Genesis 24:42

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:42 Veni ergo hodie ad fontem aquæ, et dixi: Domine Deus domini mei Abraham, si direxisti viam meam, in qua nunc ambulo,

I came therefore today to the spring of water and said: ‘LORD, God of my master Abraham, if you have directed my way in which I now walk,’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Veni I came 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore ADV
3 hodie today ADV
4 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
5 fontem spring / fountain ACC.SG.M
6 aquæ of water GEN.SG.F
7 et and CONJ
8 dixi I said 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 Domine LORD VOC.SG.M
10 Deus God NOM.SG.M
11 domini of the master GEN.SG.M
12 mei my GEN.SG.M POSS.ADJ
13 Abraham Abraham GEN.SG.M PROPN
14 si if CONJ
15 direxisti you have directed 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 viam way / path ACC.SG.F
17 meam my ACC.SG.F POSS.ADJ
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 qua in which ABL.SG.F REL.PRON
20 nunc now ADV
21 ambulo I walk 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Narrative: Veni ergo hodie ad fontem aquæ — perfect verb Veni (“I came”) introduces the servant’s recounting. The adverb ergo gives logical progression (“therefore”), while hodie situates the time. The prepositional phrase ad fontem aquæ denotes destination, with aquæ as a genitive of specification (“spring of water”).
Speech Introduction: et dixi introduces direct speech with perfect dixi (“I said”).
Invocation: Domine Deus domini mei Abraham — vocative Domine (“LORD”) followed by nominative Deus in apposition, forming the invocation “LORD, God of my master Abraham.”
Conditional Clause: si direxisti viam meam in qua nunc ambulo — the conjunction si introduces a conditional (“if you have directed”). The perfect direxisti expresses a completed divine action, while viam meam is the direct object. The relative clause in qua nunc ambulo modifies viam and contains ambulo as present indicative, depicting ongoing movement under divine guidance.
This syntax elegantly unites narration, prayer, and condition, revealing the servant’s faith that divine providence governs his mission.

Morphology

  1. Veni — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Main verb of narration; Translation: “I came”; Notes: Perfect aspect marks completed arrival.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Logical connective; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Indicates conclusion or consequence within recounting.
  3. hodie — Lemma: hodie; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal adverb; Translation: “today”; Notes: Specifies exact time of action.
  4. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Indicates motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Common preposition of destination.
  5. fontem — Lemma: fons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “spring / fountain”; Notes: Setting of divine encounter; typical biblical motif.
  6. aquæ — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Genitive of specification; Translation: “of water”; Notes: Specifies the type of spring.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects verbs veni and dixi; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination in narration.
  8. dixi — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of saying introducing direct discourse; Translation: “I said”; Notes: Marks transition from narrative to prayer.
  9. Domine — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Vocative Singular Masculine; Function: Direct address; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH; expressed reverentially.
  10. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Apposition to Domine; Translation: “God”; Notes: Affirms the divine identity being invoked.
  11. domini — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive with Deus; Translation: “of (the) master”; Notes: Refers to Abraham, emphasizing hierarchical devotion.
  12. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Modifies domini; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes relation to Abraham.
  13. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Apposition to domini mei; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Preserves Hebrew name uninflected.
  14. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Conditional protasis anticipating divine confirmation.
  15. direxisti — Lemma: dirigo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Second Person Singular; Function: Verb of condition; Translation: “you have directed”; Notes: Perfect aspect implies divine guidance already shown.
  16. viam — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of direxisti; Translation: “way / path”; Notes: Figurative for providential journey.
  17. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Modifies viam; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personal journey under divine oversight.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Introduces relative clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks spatial or metaphorical movement.
  19. qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Refers back to viam.
  20. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Temporal modifier; Translation: “now”; Notes: Highlights immediacy of divine guidance.
  21. ambulo — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “I walk”; Notes: Symbolic of righteous progress and divine direction.

 

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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