Genesis 24:46

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:46 Quæ festinans deposuit hydriam de humero, et dixit mihi: Et tu bibe, et camelis tuis tribuam potum. Bibi, et adaquavit camelos.

And she, hastening, put down the pitcher from her shoulder, and said to me: ‘You drink also, and I will give drink to your camels.’ I drank, and she gave the camels to drink.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who / she NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
2 festinans hastening NOM.SG.F PTC.PRES.ACT
3 deposuit she put down 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 hydriam pitcher ACC.SG.F
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 humero shoulder ABL.SG.M
7 et and CONJ
8 dixit she said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
10 Et and CONJ
11 tu you NOM.SG.2P.PRON
12 bibe drink 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 et and CONJ
14 camelis to the camels DAT.PL.M
15 tuis your DAT.PL.M POSS.ADJ
16 tribuam I will give 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
17 potum drink / water ACC.SG.M NOUN
18 Bibi I drank 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 et and CONJ
20 adaquavit she gave to drink / watered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
21 camelos camels ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Relative Clause: Quæ festinans deposuit hydriam de humero — the relative pronoun Quæ resumes Rebecca; the participle festinans conveys eagerness and readiness to serve. The perfect deposuit describes decisive action, and the ablative phrase de humero shows source (“from the shoulder”).
Speech Introduction: et dixit mihi introduces direct discourse with dixit as main verb of speech and mihi as dative of recipient.
Direct Quotation: Et tu bibe, et camelis tuis tribuam potum — imperative bibe (“drink”) and future tribuam (“I will give”) express immediacy and voluntary service. The phrase camelis tuis functions as dative of advantage, with potum as accusative of respect (“a drink”).
Sequential Clause: Bibi, et adaquavit camelos — two perfect verbs narrate the completion of the servant’s test: first-person Bibi (“I drank”) followed by adaquavit (“she watered”), showing fulfillment of the sign.
The syntax reveals humble hospitality matched by divine providence, as Rebecca’s prompt obedience fulfills the sign requested in prayer.

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of deposuit; Translation: “she who”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca performing the act.
  2. festinans — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle); Form: Present Active Participle Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Describes quæ; Translation: “hastening”; Notes: Conveys eagerness and alacrity typical of virtuous service.
  3. deposuit — Lemma: depono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “she put down”; Notes: Perfect indicates completed, purposeful motion.
  4. hydriam — Lemma: hydria; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object of deposuit; Translation: “pitcher”; Notes: Greek loanword; typical vessel for water drawing.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks source or origin of movement.
  6. humero — Lemma: humerus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “shoulder”; Notes: Physical realism emphasizing effort and readiness.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connector of actions.
  8. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Introduces direct speech; Translation: “she said”; Notes: Marks transition from action to dialogue.
  9. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular; Function: Indirect object of dixit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of address.
  10. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Begins quotation; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive connector in speech.
  11. tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular; Function: Subject of bibe; Translation: “you”; Notes: Expresses politeness and attentiveness.
  12. bibe — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Imperative Second Person Singular; Function: Command; Translation: “drink”; Notes: Polite imperative of hospitality.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two verbal expressions of service.
  14. camelis — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Plural Masculine; Function: Indirect object of tribuam; Translation: “to the camels”; Notes: Indicates beneficiaries of watering.
  15. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: Adjective (Possessive); Form: Dative Plural Masculine; Function: Modifies camelis; Translation: “your”; Notes: Personal reference to servant’s animals.
  16. tribuam — Lemma: tribuo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Future Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of giving; Translation: “I will give / offer”; Notes: Expresses voluntary and forthcoming act of kindness.
  17. potum — Lemma: potus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Accusative of respect; Translation: “a drink / water”; Notes: Cognate object of tribuam; idiomatic for “to give drink.”
  18. Bibi — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Verb of completed action; Translation: “I drank”; Notes: Marks fulfillment of his own request.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links successive clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential conjunction joining completed actions.
  20. adaquavit — Lemma: adaquo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of main clause; Translation: “she gave to drink / watered”; Notes: Perfective sense emphasizes fulfillment of sign.
  21. camelos — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Masculine; Function: Direct object of adaquavit; Translation: “camels”; Notes: Closes the narrative loop of divine confirmation.

 

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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