Genesis 33:20

Posted on February 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:20 Et erecto ibi altari, invocavit super illud fortissimum Deum Israel.

And having erected an altar there, he called upon the mighty God of Israel over it.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 erecto having been erected PERF.PTCP.ABL.SG.M
3 ibi there ADV
4 altari altar ABL.SG.N
5 invocavit he called upon 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 super upon / over PREP+ACC
7 illud it / that ACC.SG.N (DEMONS.PRON)
8 fortissimum most mighty ACC.SG.M.SUPERL
9 Deum God ACC.SG.M
10 Israel of Israel GEN.SG (PROPN.INDECL)

Syntax

Main Clause: invocavit super illud fortissimum Deum Israel — “he called upon the mighty God of Israel over it.”
• Verb: invocavit — perfect tense, marks completed act of worship.
• Prepositional Phrase: super illud — expresses location (“upon it,” i.e., the altar).
• Object: fortissimum Deum Israel — accusative phrase of invocation, “the most mighty God of Israel.”

Ablative Absolute: erecto ibi altari — “with an altar having been erected there.”
• Describes circumstance preceding the main action.
• erecto — perfect participle in ablative masculine singular, agreeing with altari.
• ibi — locative adverb defining place.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links Jacob’s previous purchase to his act of worship.
  2. erecto — Lemma: erigo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle, ablative singular masculine; Function: in ablative absolute with “altari”; Translation: “having been erected”; Notes: Refers to construction of an altar.
  3. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: indicates location; Translation: “there”; Notes: Specifies where the altar was raised.
  4. altari — Lemma: altare; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: in ablative absolute; Translation: “altar”; Notes: Sacrificial site used for worship.
  5. invocavit — Lemma: invoco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he called upon”; Notes: Typical liturgical verb for prayer or consecration.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation; Translation: “upon / over”; Notes: Refers to the altar as object of invocation.
  7. illud — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “it / that”; Notes: Refers to the newly erected altar.
  8. fortissimum — Lemma: fortis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine superlative; Function: modifies “Deum”; Translation: “most mighty”; Notes: Superlative emphasizing divine strength.
  9. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “invocavit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: The one being invoked in worship.
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: genitive of relation; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, now named Israel — acknowledging divine covenant.

 

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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