Genesis 24:47

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:47 Interrogavique eam, et dixi: Cuius es filia? Quæ respondit: Filia Bathuelis sum, filii Nachor, quem peperit ei Melcha. Suspendi itaque inaures ad ornandam faciem eius, et armillas posui in manibus eius.

And I questioned her and said: ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she replied: ‘I am the daughter of Bathuel, the son of Nachor, whom Melcha bore to him.’ Therefore, I hung earrings to adorn her face and placed bracelets on her hands.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Interrogavique and I questioned 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL.CONJ
2 eam her ACC.SG.F PRON
3 et and CONJ
4 dixi I said 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Cuius whose GEN.SG.M/F REL/INTERROG.PRON
6 es are you 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 filia daughter NOM.SG.F
8 Quæ who / she NOM.SG.F REL.PRON
9 respondit she replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 Filia daughter NOM.SG.F
11 Bathuelis of Bathuel GEN.SG.M PROPN
12 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 filii of the son GEN.SG.M
14 Nachor Nahor GEN.SG.M PROPN
15 quem whom ACC.SG.M REL.PRON
16 peperit she bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 ei to him DAT.SG.3P.PRON
18 Melcha Milcah NOM.SG.F PROPN
19 Suspendi I hung / placed 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 itaque therefore ADV
21 inaures earrings ACC.PL.F
22 ad for / to PREP+ACC
23 ornandam to adorn GERUNDIVE.ACC.SG.F
24 faciem face ACC.SG.F
25 eius her GEN.SG.F PRON
26 et and CONJ
27 armillas bracelets ACC.PL.F
28 posui I placed 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
29 in on PREP+ABL
30 manibus hands ABL.PL.F
31 eius her GEN.SG.F PRON

Syntax

Main Narrative: Interrogavique eam, et dixi — two perfect verbs narrate consecutive actions; the enclitic -que links interrogavi to dixi (“I questioned her and said”). The pronoun eam is the direct object.
Direct Question: Cuius es filia? — interrogative genitive Cuius asks about lineage; es (present) links the predicate filia (“daughter”).
Reply: Quæ respondit: Filia Bathuelis sum… — Quæ resumes Rebecca as subject; her response identifies ancestry in linear genitives (“daughter of Bathuel, son of Nachor, whom Melcha bore to him”). The relative clause quem peperit ei Melcha provides maternal lineage.
Result Clause: Suspendi itaque inaures… et armillas posui… — the adverb itaque marks conclusion (“therefore”); perfect verbs Suspendi and posui denote completed symbolic acts. The purpose phrase ad ornandam faciem eius employs a gerundive construction (“to adorn her face”).
Overall, the syntax blends inquiry, genealogical identification, and covenantal symbolism through gesture and adornment.

Morphology

  1. Interrogavique — Lemma: interrogo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular + Enclitic -que; Function: Main verb linked with dixi; Translation: “and I questioned”; Notes: -que connects closely related actions.
  2. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinating connector.
  4. dixi — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Introduces direct question; Translation: “I said”; Notes: Narrative perfect.
  5. Cuius — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: Pronoun (Interrogative/Relative); Form: Genitive Singular; Function: Expresses possession; Translation: “whose”; Notes: Genitive inquiry about parentage.
  6. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative Second Person Singular; Function: Linking verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Present tense question.
  7. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Predicate nominative; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Relational identity term.
  8. Quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of respondit; Translation: “who / she”; Notes: Refers back to Rebecca.
  9. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “she replied”; Notes: Perfect indicates single completed response.
  10. Filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject complement; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Repeats predicate from question for emphasis.
  11. Bathuelis — Lemma: Bathuel; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of Bathuel”; Notes: Hebrew name marking lineage.
  12. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Present identification.
  13. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Indicates descent; Translation: “of the son”; Notes: Genitive of relationship.
  14. Nachor — Lemma: Nachor; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Genitive Singular Masculine; Function: Apposition to filii; Translation: “of Nachor”; Notes: Patriarchal ancestor name.
  15. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Pronoun (Relative); Form: Accusative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of peperit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Introduces subordinate clause.
  16. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “she bore”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed birth event.
  17. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Dative Singular; Function: Indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Nachor.
  18. Melcha — Lemma: Melcha; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of peperit; Translation: “Melcha”; Notes: Wife of Nachor, maternal lineage reference.
  19. Suspendi — Lemma: suspendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I hung”; Notes: Symbolic act marking acceptance and gratitude.
  20. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Marks logical result; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Concludes cause and effect sequence.
  21. inaures — Lemma: inauris; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Feminine; Function: Direct object of Suspendi; Translation: “earrings”; Notes: Sign of covenantal gift.
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Accusative; Function: Expresses purpose; Translation: “to / for”; Notes: Introduces gerundive phrase.
  23. ornandam — Lemma: orno; Part of Speech: Verb (Gerundive); Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Indicates purpose; Translation: “to adorn”; Notes: Purpose construction showing beautification.
  24. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Singular Feminine; Function: Object of ornandam; Translation: “face”; Notes: Symbolic of dignity and honor.
  25. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Links two clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential connector.
  27. armillas — Lemma: armilla; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Feminine; Function: Direct object of posui; Translation: “bracelets”; Notes: Gold ornaments often symbolizing wealth or betrothal.
  28. posui — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative First Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “I placed”; Notes: Indicates completed action; same narrative sequence as Suspendi.
  29. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses location; Translation: “on”; Notes: Used with ablative to indicate position.
  30. manibus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Plural Feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Ablative denotes physical placement of the jewelry.
  31. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Possessive pronoun modifying manibus; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reiterates Rebecca as recipient of the gifts.

 

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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