Genesis 26:2

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:2 Apparuitque ei Dominus, et ait: Ne descendas in Ægyptum, sed quiesce in terra, quam dixero tibi.

And the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down into Egypt, but dwell in the land which I shall tell you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Apparuitque and appeared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
3 Dominus the LORD NOUN.NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Ne do not PART.NEG
7 descendas go down 2SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
8 in into / to PREP+ACC
9 Ægyptum Egypt PROPN.ACC.SG.F
10 sed but CONJ
11 quiesce dwell / stay 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPV
12 in in / within PREP+ABL
13 terra land NOUN.ABL.SG.F
14 quam which REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
15 dixero I shall tell 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
16 tibi to you PRON.DAT.SG.2PERS

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Apparuitque ei Dominus — Dominus (subject) + Apparuit (verb) + ei (indirect object), “And the LORD appeared to him.”
Main Clause 2: et ait — introduces direct divine speech.
Direct Speech: Ne descendas in Ægyptum, sed quiesce in terra quam dixero tibi — two coordinated imperatives: prohibition (Ne descendas) and command (quiesce), followed by a relative clause quam dixero tibi (“which I shall tell you”).

Morphology

  1. Apparuitque — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic conjunction “-que”; Function: main verb; Translation: “and appeared”; Notes: Indicates divine manifestation.
  2. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH appearing to Isaac.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connector; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins narrative actions.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces divine instruction.
  6. Ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: negative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: negative command marker; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Used with subjunctive in prohibitions.
  7. descendas — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 2nd person singular; Function: negative subjunctive in prohibition; Translation: “go down”; Notes: Refers to journey toward Egypt.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks motion toward Egypt.
  9. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: Refers to the land to which migration is forbidden.
  10. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Contrasts divine prohibition and command.
  11. quiesce — Lemma: quiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd person singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “dwell / stay”; Notes: Command to remain in the promised land.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses place where; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces location phrase.
  13. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the region chosen by the LORD.
  14. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “dixero”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the land specified by God.
  15. dixero — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 1st person singular; Function: verb in relative clause; Translation: “I shall tell”; Notes: Future perfect implies certainty of divine revelation.
  16. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of divine command.

 

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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