Genesis 27:29

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:29 Et serviant tibi populi, et adorent te tribus: esto dominus fratrum tuorum, et incurventur ante te filii matris tuæ. qui maledixerit tibi, sit ille maledictus: et qui benedixerit tibi, benedictionibus repleatur.

And let peoples serve you, and let tribes bow down to you; be lord over your brothers, and let the sons of your mother bow themselves before you. He who curses you, let him be cursed; and he who blesses you, let him be filled with blessings.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 serviant let them serve 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
3 tibi you / to you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
4 populi peoples NOM.PL.M
5 et and CONJ
6 adorent let them bow down / worship 3PL.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
7 te you ACC.SG.2ND.PRON
8 tribus tribes NOM.PL.F
9 esto be 2SG.FUT.ACT.IMP
10 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
11 fratrum of your brothers GEN.PL.M
12 tuorum your GEN.PL.M.POSS.ADJ
13 et and CONJ
14 incurventur let them bow down 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.PASS
15 ante before PREP+ACC
16 te you ACC.SG.2ND.PRON
17 filii sons NOM.PL.M
18 matris of (your) mother GEN.SG.F
19 tuæ your GEN.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
20 qui he who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
21 maledixerit shall have cursed 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
22 tibi you / to you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
23 sit let him be 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
24 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM.PRON
25 maledictus cursed NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
26 et and CONJ
27 qui he who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
28 benedixerit shall have blessed 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
29 tibi you / to you DAT.SG.2ND.PRON
30 benedictionibus with blessings ABL.PL.F
31 repleatur let him be filled 3SG.PRES.SUBJ.PASS

Syntax

Jussive Clauses:
— Et serviant tibi populi — “And let peoples serve you.” The subjunctive serviant expresses a wish or command.
— et adorent te tribus — “and let tribes bow down to you.” The verb adorent parallels serviant in structure, forming a poetic couplet of dominion and reverence.

Imperative / Exhortative Clause:
— esto dominus fratrum tuorum — “Be lord over your brothers.” The future imperative esto conveys divine ordination rather than simple command.

Subjunctive Passive Clause:
— et incurventur ante te filii matris tuæ — “and let the sons of your mother bow before you.” The reflexive sense of submission complements the preceding authority structure.

Conditional / Relative Clauses:
— qui maledixerit tibi, sit ille maledictus — “he who curses you, let him be cursed.” The future perfect maledixerit denotes completed action preceding divine retribution.
— et qui benedixerit tibi, benedictionibus repleatur — “and he who blesses you, let him be filled with blessings.” This forms a poetic antithesis to the previous curse formula, invoking reward instead of punishment.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects successive lines of blessing in the poetic structure of the oracle.
  2. serviant — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 3rd person plural; Function: jussive; Translation: “let them serve”; Notes: Expresses the wish that nations will become subject to Jacob, typical of covenant blessings.
  3. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular 2nd person; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Marks Jacob as the beneficiary of subservience and divine favor.
  4. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: Symbolic of surrounding nations who will serve the chosen heir.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Creates parallelism between servitude and reverence.
  6. adorent — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 3rd person plural; Function: jussive; Translation: “let them bow down / worship”; Notes: Conveys honor and submission; parallels Hebrew *yishtachavu* (to bow down).
  7. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular 2nd person; Function: direct object; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as the object of reverence or subjection.
  8. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “tribes”; Notes: Represents smaller societal divisions that will honor Jacob’s line.
  9. esto — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: divine decree; Translation: “be”; Notes: Indicates an enduring, prophetic state rather than a temporary command.
  10. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Title denoting rulership and preeminence over kin.
  11. fratrum — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of brothers”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s siblings, especially Esau, within the covenantal family.
  12. tuorum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies “fratrum”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Reinforces personal inheritance and supremacy over blood relatives.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects subordinate clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links dominion to reverence, forming a poetic parallel.
  14. incurventur — Lemma: incurvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive passive 3rd person plural; Function: jussive; Translation: “let them bow down”; Notes: Expresses reverent submission from Jacob’s kin, emphasizing divine favor.
  15. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates spatial relation; Translation: “before”; Notes: Introduces prepositional phrase denoting subservience and homage.
  16. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular 2nd person; Function: object of “ante”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Recipient of homage from family members.
  17. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Symbolic of close kin and descendants within Jacob’s maternal lineage.
  18. matris — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of mother”; Notes: Identifies relationship of common maternal descent.
  19. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “matris”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Reinforces familial intimacy of the blessing context.
  20. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “he who”; Notes: Opens antithetical blessing-curse formula common in covenant language.
  21. maledixerit — Lemma: maledico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: condition (protasis); Translation: “shall have cursed”; Notes: Depicts completed action preceding retribution, mirroring divine justice.
  22. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of verbal blessing or cursing.
  23. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 3rd person singular; Function: jussive; Translation: “let him be”; Notes: Expresses divine decree of curse fulfillment.
  24. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to any person who curses Jacob, emphasizing individuation of guilt.
  25. maledictus — Lemma: maledictus; Part of Speech: adjective / participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “cursed”; Notes: Describes the state of one condemned by divine will.
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates contrastive clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sets up contrast between cursing and blessing outcomes.
  27. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “he who”; Notes: Begins the counterpart of the curse formula.
  28. benedixerit — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: protasis; Translation: “shall have blessed”; Notes: Foresees those who honor Jacob receiving divine favor.
  29. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular 2nd person; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Recipient of external blessing corresponding to divine reward.
  30. benedictionibus — Lemma: benedictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with blessings”; Notes: Expresses the means or manner of divine enrichment.
  31. repleatur — Lemma: repleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive passive 3rd person singular; Function: jussive (apodosis); Translation: “let him be filled”; Notes: Denotes complete bestowal of divine favor; closes the blessing formula poetically.

 

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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