Genesis 24:45

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:45 Dumque hæc tacitus mecum volverem, apparuit Rebecca veniens cum hydria, quam portabat in scapula: descenditque ad fontem, et hausit aquam. Et aio ad eam: Da mihi paululum bibere.

And while I was turning these things silently within myself, Rebecca appeared, coming with a pitcher that she carried on her shoulder; and she went down to the spring and drew water. And I said to her: ‘Give me a little to drink.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dumque and while CONJ
2 hæc these things ACC.PL.N DEM.PRON
3 tacitus silent / silently NOM.SG.M ADJ
4 mecum with myself ABL.SG.1P.PRON + PREP
5 volverem I was turning / pondering 1SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
6 apparuit appeared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Rebecca Rebecca NOM.SG.F PROPN
8 veniens coming NOM.SG.F PTC.PRES.ACT
9 cum with PREP+ABL
10 hydria pitcher ABL.SG.F
11 quam which ACC.SG.F REL.PRON
12 portabat she carried 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
13 in on PREP+ABL
14 scapula shoulder ABL.SG.F
15 descenditque and she went down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
16 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
17 fontem spring / fountain ACC.SG.M
18 et and CONJ
19 hausit she drew 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 aquam water ACC.SG.F
21 Et and CONJ
22 aio I said 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
23 ad to PREP+ACC
24 eam her ACC.SG.F PRON
25 Da give 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
26 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
27 paululum a little / small amount ACC.SG.N DIMIN.NOUN
28 bibere to drink INF.PRES.ACT

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Dumque hæc tacitus mecum volverem — Dum with imperfect subjunctive volverem expresses simultaneous action (“while I was pondering”). The adjective tacitus modifies the implied subject, showing inner reflection; mecum (literally “with myself”) indicates internal deliberation.
Main Narrative: apparuit Rebecca veniens cum hydria — perfect apparuit marks sudden appearance. The participle veniens describes concurrent action (“coming with a pitcher”). cum hydria is an ablative of accompaniment.
Relative Clause: quam portabat in scapula — modifies hydria, with in scapula showing location (“on her shoulder”).
Subsequent Actions: descenditque ad fontem et hausit aquam — two perfects linked by et describe completed sequential actions.
Direct Speech: Et aio ad eam: Da mihi paululum bibere — aio introduces a spoken request with imperative Da (“give”) and infinitive bibere as complement.
The syntax smoothly alternates between inner monologue, narration, and speech, heightening the sense of providential encounter.

Morphology

  1. Dumque — Lemma: dum + que; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Compound (“and while”); Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and while”; Notes: Combines duration with continuation from previous narrative.
  2. hæc — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: Demonstrative Pronoun; Form: Accusative Plural Neuter; Function: Object of volverem; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to the servant’s thoughts or signs he considered.
  3. tacitus — Lemma: tacitus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Nominative Singular Masculine; Function: Describes subject (servant); Translation: “silent”; Notes: Implies inward reflection, not vocal silence.
  4. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: Prepositional Phrase; Form: Ablative Singular; Function: Reflexive adverbial; Translation: “with myself”; Notes: Denotes internal deliberation.
  5. volverem — Lemma: volvo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Subjunctive First Person Singular; Function: Verb of temporal clause; Translation: “I was pondering”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses ongoing, internal reflection.
  6. apparuit — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “appeared”; Notes: Perfect indicates sudden revelation.
  7. Rebecca — Lemma: Rebecca; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of apparuit; Translation: “Rebecca”; Notes: Uninflected Hebrew name.
  8. veniens — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle); Form: Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Circumstantial participle; Translation: “coming”; Notes: Describes concurrent motion.
  9. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Ablative of accompaniment.
  10. hydria — Lemma: hydria; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of cum; Translation: “pitcher”; Notes: Greek loanword meaning water jar.
  11. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of portabat; Translation: “which”; Notes: Links hydria with following clause.
  12. portabat — Lemma: porto; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Describes continuous past action; Translation: “she carried”; Notes: Imperfect stresses habitual or ongoing action.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Locative; Translation: “on”; Notes: Describes placement of object.
  14. scapula — Lemma: scapula; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “shoulder”; Notes: Instrumental imagery of labor and service.
  15. descenditque — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: Verb + Conjunction; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and she went down”; Notes: -que joins to preceding verb.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Indicates direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Marks goal of movement.
  17. fontem — Lemma: fons; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “spring”; Notes: Recalls earlier reference as place of divine appointment.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins narrative clauses.
  19. hausit — Lemma: haurio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of completed action; Translation: “she drew”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed act of drawing water.
  20. aquam — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of hausit; Translation: “water”; Notes: Central object linking scene of service and recognition.
  21. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Introduces direct speech; Translation: “and”; Notes: Marks transition from narrative to dialogue.
  22. aio — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of saying; Translation: “I said”; Notes: Common classical form meaning “I say,” used for direct quotations.
  23. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Marks recipient; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces indirect object of speech.
  24. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of ad; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  25. Da — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperative Active Second Person Singular; Function: Direct command; Translation: “give”; Notes: Polite request, not demand.
  26. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of favor requested.
  27. paululum — Lemma: paululum; Part of Speech: Noun (Diminutive); Form: Accusative Singular Neuter; Function: Direct object of Da; Translation: “a little”; Notes: Conveys humility through diminutive form.
  28. bibere — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Infinitive; Function: Complementary infinitive dependent on Da; Translation: “to drink”; Notes: Expresses the purpose of the request — to drink from the water Rebecca drew.

 

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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