Genesis 27:27

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:27 Accessit, et osculatus est eum. Statimque ut sensit vestimentorum illius fragrantiam, benedicens illi, ait: Ecce odor filii mei sicut odor agri pleni, cui benedixit Dominus.

He came near and kissed him. And immediately, when he sensed the fragrance of his garments, blessing him, he said: “Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of a full field, which the LORD has blessed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Accessit he came near 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 et and CONJ
3 osculatus having kissed NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
4 est is / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
5 eum him ACC.SG.M.3RD.PRON
6 Statimque and immediately ADV + ENCLITIC
7 ut as soon as / when CONJ
8 sensit he sensed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 vestimentorum of garments GEN.PL.N
10 illius of him / his GEN.SG.M.DEM.PRON
11 fragrantiam fragrance ACC.SG.F
12 benedicens blessing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
13 illi him DAT.SG.M.3RD.PRON
14 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 Ecce behold INTERJ
16 odor smell NOM.SG.M
17 filii of (my) son GEN.SG.M
18 mei my GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
19 sicut like / as CONJ
20 odor smell NOM.SG.M
21 agri of a field GEN.SG.M
22 pleni full GEN.SG.M.ADJ
23 cui which / to which DAT.SG.M.REL.PRON
24 benedixit has blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
25 Dominus the LORD NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Accessit, et osculatus est eum — “He came near and kissed him.” The perfect verbs mark completed actions; osculatus est (deponent in form) functions as a perfect active in meaning.
Temporal Clause: Statimque ut sensit vestimentorum illius fragrantiam — “And immediately, when he sensed the fragrance of his garments.” ut introduces a temporal clause with perfect sensit.
Participial Clause: benedicens illi — “blessing him.” The present participle expresses simultaneous action with the next clause.
Main Clause 2: ait: Ecce odor filii mei sicut odor agri pleni, cui benedixit Dominus — “he said: Behold, the smell of my son is like the smell of a full field, which the LORD has blessed.” The simile with sicut establishes poetic parallelism, while cui introduces a relative clause modifying agri.

Morphology

  1. Accessit — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he came near”; Notes: Indicates Jacob’s approach to Isaac before the blessing.
  2. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two perfect verbs in narrative flow.
  3. osculatus — Lemma: osculor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: main verb with auxiliary “est”; Translation: “kissed”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary forming perfect tense; Translation: “has / is”; Notes: Forms perfect with deponent participle “osculatus.”
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, the one being kissed.
  6. Statimque — Lemma: statim + -que; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic; Form: invariant; Function: temporal connector; Translation: “and immediately”; Notes: Adds narrative urgency.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces temporal clause; Function: indicates immediate sequence; Translation: “when / as soon as”; Notes: Governs the perfect verb “sensit.”
  8. sensit — Lemma: sentio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he sensed”; Notes: Denotes perception of scent leading to blessing.
  9. vestimentorum — Lemma: vestimentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural neuter; Function: objective genitive; Translation: “of garments”; Notes: Indicates the source of the perceived odor.
  10. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s garments.
  11. fragrantiam — Lemma: fragrantia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “sensit”; Translation: “fragrance”; Notes: Object of perception.
  12. benedicens — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “blessing”; Notes: Simultaneous with speaking.
  13. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “benedicens”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, the recipient of the blessing.
  14. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Introduces the formal blessing pronouncement.
  15. Ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: invariant; Function: demonstrative exclamation; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Marks emphasis on observation of blessing.
  16. odor — Lemma: odor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “smell”; Notes: Object of the metaphorical comparison.
  17. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of (my) son”; Notes: Specifies the possessor of the fragrance.
  18. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “filii”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces paternal affection.
  19. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces simile; Translation: “like / as”; Notes: Sets up poetic comparison.
  20. odor — Lemma: odor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “smell”; Notes: Parallel repetition for rhythmic balance.
  21. agri — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of a field”; Notes: Specifies the field whose fragrance Jacob’s resembles.
  22. pleni — Lemma: plenus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “agri”; Translation: “full”; Notes: Implies abundance and fertility.
  23. cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object in relative clause; Translation: “which / to which”; Notes: Refers to the field as recipient of divine blessing.
  24. benedixit — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “has blessed”; Notes: Indicates YHWH’s act of blessing, grounding Isaac’s imagery in divine favor.
  25. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “benedixit”; Translation: “the LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the source of agricultural abundance and 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.
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