Genesis 29:31

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:31 Videns autem Dominus quod despiceret Liam, aperuit vulvam eius, sorore sterili permanente.

But the LORD, seeing that Lia was despised, opened her womb, while her sister remained barren.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Videns seeing NOM.SG.M.PRES.PART.ACT
2 autem but CONJ
3 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
4 quod that CONJ
5 despiceret was despised 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
6 Liam Leah ACC.SG.F.PROPN
7 aperuit opened 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 vulvam womb ACC.SG.F
9 eius her GEN.SG.F.PRON
10 sorore sister ABL.SG.F
11 sterili barren ABL.SG.F.ADJ
12 permanente remaining ABL.SG.F.PRES.PART.ACT

Syntax

Temporal/Participial Clause: Videns autem Dominus quod despiceret Liam — The nominative participle Videns (“seeing”) governs an object clause introduced by quod (“that”), containing the subjunctive despiceret to express perception of an inner state. Dominus is the grammatical subject, and Liam is the object of despiceret.
Main Clause: aperuit vulvam eius — The main verb aperuit (“opened”) takes the direct object vulvam (“womb”) with possessive genitive eius (“her”), describing divine intervention.
Ablative Absolute: sorore sterili permanente — Expresses a simultaneous circumstance (“while her sister remained barren”), with sorore as the ablative noun and permanente as its participle, modified by sterili.

Morphology

  1. Videns — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: participle (present active); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle modifying Dominus; Translation: “seeing”; Notes: Denotes divine perception preceding the action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: transitional connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces divine contrast to human behavior.
  3. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of both videns and aperuit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, who responds to Leah’s affliction.
  4. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces a subordinate clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Marks the content of divine perception.
  5. despiceret — Lemma: despicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “was despised”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses indirect discourse within the perception clause.
  6. Liam — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of despiceret; Translation: “Leah”; Notes: The one unloved by Jacob, prompting divine compassion.
  7. aperuit — Lemma: aperio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “opened”; Notes: Indicates divine granting of fertility.
  8. vulvam — Lemma: vulva; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of aperuit; Translation: “womb”; Notes: Metonymy for fertility or conception.
  9. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier of vulvam; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Leah.
  10. sorore — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative absolute with permanente; Translation: “sister”; Notes: Refers to Rachel.
  11. sterili — Lemma: sterilis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies sorore; Translation: “barren”; Notes: Highlights the contrast in divine favor.
  12. permanente — Lemma: permaneo; Part of Speech: participle (present active); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “remaining”; Notes: Describes Rachel’s continuing infertility.

 

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.