Genesis 24:41

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

41 Innocens eris a maledictione mea, cum veneris ad propinquos meos, et non dederint tibi.

You shall be free from my curse when you come to my kinsmen, and if they do not give her to you.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Innocens free / guiltless NOM.SG.M/F
2 eris you shall be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND
3 a from PREP+ABL
4 maledictione curse ABL.SG.F
5 mea my ABL.SG.F POSS.ADJ
6 cum when CONJ
7 veneris you come 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
8 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
9 propinquos kinsmen ACC.PL.M
10 meos my ACC.PL.M POSS.ADJ
11 et and CONJ
12 non not ADV
13 dederint they give / have given 3PL.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
14 tibi to you DAT.SG.2P.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Innocens eris a maledictione mea — predicate adjective Innocens serves as complement to eris (“you shall be”). The prepositional phrase a maledictione mea functions as an ablative of separation, indicating freedom or exemption from the master’s curse.
Temporal Clause: cum veneris ad propinquos meos — the conjunction cum (“when”) introduces a temporal clause; verb veneris (future perfect) anticipates the completion of the journey before the condition applies. The prepositional phrase ad propinquos meos (“to my kinsmen”) identifies the destination.
Conditional Extension: et non dederint tibi — coordinate clause expressing conditional outcome; dederint (future perfect) signals an action that may or may not occur. The pronoun tibi (“to you”) is dative of indirect object, referring to the servant.
Overall syntax forms a conditional-release statement: upon reaching the kinsmen, the servant’s oath obligation ceases if they withhold their daughter, reflecting legal precision consistent with patriarchal covenants.

Morphology

  1. Innocens — Lemma: innocens; Part of Speech: Adjective (Substantive use); Form: Nominative Singular Masculine/Feminine; Function: Predicate nominative with eris; Translation: “innocent / free”; Notes: Used here for legal and moral release from an oath; not merely moral innocence.
  2. eris — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Active Indicative Second Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “you shall be”; Notes: Future indicative expressing certainty of absolution under stated condition.
  3. a — Lemma: a / ab; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Ablative of separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Denotes release or removal from a state of obligation.
  4. maledictione — Lemma: maledictio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of a; Translation: “curse”; Notes: Derived from maledico (“to speak evil of”); legal oath-binding sense here.
  5. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies maledictione; Translation: “my”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s oath-imposed curse, not divine condemnation.
  6. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Denotes time, not cause, here anticipating completion of travel.
  7. veneris — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Perfect Active Indicative Second Person Singular; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “you come / have come”; Notes: Future perfect stresses completed arrival before exemption takes effect.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Indicates motion toward; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Introduces direction of travel.
  9. propinquos — Lemma: propinquus; Part of Speech: Noun (Substantive); Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “kinsmen”; Notes: Used substantively for relatives or clan members.
  10. meos — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies propinquos; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes family reference; refers to Abraham’s relatives in Mesopotamia.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects temporal and conditional clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Paratactic linkage common in biblical Latin.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Negates dederint; Translation: “not”; Notes: Introduces conditional negation for refusal scenario.
  13. dederint — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Plural; Function: Verb of conditional clause; Translation: “they do not give / have not given”; Notes: Future perfect anticipates possible refusal by relatives; precise temporal use marking condition completion.
  14. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular; Function: Indirect object of dederint; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s servant, recipient of the conditional action.

 

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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