Genesis 37:25

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:25 Et sedentes ut comederent panem, viderunt Ismaelitas viatores venire de Galaad, et camelos eorum portantes aromata, et resinam, et stacten in Ægyptum.

And as they sat down to eat bread, they saw Ismaelites, travelers coming from Galaad, and their camels carrying spices, resin, and myrrh into Egypt.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 sedentes sitting PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.PL.M
3 ut to / in order to CONJ.PURP
4 comederent they might eat V.3PL.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
5 panem bread NOUN.ACC.SG.M
6 viderunt they saw V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
7 Ismaelitas Ishmaelites NOUN.ACC.PL.M
8 viatores travelers NOUN.ACC.PL.M (APPOS.)
9 venire coming V.INF.PRES.ACT
10 de from PREP+ABL
11 Galaad Gilead NOUN.ABL.SG.F (proper)
12 et and CONJ
13 camelos camels NOUN.ACC.PL.M
14 eorum their PRON.POSS.GEN.PL.M
15 portantes carrying PART.PRES.ACT.ACC.PL.M
16 aromata spices NOUN.ACC.PL.N
17 et and CONJ
18 resinam resin NOUN.ACC.SG.F
19 et and CONJ
20 stacten myrrh / gum NOUN.ACC.SG.F
21 in into PREP+ACC
22 Ægyptum Egypt NOUN.ACC.SG.F (proper)

Syntax

Participial construction: sedentes ut comederent panem — temporal-causal phrase meaning “as they sat down to eat bread.” ut + subjunctive (comederent) conveys purpose (“in order to eat”), while sedentes (present participle) marks concurrent action.

Main clause: viderunt Ismaelitas viatores venire de Galaad — viderunt (perfect active indicative) introduces a direct-object infinitive clause: Ismaelitas viatores venire (“they saw Ishmaelites, travelers coming…”). de Galaad gives origin with preposition + ablative.

Compound object: et camelos eorum portantes aromata, et resinam, et stacten in Ægyptum — camelos eorum is accusative (object of viderunt), with participle portantes describing them as “carrying.” The series of objects (aromata… resinam… stacten) are the goods being transported; in Ægyptum shows destination.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects this action with prior narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: Standard narrative connector continuing sequence of events.
  2. sedentes — Lemma: sedeō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active participle; Function: circumstantial modifier (concurrent action with viderunt); Translation: “sitting”; Notes: Temporal sense — “as they sat.”
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “to / in order to”; Notes: Here expresses intent: they sat down in order to eat.
  4. comederent — Lemma: comedō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: “they might eat”; Notes: Subjunctive required by ut expressing intent.
  5. panem — Lemma: pānis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of comederent; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Typical expression “to eat bread” = “to take a meal.”
  6. viderunt — Lemma: videō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “they saw”; Notes: Perfect tense signals sudden perception; governs an indirect statement with accusative + infinitive.
  7. Ismaelitas — Lemma: Ismaēlīta; Part of Speech: noun (proper); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of viderunt; Translation: “Ishmaelites”; Notes: Refers to Arabian traders descended from Ishmael.
  8. viatores — Lemma: viātor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine (in apposition); Function: appositive of Ismaelitas; Translation: “travelers”; Notes: Clarifies the Ishmaelites’ social role as merchants/traders.
  9. venire — Lemma: veniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: infinitive in indirect statement after viderunt; Translation: “coming”; Notes: Dependent on viderunt to express perceived action.
  10. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with places of origin or source.
  11. Galaad — Lemma: Galaad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of de; Translation: “Gilead”; Notes: Region east of the Jordan known for aromatic trade goods.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins second observation; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces parallel object clause.
  13. camelos — Lemma: camēlus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of viderunt; Translation: “camels”; Notes: Part of the caravan sighted by Joseph’s brothers.
  14. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies camelos; Translation: “their”; Notes: Belonging to the Ishmaelites.
  15. portantes — Lemma: portō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural masculine present active participle; Function: modifies camelos; Translation: “carrying”; Notes: Present participle describing ongoing action as part of caravan imagery.
  16. aromata — Lemma: arōma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of portantes; Translation: “spices / perfumes”; Notes: Precious trade commodities in Near Eastern commerce.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins items in series; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connective between the list of goods.
  18. resinam — Lemma: resina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of portantes; Translation: “resin / balm”; Notes: Likely referring to gum balm used in perfumery or embalming.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates final item in list; Translation: “and”; Notes: Typical serial conjunction in Latin enumeration.
  20. stacten — Lemma: stactē; Part of Speech: noun (Greek loanword); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of portantes; Translation: “myrrh / dripping gum”; Notes: A fragrant resin (stacte) used in incense and sacred anointing oils.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks the destination of the trade journey.
  22. Ægyptum — Lemma: Ægyptus; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Egypt”; Notes: The commercial destination of the caravan; frequent in Genesis trade routes.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.