum marks the ethnic group excluded from marriage selection.
Relative Clause: in quorum terra habito — modifies Chananæorum, describing them as inhabitants of the land where the speaker dwells. The first-person indicative habito underscores personal involvement.
The syntax blends direct and indirect speech fluidly, typical of the Vulgate’s narrative style, maintaining Hebrew parallelism and patriarchal legal solemnity.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects clause to preceding narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces a continuation of speech or event.
  2. adiuravit — Lemma: adiuro; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “made (me) swear”; Notes: Strong verb indicating solemn oath-taking before God.
  3. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular; Function: Direct object of adiuravit; Translation: “me”; Notes: The servant is the one being bound by oath.
  4. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Subject of adiuravit; Translation: “master”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, the oath-giver.
  5. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies dominus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reflects servant’s deference.
  6. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Introduces quoted speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Common Vulgate formula for direct discourse.
  7. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negates verb accipies; Translation: “not”; Notes: Marks prohibition.
  8. accipies — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Active Indicative Second Person Singular; Function: Main verb of prohibition; Translation: “you shall take”; Notes: Future used imperatively, typical in legal oaths or divine commands.
  9. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of accipies; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Central term of the oath, defining its purpose.
  10. filio — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Indirect object of accipies; Translation: “for (the) son”; Notes: Marks intended beneficiary (Isaac).
  11. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Dative Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies filio; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces relation of Abraham to Isaac.
  12. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses source or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces exclusion of ethnic group.
  13. filiabus — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Plural Feminine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Source of potential wives explicitly excluded.
  14. Chananæorum — Lemma: Chananæus; Part of Speech: Noun (Proper); Form: Genitive Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies filiabus; Translation: “of the Canaanites”; Notes: Denotes the local population; divine disapproval context.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Introduces locative clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates habitation.
  16. quorum — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Genitive Plural Masculine; Function: Possessive genitive in relative clause; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Refers back to Chananæorum.
  17. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Physical territory of the Canaanites.
  18. habito — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “I live”; Notes: Expresses Abraham’s residence within foreign territory, heightening tension of oath’s condition.

 

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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