Genesis 27:1

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:1 Senuit autem Isaac, et caligaverunt oculi eius, et videre non poterat: vocavitque Esau filium suum maiorem, et dixit ei: Fili mi? Qui respondit: Adsum.

But Isaac grew old, and his eyes were dim, and he could not see; and he called Esau, his elder son, and said to him: “My son?” And he answered: “Here I am.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Senuit he grew old 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but CONJ
3 Isaac Isaac NOM.SG.M (proper noun)
4 et and CONJ
5 caligaverunt they were dim 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
6 oculi eyes NOM.PL.M
7 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
8 et and CONJ
9 videre to see PRES.ACT.INF
10 non not ADV
11 poterat he could 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
12 vocavitque and he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+CONJ
13 Esau Esau ACC.SG.M (proper noun)
14 filium son ACC.SG.M
15 suum his ACC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
16 maiorem elder ACC.SG.M.COMP.ADJ
17 et and CONJ
18 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
20 Fili my son VOC.SG.M
21 mi my VOC.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
22 Qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
23 respondit he answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
24 Adsum here I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Senuit autem Isaac — perfective summary of Isaac’s aging; autem marks narrative shift.
Coordinated Clause: et caligaverunt oculi eius — subject oculi with perfect verb expresses resultant state.
Complementary Infinitive: et videre non poterat — poterat (imperfect) + infinitive shows continued inability.
Narration: vocavitque Esau filium suum maiorem — object string specifies identity (Esau as elder).
Speech Frame: et dixit ei: Fili mi? — affectionate vocative; interrogative tone of summons.
Response: Qui respondit: Adsum. — formal readiness formula.

Morphology

  1. Senuit — Lemma: seneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main predicate; Translation: “he grew old”; Notes: Perfect used as a narrative aorist, advancing time to Isaac’s old age.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: discourse connector; Translation: “but / now”; Notes: Weak adversative; transitions to a new episode.
  3. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Central participant whose age motivates the blessing scene.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Polysyndetic style typical of biblical Latin.
  5. caligaverunt — Lemma: caligo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person plural; Function: main predicate; Translation: “they were dim”; Notes: Metaphorical extension “to grow dark,” idiom for failing eyesight.
  6. oculi — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “caligaverunt”; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Plural subject with perfect verb signals completed onset of impairment.
  7. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Non-reflexive possessive referring back to Isaac.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links with following clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the asyndetic narrative chain.
  9. videre — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complement of “poterat”; Translation: “to see”; Notes: Infinitive of ability in negated construction.
  10. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the modal verb of ability.
  11. poterat — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: modal of ability; Translation: “he could”; Notes: Imperfect denotes ongoing incapacity, not a single failure.
  12. vocavitque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main predicate; Translation: “and he called”; Notes: “-que” tightly couples calling with subsequent speech.
  13. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Marked as patient of calling, not subject.
  14. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “Esau”; Translation: “son”; Notes: Clarifies kinship in legal-blessing context.
  15. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “filium”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possessive referring to the subject Isaac.
  16. maiorem — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: epithet in apposition; Translation: “elder”; Notes: Distinguishes Esau from Iacob for primogeniture stakes.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: continues narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the speech act.
  18. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Speech-frame verb preceding direct discourse.
  19. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Recipient of speech (Esau).
  20. Fili — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: direct address; Translation: “son”; Notes: Warm paternal summons initiating the blessing scene.
  21. mi — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: modifier of “Fili”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Endearing, often used in intimate address.
  22. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Picks up Esau for the response clause.
  23. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Perfect highlights immediate, completed reply.
  24. Adsum — Lemma: adsum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 1st person singular; Function: direct speech; Translation: “Here I am”; Notes: Conventional readiness formula (cf. Hebrew “hinneni”), signaling obedience.

 

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.