Genesis 29:21

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:21 Dixitque ad Laban: Da mihi uxorem meam: quia iam tempus impletum est, ut ingrediar ad illam.

And he said to Laban: “Give me my wife, for the time is now fulfilled, that I may go in to her.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 Laban Laban ACC.SG.M.PROPN
4 Da give 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPER
5 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
6 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F
7 meam my ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
8 quia because / for CONJ
9 iam now / already ADV
10 tempus time NOM.SG.N
11 impletum fulfilled NOM.SG.N.PERF.PART.PASS
12 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
13 ut that / in order that CONJ
14 ingrediar I may go in 1SG.PRES.DEP.SUBJ
15 ad to / into PREP+ACC
16 illam her ACC.SG.F.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque ad Laban — Perfect active Dixit with enclitic -que (“and”) joins this sentence to the preceding narrative. The prepositional phrase ad Laban identifies the person addressed (“to Laban”).
Imperative Clause: Da mihi uxorem meam — Imperative Da expresses direct request (“Give me”), with dative mihi as indirect object (“to me”) and uxorem meam as direct object (“my wife”).
Causal Clause: quia iam tempus impletum est — Introduced by quia (“because”), stating the reason for the request. The periphrastic passive tempus impletum est means “the time is fulfilled.”
Purpose Clause: ut ingrediar ad illam — Introduced by ut with subjunctive ingrediar (“that I may go in”), expressing intended consummation of marriage; ad illam functions as its complement.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb connecting with previous sentence; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Narrative connector joining sequential speech events.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction or person addressed; Translation: “to”; Notes: Introduces the addressee of Jacob’s speech.
  3. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “Laban”; Notes: The person Jacob addresses.
  4. Da — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: direct command; Translation: “give”; Notes: Expresses a request or demand to Laban.
  5. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks recipient of the action.
  6. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Da; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Refers to Rachel, whom Jacob served for.
  7. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies uxorem; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes rightful claim to Rachel.
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains reason for the demand.
  9. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “now / already”; Notes: Implies completion of waiting period.
  10. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of impletum est; Translation: “time”; Notes: Refers to the agreed seven-year service period.
  11. impletum — Lemma: impleo; Part of Speech: participle (perfect passive); Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate with est; Translation: “fulfilled”; Notes: Describes completion of time.
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: completes periphrastic passive; Translation: “is”; Notes: Used with participle to form perfect passive construction.
  13. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive ingrediar.
  14. ingrediar — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present subjunctive 1st singular; Function: main verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I may go in”; Notes: Euphemism for marital union in biblical style.
  15. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Completes the phrase with illam.
  16. illam — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rachel, Jacob’s betrothed.

 

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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