Genesis 26:21

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:21 Foderunt autem et alium: et pro illo quoque rixati sunt, appellavitque eum, Inimicitias.

But they dug also another one, and over that one too they contended; and he called it Enmities.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Foderunt they dug 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but CONJ
3 et also CONJ
4 alium another ACC.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 pro for PREP+ABL
7 illo that one ABL.SG.M.DEMON.PRON
8 quoque also ADV
9 rixati they quarreled NOM.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
10 sunt were 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
11 appellavitque and he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
12 eum it ACC.SG.M.PRON
13 Inimicitias Enmities ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Foderunt (verb) + implied subject (Isaac’s servants) — expresses the action of digging another well.
The adverbs autem and et add contrast and continuation (“but also”). alium serves as the direct object of “foderunt.”
Main Clause 2: rixati sunt (verb phrase) with pro illo quoque (“for that one also”) — shows contention over the second well.
Main Clause 3: appellavitque eum Inimicitias — “and he called it Enmities”; eum functions as the object, Inimicitias as predicate complement.
Clauses are linked with coordinating conjunctions emphasizing sequential events.

Morphology

  1. Foderunt — Lemma: fodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they dug”; Notes: Refers to Isaac’s servants continuing to dig wells.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Connects to previous verse, indicating continuation with a nuance of contrast.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: adds an element; Translation: “also”; Notes: Links the new well to the earlier one.
  4. alium — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “foderunt”; Translation: “another”; Notes: Refers to a second well.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Begins the following clause.
  6. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses reference or cause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates the object of dispute (“for that one”).
  7. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “that one”; Notes: Refers to the second well.
  8. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: adds emphasis; Translation: “also”; Notes: Reinforces inclusion of the same type of conflict.
  9. rixati — Lemma: rixor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle form); Form: nominative plural masculine perfect participle; Function: part of compound verb phrase with “sunt”; Translation: “quarreled”; Notes: Deponent form meaning “to quarrel.”
  10. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative 3rd person plural; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: “they were”; Notes: Forms the perfect tense with “rixati.”
  11. appellavitque — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of naming; Translation: “and he called”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” links this clause to the previous action.
  12. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “appellavit”; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the newly dug well.
  13. Inimicitias — Lemma: inimicitia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: predicate complement; Translation: “Enmities”; Notes: Symbolic name given to the second well, expressing ongoing conflict.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.