Genesis 24:64

Posted on January 24, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 24:64 Rebecca quoque, conspecto Isaac, descendit de camelo,

Rebecca also, when she saw Isaac, dismounted from the camel,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Rebecca Rebecca NOM.SG.F PROPN
2 quoque also / too ADV
3 conspecto having seen ABL.SG.M PTC.PERF.PASS
4 Isaac Isaac ABL.SG.M PROPN
5 descendit dismounted / descended 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 camelo camel ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Rebecca quoque descendit de camelo — the verb descendit is perfect active indicative, describing a completed action. Rebecca is the subject, quoque adds inclusiveness (“also”), and de camelo expresses the ablative of separation (“from the camel”).
Ablative Absolute: conspecto Isaac — a perfect passive participle construction meaning “when she saw Isaac.” The ablative case of both words indicates the circumstance under which Rebecca’s action occurs.
The sentence portrays immediacy and reverence: upon beholding Isaac, Rebecca dismounts—an act symbolizing humility and readiness to meet the man appointed by God.

Morphology

  1. Rebecca — Lemma: Rebecca; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Nominative Singular Feminine; Function: Subject of descendit; Translation: “Rebecca”; Notes: Proper name of the woman chosen for Isaac, leading the clause.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: Indeclinable; Function: Additive particle; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates inclusion with the previous narrative sequence.
  3. conspecto — Lemma: conspicio; Part of Speech: Verb (Participle); Form: Ablative Singular Masculine Perfect Passive Participle; Function: Ablative absolute with Isaac; Translation: “having seen”; Notes: Denotes completed perception before dismounting.
  4. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: Proper Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Complement in ablative absolute; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Object of the participle within the ablative absolute.
  5. descendit — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect Active Indicative Third Person Singular; Function: Main verb; Translation: “she descended / dismounted”; Notes: Indicates decisive, completed action following sight of Isaac.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs Ablative; Function: Expresses separation or source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used frequently with verbs of motion downward or away.
  7. camelo — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative Singular Masculine; Function: Object of de; Translation: “camel”; Notes: Refers to the animal upon which Rebecca was riding.

Notes

– The ablative absolute conspecto Isaac compresses temporal and causal nuance: “after she had seen Isaac” or “when she saw Isaac.”
– The adverb quoque links Rebecca’s action to the previous scene, where Isaac was meditating—this word harmonizes both movements, human and divine.
– The verse’s simplicity mirrors modesty: Rebecca’s immediate response underscores both awareness and decorum within ancient Near Eastern courtship customs.
– The perfect descendit conveys instantaneous motion, emphasizing reverence and anticipation before her first meeting with Isaac.

 

 

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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