Genesis 27:7

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:7 Affer mihi de venatione tua, et fac cibos ut comedam, et benedicam tibi coram Domino antequam moriar.

‘Bring me some of your game, and make food that I may eat, and I may bless you before the LORD, before I die.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Affer bring 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 mihi to me DAT.SG.1ST.PRON
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 venatione hunting / game ABL.SG.F
5 tua your ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 fac make 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
8 cibos food ACC.PL.M
9 ut that CONJ
10 comedam I may eat 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 et and CONJ
12 benedicam I may bless 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
13 tibi you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
14 coram before PREP+ABL
15 Domino LORD ABL.SG.M
16 antequam before CONJ
17 moriar I die 1SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Imperatives: Affer mihi de venatione tua, et fac cibos ut comedam — “Bring me from your hunting, and make food that I may eat.”
The verb Affer introduces the first command, taking mihi as indirect object and de venatione tua as a prepositional phrase indicating source. The conjunction et coordinates the following imperative fac cibos.
Purpose Clause: ut comedam — Expresses the reason or goal for preparing the meal (“that I may eat”).
Result Clause: et benedicam tibi coram Domino antequam moriar — “and I may bless you before the LORD, before I die.” The subjunctive benedicam expresses purpose or intended consequence. The prepositional phrase coram Domino adds solemnity, framing the blessing as given in the divine presence. The final clause antequam moriar denotes the temporal limit of the blessing.

Morphology

  1. Affer — Lemma: affero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: command; Translation: “bring”; Notes: Begins Isaac’s command to Esau, emphasizing immediate obedience.
  2. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient of Esau’s action (Isaac).
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source or material; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used to denote origin (“from your hunting”).
  4. venatione — Lemma: venatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “hunting / game”; Notes: Denotes the spoils or products of Esau’s hunt.
  5. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “venatione”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Highlights Esau’s personal effort and possession of the hunted game.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links sequential commands within the same speech unit.
  7. fac — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: command; Translation: “make”; Notes: Continues Isaac’s directives, introducing the preparation of the meal.
  8. cibos — Lemma: cibus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “food”; Notes: Refers to the prepared dishes from Esau’s game.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Expresses the intended result of the previous action (“that I may eat”).
  10. comedam — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 1st person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I may eat”; Notes: Subjunctive reflects intention and expectation rather than factual action.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links subsequent clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the purpose clause “ut comedam” with the result clause “benedicam tibi.”
  12. benedicam — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 1st person singular; Function: verb of result clause; Translation: “I may bless”; Notes: Expresses Isaac’s desired spiritual act following satisfaction from the meal.
  13. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “you”; Notes: Marks Esau as the intended recipient of Isaac’s blessing.
  14. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses presence or audience; Translation: “before”; Notes: Denotes solemnity, as the blessing is given in YHWH’s presence.
  15. Domino — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun (divine title); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “coram”; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, highlighting divine witness to the blessing.
  16. antequam — Lemma: antequam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “before”; Notes: Sets a temporal condition—Isaac wishes to bless Esau before his death.
  17. moriar — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive deponent 1st person singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “I die”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses anticipated event; indicates Isaac’s awareness of his mortality and urgency of the act.

 

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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