Genesis 25:23

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:23 Qui respondens, ait: Duæ gentes sunt in utero tuo, et duo populi ex ventre tuo dividentur, populusque populum superabit, et maior serviet minori.

And He answering said: “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be divided from your belly; and one people shall prevail over the other, and the greater shall serve the lesser.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 respondens answering PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
3 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Duæ two NUM.CARD.NOM.PL.F
5 gentes nations NOUN.NOM.PL.F
6 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 utero womb NOUN.ABL.SG.M
9 tuo your PRON.POSS.ABL.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 duo two NUM.CARD.NOM.PL.M
12 populi peoples NOUN.NOM.PL.M
13 ex from PREP+ABL
14 ventre belly NOUN.ABL.SG.M
15 tuo your PRON.POSS.ABL.SG.M
16 dividentur shall be divided 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
17 populusque and a people NOUN.NOM.SG.M + CONJ
18 populum people NOUN.ACC.SG.M
19 superabit shall prevail over 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
20 et and CONJ
21 maior greater ADJ.NOM.SG.M.COMP
22 serviet shall serve 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
23 minori the lesser ADJ.DAT.SG.M.COMP

Syntax

Clause 1: Qui respondens ait — Qui (subject) + respondens (participle) + ait (verb) introduces the LORD’s prophetic response to Rebecca.
Clause 2: Duæ gentes sunt in utero tuo — Duæ gentes (subject) + sunt (verb) + in utero tuo (locative phrase), stating the existence of two distinct nations within her womb.
Clause 3: et duo populi ex ventre tuo dividentur — describes the separation of two nations, using passive future dividentur (“shall be divided”).
Clause 4: populusque populum superabit — balanced parallelism: populus (subject) + superabit (verb) + populum (object), meaning “one people shall prevail over the other.”
Clause 5: et maior serviet minori — comparative construction contrasting social or political fate, “and the greater shall serve the lesser.”

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “ait”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to the LORD as the speaker.
  2. respondens — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “qui”; Translation: “answering”; Notes: Describes the LORD’s responsive action.
  3. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces divine speech.
  4. Duæ — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies “gentes”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Feminine to agree with “gentes.”
  5. gentes — Lemma: gens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Refers to two future nations descended from the twins.
  6. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Expresses existence.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative of place within.
  8. utero — Lemma: uterus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “womb”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca’s womb.
  9. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “utero”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive, feminine referent.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the prophecy.
  11. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies “populi”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Masculine agreement with “populi.”
  12. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “dividentur”; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: Refers to two ethnological groups derived from Jacob and Esau.
  13. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates origin.
  14. ventre — Lemma: venter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: “belly”; Notes: Parallel to “utero.”
  15. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “ventre”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis.
  16. dividentur — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative 3rd person plural; Function: predicate; Translation: “shall be divided”; Notes: Prophetic passive describing separation.
  17. populusque — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun + conjunction; Form: nominative singular masculine + enclitic -que; Function: subject; Translation: “and a people”; Notes: Enclitic joins to next clause.
  18. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “people”; Notes: The people over whom the first will prevail.
  19. superabit — Lemma: supero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “shall prevail over”; Notes: Expresses dominance of one nation.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links prophetic statements.
  21. maior — Lemma: magnus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “serviet”; Translation: “greater”; Notes: Refers to Esau, the elder twin.
  22. serviet — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: predicate verb; Translation: “shall serve”; Notes: Indicates reversal of social expectation.
  23. minori — Lemma: parvus; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative); Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “serviet”; Translation: “the lesser”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, symbol of the younger prevailing.

 

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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