Genesis 27:24

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

24 ait: Tu es filius meus Esau? Respondit: Ego sum.

he said: “Are you my son Esau?” He answered: “I am.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Tu you NOM.SG.2ND.PRON
3 es are 2SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 filius son NOM.SG.M
5 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
6 Esau Esau NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
7 Respondit he answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 Ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
9 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: ait — “he said.” Introduces direct discourse from Isaac.
Direct Question: Tu es filius meus Esau? — “Are you my son Esau?” The nominative tu serves as subject, while filius meus Esau is the predicate nominative. The interrogative sense is conveyed by context and intonation rather than a separate interrogative word.
Main Clause 2: Respondit: Ego sum — “He answered: I am.” The perfect respondit narrates Jacob’s deceitful affirmation; ego sum is a simple copular declaration confirming identity.

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Often used for brief or solemn speech in direct discourse.
  2. Tu — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular 2nd person; Function: subject of “es”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Expresses the person questioned by Isaac.
  3. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 2nd person singular; Function: linking verb; Translation: “are”; Notes: Copula connecting “tu” and “filius meus Esau.”
  4. filius — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “son”; Notes: Predicate identifying the supposed relationship.
  5. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “filius”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses paternal possession.
  6. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “filius meus”; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Identifies the elder son being impersonated.
  7. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of response; Translation: “he answered”; Notes: Indicates immediate verbal reply to Isaac’s question.
  8. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular 1st person; Function: subject of “sum”; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic pronoun, reinforcing Jacob’s false assertion.
  9. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 1st person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Completes Jacob’s declaration of identity: “I am (Esau).”

 

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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