Genesis 29:20

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:20 Servivit ergo Iacob pro Rachel septem annis: et videbantur illi pauci dies præ amoris magnitudine.

So Jacob served for Rachel seven years; and they seemed to him but a few days, because of the greatness of his love.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Servivit he served 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore / so ADV
3 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M.PROPN
4 pro for PREP+ABL
5 Rachel Rachel ABL.SG.F.PROPN
6 septem seven INDECL.NUM
7 annis years ABL.PL.M
8 et and CONJ
9 videbantur they seemed 3PL.IMPF.PASS.IND
10 illi to him DAT.SG.M.PRON
11 pauci few NOM.PL.M.ADJ
12 dies days NOM.PL.M
13 præ because of PREP+ABL
14 amoris of love GEN.SG.M
15 magnitudine greatness ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Servivit ergo Iacob pro Rachel septem annis — The verb Servivit (“he served”) takes pro with the ablative Rachel to indicate purpose or exchange (“for Rachel”). The ablative of time duration septem annis specifies the length of service (“for seven years”). The adverb ergo links the verse to the previous narrative, showing consequence.
Main Clause 2: et videbantur illi pauci dies præ amoris magnitudine — The imperfect passive videbantur (“they seemed”) governs a dative of the person affected (illi, “to him”). The subject pauci dies (“few days”) is nominative plural, forming the grammatical subject. The prepositional phrase præ amoris magnitudine (“because of the greatness of love”) expresses cause with præ + ablative.

Morphology

  1. Servivit — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he served”; Notes: Indicates completion of the seven years of service.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: introduces consequence; Translation: “therefore / so”; Notes: Links result with prior condition.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of servivit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Agent performing the act of service.
  4. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses exchange or purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: Indicates who Jacob served for.
  5. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of pro; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: Identifies the object of Jacob’s service.
  6. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies annis; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Indicates length of service.
  7. annis — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: ablative of time duration; Translation: “years”; Notes: Specifies duration of Jacob’s labor.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: joins two main clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects service duration with perception of time.
  9. videbantur — Lemma: videor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent/passive form); Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “they seemed”; Notes: Passive in form, active in meaning (“appeared”).
  10. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of the person affected; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as perceiver of time.
  11. pauci — Lemma: paucus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies dies; Translation: “few”; Notes: Subject complement in predicate.
  12. dies — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of videbantur; Translation: “days”; Notes: Describes perceived brevity of time.
  13. præ — Lemma: præ; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Denotes the reason for perception.
  14. amoris — Lemma: amor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent on magnitudine; Translation: “of love”; Notes: Indicates source of the emotional cause.
  15. magnitudine — Lemma: magnitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of præ; Translation: “greatness”; Notes: Completes causal phrase showing love’s intensity.

 

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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