Genesis 24:53

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:53 Prolatisque vasis argenteis, et aureis, ac vestibus, dedit ea Rebecca pro munere: fratribus quoque eius, et matri dona obtulit.

And having brought out silver and golden vessels, and garments, he gave them to Rebecca as a gift; and to her brothers also, and to her mother, he offered presents.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Prolatisque and having brought out ABL.PL.N PTC.PERF.PASS + ENCL.CONJ
2 vasis vessels ABL.PL.N
3 argenteis silver ABL.PL.N ADJ
4 et and CONJ
5 aureis golden ABL.PL.N ADJ
6 ac and also CONJ
7 vestibus garments ABL.PL.F
8 dedit he gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 ea them ACC.PL.N PRON
10 Rebecca to Rebecca DAT.SG.F PROPN
11 pro as / for PREP+ABL
12 munere gift ABL.SG.N
13 fratribus to her brothers DAT.PL.M
14 quoque also ADV
15 eius her GEN.SG.F PRON
16 et and CONJ
17 matri to her mother DAT.SG.F
18 dona gifts / presents ACC.PL.N
19 obtulit he offered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Temporal Ablative Absolute: Prolatisque vasis argenteis, et aureis, ac vestibus — an ablative absolute construction indicating circumstance (“and after having brought out the silver and golden vessels and garments”). The participle Prolatis (from profero) denotes completed action preceding the main verb.
Main Clause: dedit ea Rebecca pro munere — the perfect verb dedit governs the pronoun ea (“them”) as direct object and Rebecca as indirect object in the dative (“to Rebecca”). The phrase pro munere expresses purpose or equivalence (“as a gift”).
Secondary Clause: fratribus quoque eius, et matri dona obtulit — the verb obtulit takes dona as direct object and fratribus / matri as indirect objects, distributing gifts to her family.
The sentence demonstrates polite sequence: first gifts for the bride, then gifts for her kin, in accord with ancient Near Eastern marriage customs.

Morphology

  1. Prolatisque — Lemma: profero; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle); Form: Ablative Plural Neuter Perfect Passive Participle + Enclitic -que; Function: Part of ablative absolute; Translation: “and having brought out”; Notes: Expresses completed preparatory action preceding the giving.
  2. vasis — Lemma: vas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Plural Neuter; Function: Object within ablative absolute; Translation: “vessels”; Notes: Refers to valuable containers of silver and gold.
  3. argenteis — Lemma: argenteus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Plural Neuter; Function: Modifier of vasis; Translation: “silver”; Notes: Qualifies the first category of gifts.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Coordinates adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective between items.
  5. aureis — Lemma: aureus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative Plural Neuter; Function: Modifier of vasis; Translation: “golden”; Notes: Describes the second kind of vessels.
  6. ac — Lemma: ac; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects final element in a series; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Slightly more emphatic than et.
  7. vestibus — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Plural Feminine; Function: Third element of ablative absolute; Translation: “garments”; Notes: Indicates ceremonial clothing or finery.
  8. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “he gave”; Notes: Describes act of bestowal upon Rebecca.
  9. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Accusative Plural Neuter; Function: Direct object of dedit; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the items just mentioned.
  10. Rebecca — Lemma: Rebecca; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Dative Singular Feminine; Function: Indirect object of dedit; Translation: “to Rebecca”; Notes: Recipient of the primary gifts.
  11. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses equivalence or purpose; Translation: “as / for”; Notes: Marks purpose of the gift-giving.
  12. munere — Lemma: munus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Neuter; Function: Object of pro; Translation: “gift”; Notes: Denotes official or ceremonial offering.
  13. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Plural Masculine; Function: Indirect object of obtulit; Translation: “to her brothers”; Notes: Plural implies extended family group.
  14. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Adds inclusion; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates additional beneficiaries.
  15. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive Singular Feminine; Function: Possessive modifying fratribus and matri; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Connects indirect objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  17. matri — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Dative Singular Feminine; Function: Indirect object of obtulit; Translation: “to her mother”; Notes: Secondary recipient of gifts.
  18. dona — Lemma: donum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative Plural Neuter; Function: Direct object of obtulit; Translation: “presents / gifts”; Notes: General term for offerings of goodwill.
  19. obtulit — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb of second clause; Translation: “he offered”; Notes: Denotes formal act of presentation, often ceremonial.

 

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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