Genesis 28:12

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:12 Viditque in somnis scalam stantem super terram, et cacumen illius tangens cælum: Angelos quoque Dei ascendentes et descendentes per eam,

And he saw in a dream a ladder standing upon the earth, and its top touching heaven, and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon it,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Viditque And saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 in in PREP+ABL
3 somnis dream ABL.PL.M
4 scalam ladder ACC.SG.F
5 stantem standing ACC.SG.F.PART.PRES.ACT
6 super upon PREP+ACC
7 terram earth ACC.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 cacumen top NOM.SG.N
10 illius of it GEN.SG.F
11 tangens touching NOM.SG.N.PART.PRES.ACT
12 cælum heaven ACC.SG.N
13 Angelos Angels ACC.PL.M
14 quoque also ADV
15 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
16 ascendentes ascending ACC.PL.M.PART.PRES.ACT
17 et and CONJ
18 descendentes descending ACC.PL.M.PART.PRES.ACT
19 per through PREP+ACC
20 eam it ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Viditque (verb) — Subject implied (he, Jacob); in somnis (prepositional phrase) — locative circumstance.
scalam stantem super terram — direct object phrase, describing what was seen.
et cacumen illius tangens cælum — subordinate participial clause, modifying scalam.
Angelos quoque Dei ascendentes et descendentes per eam — second object-like participial phrase describing additional action within the vision.

Morphology

  1. Viditque — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “and saw”; Notes: Compound of vidit + -que (“and”), marking narrative sequence.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces a locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Denotes location within a circumstance (“in a dream”).
  3. somnis — Lemma: somnium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of preposition in; Translation: “dream”; Notes: Used idiomatically with in to indicate “in a dream.”
  4. scalam — Lemma: scala; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of vidit; Translation: “ladder”; Notes: Object of vision described by participle stantem.
  5. stantem — Lemma: sto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative singular feminine present active; Function: modifying scalam; Translation: “standing”; Notes: Expresses simultaneous action with main verb.
  6. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Indicates contact with a surface (“upon the earth”).
  7. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of super; Translation: “earth”; Notes: Represents the ground beneath the ladder.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects two descriptive scenes.
  9. cacumen — Lemma: cacumen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of participle tangens; Translation: “top”; Notes: Refers to the summit of the ladder.
  10. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession modifying cacumen; Translation: “of it”; Notes: Refers back to scala.
  11. tangens — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter present active; Function: agreeing with cacumen; Translation: “touching”; Notes: Expresses action simultaneous with vision, forming a descriptive participial phrase.
  12. cælum — Lemma: cælum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of participle tangens; Translation: “heaven”; Notes: Symbolically the realm of the divine.
  13. Angelos — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of participles ascendentes and descendentes; Translation: “Angels”; Notes: Central figures of divine motion in the vision.
  14. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: intensifier modifying Angelos; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds emphasis that Angels were part of the scene.
  15. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession modifying Angelos; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Shows divine origin of the Angels.
  16. ascendentes — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural masculine present active; Function: modifies Angelos; Translation: “ascending”; Notes: Expresses continuous movement upward in the vision.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins participles; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the dual motion (ascending and descending).
  18. descendentes — Lemma: descendo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: accusative plural masculine present active; Function: modifies Angelos; Translation: “descending”; Notes: Complements ascendentes for balanced motion.
  19. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “through”; Notes: Indicates the pathway of angelic movement.
  20. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of per; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the ladder as the medium of ascent and descent.

 

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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