Genesis 27:2

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:2 Cui pater: Vides, inquit, quod senuerim, et ignorem diem mortis meæ.

To whom his father said: “You see,” he said, “that I have grown old, and I do not know the day of my death.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 pater father NOM.SG.M
3 Vides you see 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 quod that CONJ
6 senuerim I have grown old 1SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
7 et and CONJ
8 ignorem I do not know 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 diem day ACC.SG.M
10 mortis of death GEN.SG.F
11 meæ my GEN.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Introductory Clause: Cui pater — “To whom (his) father [said].” The dative Cui refers back to Esau as the recipient of speech; pater is the subject of inquit.
Direct Speech: Vides, inquit, quod senuerim, et ignorem diem mortis meæ.
The parenthetical inquit divides the direct discourse. The main verb of the speech is Vides (“you see”), governing a content clause introduced by quod. The verbs senuerim and ignorem are both in the subjunctive, reflecting indirect discourse or emotional tone. The object of ignorem is diem mortis meæ, a genitival phrase meaning “the day of my death.”

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Esau, marking the addressee of Isaac’s speech.
  2. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “father”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the speaker of the discourse.
  3. Vides — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “you see”; Notes: Expresses perceptual awareness addressed to Esau.
  4. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb (defective); Form: present indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: parenthetical verb of saying; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Formulaic narrative marker often inserted mid-quotation in Latin prose.
  5. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Used to report a statement following verbs of saying or perceiving.
  6. senuerim — Lemma: seneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect subjunctive active 1st person singular; Function: verb in subordinate clause; Translation: “I have grown old”; Notes: Subjunctive in indirect statement following “quod.”
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links subordinate verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins “senuerim” and “ignorem.”
  8. ignorem — Lemma: ignoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 1st person singular; Function: verb in subordinate clause; Translation: “I do not know”; Notes: Subjunctive indicating uncertainty or indirect discourse.
  9. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “ignorem”; Translation: “day”; Notes: Temporal object specifying the unknown event.
  10. mortis — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of death”; Notes: Completes “diem mortis” as “day of death.”
  11. meæ — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “mortis”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates Isaac’s self-reference, conveying awareness of mortality.

 

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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