Genesis 27:12

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:12 si attrectaverit me pater meus, et senserit, timeo ne putet me sibi voluisse illudere, et inducam super me maledictionem pro benedictione.

if my father touches me and feels me, I fear lest he think that I wished to mock him, and I bring upon myself a curse instead of a blessing.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 si if CONJ
2 attrectaverit he touches 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
3 me me ACC.SG.1ST.PRON
4 pater father NOM.SG.M
5 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
6 et and CONJ
7 senserit he feels 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
8 timeo I fear 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 ne lest CONJ
10 putet he thinks 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
11 me me ACC.SG.1ST.PRON
12 sibi himself DAT.SG.REFL.PRON
13 voluisse to have wished PERF.ACT.INF
14 illudere to mock PRES.ACT.INF
15 et and CONJ
16 inducam I bring upon 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 super upon PREP+ACC
18 me me ACC.SG.1ST.PRON
19 maledictionem curse ACC.SG.F
20 pro instead of PREP+ABL
21 benedictione blessing ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Conditional Clause: si attrectaverit me pater meus, et senserit — “if my father touches me and feels me.” Two future perfect verbs express actions completed before the main fear clause.
Main Clause: timeo ne putet… — “I fear lest he think…” The verb timeo introduces a clause of fearing, using ne with subjunctive putet.
Indirect Statement: me sibi voluisse illudere — “that I wished to mock him.” The infinitives voluisse and illudere depend on putet, expressing a mental perception.
Final Clause: et inducam super me maledictionem pro benedictione — “and I bring upon myself a curse instead of a blessing.” The subjunctive inducam continues the clause of fear with purpose or result nuance.

Morphology

  1. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: conditional; Function: introduces protasis; Translation: “if”; Notes: Establishes a hypothetical situation concerning Isaac’s actions.
  2. attrectaverit — Lemma: attrecto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of protasis; Translation: “he touches”; Notes: Expresses an action completed prior to the consequence.
  3. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object; Translation: “me”; Notes: Object of both “attrectaverit” and “senserit.”
  4. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of verbs in the protasis; Translation: “father”; Notes: Refers to Isaac.
  5. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “pater”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses Jacob’s filial relationship to Isaac.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins verbs “attrectaverit” and “senserit”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links two potential actions within the same condition.
  7. senserit — Lemma: sentio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: second verb of protasis; Translation: “he feels”; Notes: Describes tactile recognition, heightening Jacob’s fear of detection.
  8. timeo — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 1st person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I fear”; Notes: Introduces clause of fearing with subjunctive “putet.”
  9. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces clause of fear; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Expresses apprehension of a negative outcome.
  10. putet — Lemma: puto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of fear clause; Translation: “he thinks”; Notes: Subjunctive after “timeo ne.”
  11. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: subject of infinitives; Translation: “me”; Notes: Logical subject of “voluisse” and “illudere.”
  12. sibi — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Refers to Isaac as the person potentially mocked.
  13. voluisse — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: perfect active infinitive; Function: infinitive in indirect statement; Translation: “to have wished”; Notes: Expresses prior intention or desire within indirect discourse.
  14. illudere — Lemma: illudo; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of “voluisse”; Translation: “to mock”; Notes: Indicates deception or trickery Jacob fears Isaac may perceive.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses of fear; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the negative thought with the feared consequence.
  16. inducam — Lemma: induco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 1st person singular; Function: verb of potential consequence; Translation: “I bring upon”; Notes: Subjunctive shows anticipated misfortune Jacob fears.
  17. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion or burden upon; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Indicates the direction of the curse’s effect.
  18. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of preposition “super”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Denotes Jacob as recipient of potential curse.
  19. maledictionem — Lemma: maledictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “inducam”; Translation: “curse”; Notes: Represents the opposite of the intended blessing.
  20. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes substitution; Translation: “instead of”; Notes: Highlights the danger of reversal between blessing and curse.
  21. benedictione — Lemma: benedictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition “pro”; Translation: “blessing”; Notes: Contrasts sharply with “maledictionem,” underscoring Jacob’s fear of divine and paternal disfavor.

 

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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