Genesis 28:19

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:19 Appellavitque nomen urbis Bethel, quæ prius Luza vocabatur.

And he called the name of the city Bethel, which formerly was called Luza.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Appellavitque and he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 nomen name ACC.SG.N
3 urbis of the city GEN.SG.F
4 Bethel Bethel ACC.SG.INVAR
5 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
6 prius formerly ADV
7 Luza Luz NOM.SG.INVAR
8 vocabatur was called 3SG.IMPERF.PASS.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: Appellavitque nomen urbis Bethel — verb Appellavitque governs object phrase nomen urbis with predicate accusative Bethel (what the name was).
Relative Clause: quæ prius Luza vocabatur — quæ (referring to urbs) is subject of passive vocabatur with predicate nominative Luza; adverb prius gives former designation.

Morphology

  1. Appellavitque — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb coordinating with prior narrative; Translation: “and he called”; Notes: Takes object “nomen” and predicate accusative indicating the new name.
  2. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of appellavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: Often with genitive of the thing named, here urbis.
  3. urbis — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive with nomen (“the name of the city”); Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Antecedent for relative pronoun quæ.
  4. Bethel — Lemma: Bethel; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable); Form: accusative singular (indeclinable form); Function: predicate accusative naming the object; Translation: “Bethel”; Notes: Hebrew place-name used as Latin indeclinable.
  5. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of vocabatur referring to urbs; Translation: “which”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with antecedent.
  6. prius — Lemma: prius; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: temporal modifier of vocabatur; Translation: “formerly”; Notes: Marks contrast between prior and new name.
  7. Luza — Lemma: Luza; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable); Form: nominative singular (indeclinable form); Function: predicate nominative with passive vocabatur; Translation: “Luz”; Notes: Former name of the city.
  8. vocabatur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “was called”; Notes: Passive construction naming the subject by predicate nominative.

 

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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