Genesis 29:1

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:1 Profectus ergo Iacob venit in terram Orientalem.

And so Jacob set out and came into the land of the East.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Profectus having set out NOM.SG.M.PERF.PART.DEP
2 ergo therefore/so ADV
3 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
4 venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 in into PREP+ACC
6 terram land ACC.SG.F
7 Orientalem Eastern ACC.SG.F.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Profectus ergo Iacob venit in terram Orientalem — The participle Profectus (“having set out”) acts adverbially, describing prior action; Iacob is the subject; venit (perfect indicative) is the main verb; in terram Orientalem is a prepositional phrase expressing motion toward (“into the eastern land”). The adverb ergo provides narrative transition (“therefore” or “so”).

Morphology

  1. Profectus — Lemma: proficiscor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Iacob; Translation: “having set out”; Notes: Deponent participle describing action preceding venit.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: logical connector; Translation: “therefore/so”; Notes: Marks continuation of narrative sequence.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of venit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Refers to the patriarch leaving Bethel.
  4. venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Perfect used as aoristic, simple past in narrative context.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Indicates direction or destination.
  6. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Physical territory or region.
  7. Orientalem — Lemma: orientalis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies terram; Translation: “Eastern”; Notes: Identifies geographic region toward the sunrise (Mesopotamia).

 

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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