Genesis 25:32

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:32 Ille respondit: En morior, quid mihi proderunt primogenita?

He replied: “Behold, I am dying; what will the birthright profit me?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ille he PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.M
2 respondit replied / answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 En behold INTERJ
4 morior I am dying 1SG.PRES.DEP.IND
5 quid what INTERROG.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
6 mihi to me PRON.DAT.SG.1PERS
7 proderunt will profit / benefit 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
8 primogenita birthright / firstborn things NOUN.NOM/ACC.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ille respondit — Ille (subject) + respondit (verb), “He replied.”
Direct Speech Clause 1: En morior — exclamatory interjection expressing despair, “Behold, I am dying.”
Direct Speech Clause 2: quid mihi proderunt primogenita — interrogative clause, “What will the birthright profit me?” quid is the interrogative subject, proderunt is the future verb, and mihi marks the dative of advantage.

Morphology

  1. Ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Esau, contrasting with Jacob.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “replied”; Notes: Marks completed speech act.
  3. En — Lemma: en; Part of Speech: interjection; Form: indeclinable; Function: draws attention; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Expresses urgency or despair.
  4. morior — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present indicative 1st person singular; Function: predicate verb; Translation: “I am dying”; Notes: Deponent form expressing state or complaint.
  5. quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “what”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
  6. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates personal benefit.
  7. proderunt — Lemma: prosum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “will profit / benefit”; Notes: Compound of “pro” + “sum,” meaning “to be useful.”
  8. primogenita — Lemma: primogenitum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative/accusative plural neuter; Function: subject or object; Translation: “birthright / firstborn privileges”; Notes: Refers to Esau’s rights as the firstborn son, treated dismissively here.

 

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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