Genesis 26:15

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:15 omnes puteos, quos foderant servi patris illius Abraham, illo tempore obstruxerunt, implentes humo:

they stopped up all the wells which the servants of his father Abraham had dug in that time, filling them with earth;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 omnes all ADJ.ACC.PL.M
2 puteos wells NOUN.ACC.PL.M
3 quos which REL.PRON.ACC.PL.M
4 foderant had dug 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
5 servi servants NOUN.NOM.PL.M
6 patris of the father NOUN.GEN.SG.M
7 illius of that DEM.PRON.GEN.SG.M
8 Abraham Abraham NOUN.GEN.SG.M
9 illo that DEM.ADJ.ABL.SG.M
10 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N
11 obstruxerunt they stopped up 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
12 implentes filling PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.PL.M
13 humo with earth NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: omnes puteos … obstruxerunt — subject understood (Philistines), verb obstruxerunt, object omnes puteos.
Relative Clause: quos foderant servi patris illius Abraham — defines which wells are meant.
Temporal Phrase: illo tempore — locates action in time (“in that time”).
Participial Phrase: implentes humo — describes manner of obstruction (“filling them with earth”).
Subjects: understood subject “they” (Philistines).
Objects: puteos — direct object of obstruxerunt.
Modifiers: omnes — quantifier modifying puteos; quos introduces relative clause modifying puteos.

Morphology

  1. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies puteos; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of the wells affected.
  2. puteos — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of obstruxerunt; Translation: “wells”; Notes: Physical wells dug for water.
  3. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of foderant; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying puteos.
  4. foderant — Lemma: fodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “had dug”; Notes: Describes prior work done by Abraham’s servants.
  5. servi — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of foderant; Translation: “servants”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s men.
  6. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies servi; Translation: “of the father”; Notes: Genitive of possession referring to Abraham as Isaac’s father.
  7. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Refers to Isaac (“of that father of his”).
  8. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: apposition to patris illius; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Identifies whose servants dug the wells.
  9. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies tempore; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to an earlier time period.
  10. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “time”; Notes: Specifies temporal context.
  11. obstruxerunt — Lemma: obstruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they stopped up”; Notes: Describes destructive action by Philistines.
  12. implentes — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: participial phrase modifying subject of obstruxerunt; Translation: “filling”; Notes: Describes the means of obstruction.
  13. humo — Lemma: humus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with earth”; Notes: Specifies the material used to block the wells.

 

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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