Genesis 26:26

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:26 Ad quem locum cum venissent de Geraris Abimelech, et Ochozath amicus illius, et Phicol dux militum,

To which place, when Abimelech came from Gerara, and Ochozath his friend, and Phicol the leader of his army,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ad to PREP+ACC
2 quem which ACC.SG.M.REL.PRON
3 locum place ACC.SG.M
4 cum when CONJ
5 venissent they had come 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
6 de from PREP+ABL
7 Geraris Gerar ABL.SG.F (indeclinable Hebrew name)
8 Abimelech Abimelech NOM.SG.M (proper noun)
9 et and CONJ
10 Ochozath Ahuzzath NOM.SG.M (proper noun)
11 amicus friend NOM.SG.M
12 illius of him GEN.SG.M.PRON
13 et and CONJ
14 Phicol Phicol NOM.SG.M (proper noun)
15 dux leader NOM.SG.M
16 militum of soldiers GEN.PL.M

Syntax

Subordinate Clause: Ad quem locum cum venissent… — “To which place, when they had come…” introduces a temporal clause modifying the main narrative yet to follow.
The prepositional phrase Ad quem locum (“to which place”) links back to Isaac’s dwelling place in Beersheba.
The conjunction cum introduces the subordinate clause, with venissent as its verb in the pluperfect subjunctive expressing a past action prior to the main event.
The phrase de Geraris denotes origin.
Subjects of the clause are Abimelech, Ochozath amicus illius, and Phicol dux militum, joined by et…et coordination, describing a delegation from Gerar.

Morphology

  1. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the destination phrase.
  2. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of the preposition “ad”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “locum.”
  3. locum — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “place”; Notes: Indicates Isaac’s location in Beersheba.
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Used with subjunctive to denote time or circumstance.
  5. venissent — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect subjunctive active 3rd person plural; Function: main verb of temporal clause; Translation: “they had come”; Notes: Action precedes the main event to follow.
  6. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks the point of origin.
  7. Geraris — Lemma: Gerara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular (indeclinable Hebrew name); Function: object of preposition “de”; Translation: “Gerar”; Notes: Identifies Philistine city.
  8. Abimelech — Lemma: Abimelech; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Abimelech”; Notes: King of Gerar, first in the group.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins additional subjects.
  10. Ochozath — Lemma: Ochozath; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “Ochozath”; Notes: Companion of Abimelech.
  11. amicus — Lemma: amicus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “Ochozath”; Translation: “friend”; Notes: Describes his relationship to Abimelech.
  12. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of him”; Notes: Refers to Abimelech.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects final member of list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds final person in delegation.
  14. Phicol — Lemma: Phicol; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Phicol”; Notes: Military chief of Abimelech’s forces.
  15. dux — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: “leader”; Notes: Defines Phicol’s rank.
  16. militum — Lemma: miles; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of soldiers”; Notes: Specifies the forces under Phicol’s 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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