Genesis 28:1

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:1 Vocavit itaque Isaac Iacob, et benedixit eum, præcepitque ei dicens: Noli accipere coniugem de genere Chanaan:

And Isaac called Jacob, and blessed him, and commanded him, saying: “Do not take a wife from the lineage of Chanaan;

# Latin Gloss GRAMMAR TAG
1 Vocavit he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 itaque therefore / so CONJ.ADV
3 Isaac Isaac NOM.SG.M
4 Iacob Jacob ACC.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 benedixit he blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
8 præcepitque and he commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
9 ei to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
10 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PART.NOM.SG.M
11 Noli do not wish / do not 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP (from “nolo”)
12 accipere to take PRES.ACT.INF
13 coniugem wife / spouse ACC.SG.F
14 de from PREP+ABL
15 genere race / lineage ABL.SG.N
16 Chanaan Kenaʾan / Canaan GEN.SG.PROPER.NAME

Syntax

Main Clause: Vocavit itaque Isaac Iacob — “And so Isaac called Jacob.” The conjunction itaque provides a logical continuation from the previous narrative (Rebekah’s lament).
Series of Actions: et benedixit eum, præcepitque ei dicens — a sequence of perfect verbs showing Isaac’s paternal authority: calling, blessing, and instructing.
Indirect Command: Noli accipere coniugem de genere Chanaan — “Do not take a wife from the lineage of Kenaʾan.” The construction noli + infinitive expresses prohibition in Latin, roughly “don’t you dare take.” The genitive Chanaan modifies genere, specifying ethnic lineage.

Morphology

  1. Vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “he called”; Notes: Marks the formal initiation of Isaac’s instructions to Jacob.
  2. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: adverbial conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: logical connector; Translation: “therefore / so”; Notes: Links the new episode to the preceding cause (Rebekah’s concern).
  3. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “vocavit”; Translation: “Isaac”; Notes: Patriarch performing both the act of calling and blessing.
  4. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: The recipient of paternal calling and blessing.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links successive clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential actions without subordinating them.
  6. benedixit — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “he blessed”; Notes: Compound of “bene” + “dico”; perfect tense marks completed act of paternal blessing.
  7. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “benedixit”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, continuing focus from the first clause.
  8. præcepitque — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular + enclitic “-que”; Function: third coordinated verb; Translation: “and he commanded”; Notes: Emphasizes authoritative instruction from Isaac to Jacob.
  9. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “præcepit”; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Marks Jacob as recipient of the instruction.
  10. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “Isaac”; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces the direct quotation — the content of the command.
  11. Noli — Lemma: nolo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperative 2nd person singular; Function: prohibitive command; Translation: “do not”; Notes: Used with infinitive “accipere” to express prohibition in Latin (“noli + infinitive”).
  12. accipere — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to take”; Notes: Completes the sense of “noli”; conveys the act forbidden by Isaac.
  13. coniugem — Lemma: coniux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “accipere”; Translation: “wife / spouse”; Notes: Gendered contextually as feminine; denotes lawful marriage partner.
  14. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates ethnic or geographic origin of the forbidden wife.
  15. genere — Lemma: genus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “lineage / race”; Notes: Refers to genealogical descent; often used to describe ethnic grouping in Vulgate context.
  16. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive genitive modifying “genere”; Translation: “of Kenaʾan”; Notes: Identifies the Canaanite peoples; the command reflects covenantal purity through separation from local pagan nations.

 

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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