Genesis 29:3

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:3 Morisque erat ut cunctis ovibus congregatis devolverent lapidem, et refectis gregibus rursum super os putei ponerent.

And it was the custom that when all the sheep had been gathered, they would roll away the stone, and after the flocks had been watered, they would again place it over the mouth of the well.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Morisque and by custom ABL.SG.M + ENCLITIC
2 erat was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
3 ut that CONJ
4 cunctis all ABL.PL.F.ADJ
5 ovibus sheep ABL.PL.F
6 congregatis having been gathered ABL.PL.F.PERF.PASS.PART
7 devolverent they would roll away 3PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
8 lapidem stone ACC.SG.M
9 et and CONJ
10 refectis having been refreshed ABL.PL.M.PERF.PASS.PART
11 gregibus flocks ABL.PL.M
12 rursum again ADV
13 super upon PREP+ACC
14 os mouth ACC.SG.N
15 putei of the well GEN.SG.M
16 ponerent they would place 3PL.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Morisque erat ut cunctis ovibus congregatis devolverent lapidem… — The phrase Moris erat ut… means “it was the custom that…”; the clause following ut expresses the habitual practice. cunctis ovibus congregatis is an ablative absolute (“when all the sheep had been gathered”), setting the circumstance for the main action.
Subordinate Clause 1: devolverent lapidem — subjunctive expressing customary or repeated action within the dependent clause (“they would roll away the stone”).
Subordinate Clause 2: et refectis gregibus rursum super os putei ponerent — second ablative absolute refectis gregibus (“after the flocks had been watered”) with coordinated subjunctive ponerent (“they would place”) and super os putei expressing location (“over the mouth of the well”).

Morphology

  1. Morisque — Lemma: mos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine + enclitic -que; Function: ablative of respect with erat; Translation: “and by custom”; Notes: Refers to established social practice.
  2. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Describes continuous or habitual state.
  3. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces a substantive clause of result or custom; Translation: “that”; Notes: Signals the purpose/result of the custom.
  4. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: modifies ovibus in ablative absolute; Translation: “all”; Notes: Inclusive modifier.
  5. ovibus — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object in ablative absolute with congregatis; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Refers to gathered animals.
  6. congregatis — Lemma: congrego; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural feminine perfect passive; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “having been gathered”; Notes: Describes precondition to the rolling away of the stone.
  7. devolverent — Lemma: devolvo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of the ut clause; Translation: “they would roll away”; Notes: Indicates habitual or customary action.
  8. lapidem — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of devolverent; Translation: “stone”; Notes: Refers to the covering stone of the well.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins the second ut-dependent action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential custom actions.
  10. refectis — Lemma: reficio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine perfect passive; Function: in ablative absolute with gregibus; Translation: “having been refreshed”; Notes: Temporal circumstance (“after they were watered”).
  11. gregibus — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of refectis in ablative absolute; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers to animals watered at the well.
  12. rursum — Lemma: rursum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: modifies ponerent; Translation: “again”; Notes: Denotes repetition of the action.
  13. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position above; Translation: “upon/over”; Notes: Indicates placement location.
  14. os — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “mouth/opening”; Notes: Refers to the mouth of the well.
  15. putei — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies os; Translation: “of the well”; Notes: Specifies possession or relation.
  16. ponerent — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: second verb of ut clause; Translation: “they would place”; Notes: Expresses habitual sequence following devolverent.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.