Genesis 26:24

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:24 ubi apparuit ei Dominus in ipsa nocte, dicens: Ego sum Deus Abraham patris tui, noli timere, quia ego tecum sum: benedicam tibi, et multiplicabo semen tuum propter servum meum Abraham.

where the LORD appeared to him in that very night, saying: “I am the God of Abraham your father; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and will multiply your offspring for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ubi where ADV
2 apparuit appeared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
4 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
5 in in PREP+ABL
6 ipsa that very ABL.SG.F.DEMON.ADJ
7 nocte night ABL.SG.F
8 dicens saying NOM.SG.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
9 Ego I NOM.SG.PRON
10 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 Deus God NOM.SG.M
12 Abraham Abraham GEN.SG.M (Hebrew name indeclinable)
13 patris of the father GEN.SG.M
14 tui your GEN.SG.M.PRON
15 noli do not 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPERF.NEG
16 timere to fear INF.ACT.PRES
17 quia for/because CONJ
18 ego I NOM.SG.PRON
19 tecum with you ABL.SG.M.PRON+PREP
20 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
21 benedicam I will bless 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
22 tibi to you DAT.SG.M.PRON
23 et and CONJ
24 multiplicabo I will multiply 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
25 semen offspring ACC.SG.N
26 tuum your ACC.SG.N.POSS.ADJ
27 propter because of PREP+ACC
28 servum servant ACC.SG.M
29 meum my ACC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
30 Abraham Abraham ACC.SG.M (Hebrew name indeclinable)

Syntax

Main Clause: ubi apparuit ei Dominus — “where the LORD appeared to him”; ubi introduces the location; Dominus is the subject, apparuit is the main verb, and ei the indirect object.
Temporal Phrase: in ipsa nocte — “in that very night,” specifies the moment of divine appearance.
Participial Phrase: dicens introduces direct speech by the LORD.
Direct Speech Structure:
1. Ego sum Deus Abraham patris tui — declaration of divine identity.
2. noli timere — negative imperative encouraging faith.
3. quia ego tecum sum — causal clause explaining protection.
4. benedicam tibi et multiplicabo semen tuum — two coordinated future verbs promising blessing and offspring.
5. propter servum meum Abraham — prepositional phrase giving the reason for divine favor.

Morphology

  1. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: locative; Function: introduces a relative or temporal clause; Translation: “where”; Notes: Links the divine appearance to the place Beersheba.
  2. apparuit — Lemma: appareo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “appeared”; Notes: Describes a theophany (manifestation of the LORD).
  3. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac as the recipient of the vision.
  4. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates time; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks when the event occurred.
  6. ipsa — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: intensifier; Translation: “that very”; Notes: Adds emphasis to the time expression.
  7. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “night”; Notes: Specifies the time of appearance.
  8. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Used to quote divine words.
  9. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun introducing divine identity.
  10. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 1st person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Expresses divine existence.
  11. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “God”; Notes: Complements “Ego sum.”
  12. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable Hebrew name (genitive here); Function: genitive complement; Translation: “of Abraham”; Notes: Marks relationship to Isaac’s father.
  13. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of father”; Notes: Modifies “tui.”
  14. tui — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive pronoun; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Isaac.
  15. noli — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative active 2nd person singular (negative); Function: negative command; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Classical Latin idiom “noli + infinitive.”
  16. timere — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: dependent infinitive; Translation: “to fear”; Notes: Completes “noli.”
  17. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Links reason for reassurance.
  18. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  19. tecum — Lemma: te + cum; Part of Speech: prepositional pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: adverbial complement; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Expresses divine presence.
  20. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 1st person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Restates divine companionship.
  21. benedicam — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active 1st person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will bless”; Notes: Future promise of divine favor.
  22. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of the blessing.
  23. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects parallel divine actions.
  24. multiplicabo — Lemma: multiplico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future indicative active 1st person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will multiply”; Notes: Promises numerous descendants.
  25. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Refers to Isaac’s posterity; used collectively.
  26. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “your”; Notes: Qualifies “semen.”
  27. propter — Lemma: propter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Marks reason or motive.
  28. servum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Refers to Abraham’s faithful relationship to God.
  29. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: possessive adjective modifying “servum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses divine ownership.
  30. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable Hebrew name (accusative here); Function: apposition to “servum meum”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: The reason for the covenantal blessing.

 

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.