Genesis 29:34

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:34 Concepitque tertio, et genuit alium filium: dixitque: Nunc quoque copulabitur mihi maritus meus, eo quod pepererim ei tres filios: et idcirco appellavit nomen eius, Levi.

And she conceived a third time and bore another son, and said: “Now also my husband will be joined to me, because I have borne him three sons.” Therefore she called his name Levi.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Concepitque and she conceived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL.CONJ
2 tertio a third time ADV
3 et and CONJ
4 genuit she bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 alium another ACC.SG.M.ADJ
6 filium son ACC.SG.M
7 dixitque and she said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL.CONJ
8 Nunc now ADV
9 quoque also ADV
10 copulabitur will be joined 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
11 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
12 maritus husband NOM.SG.M
13 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
14 eo because ABL.SG.N.DEMONST.PRON
15 quod that CONJ
16 pepererim I have borne 1SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
17 ei to him DAT.SG.3P.PRON
18 tres three ACC.PL.M.NUM
19 filios sons ACC.PL.M
20 et and CONJ
21 idcirco therefore ADV
22 appellavit she called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 nomen name ACC.SG.N
24 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
25 Levi Levi ACC.SG.M.PROPN

Syntax

Narrative Sequence: Concepitque tertio, et genuit alium filium — Concepitque (“and she conceived”) is followed by genuit (“she bore”), describing the third childbirth. The adverb tertio specifies iteration (“for the third time”), while alium filium functions as the direct object (“another son”).
Speech Clause: dixitque: Nunc quoque copulabitur mihi maritus meus — Introduced by dixitque, Leah expresses hope that her husband will now be attached to her. The verb copulabitur is future passive (“will be joined”), governing the dative mihi.
Causal Clause: eo quod pepererim ei tres filios — The conjunction eo quod introduces a causal subordinate clause with pepererim in the perfect subjunctive (“because I have borne”), expressing reason. ei and tres filios form the indirect and direct objects respectively.
Concluding Clause: et idcirco appellavit nomen eius Levi — The adverb idcirco (“therefore”) introduces the result, with appellavit as the main verb, and nomen eius Levi as a double accusative (“she called his name Levi”).

Morphology

  1. Concepitque — Lemma: concipio + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “and she conceived”; Notes: Continues Leah’s divine fruitfulness.
  2. tertio — Lemma: tertio; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: indicates numerical repetition; Translation: “a third time”; Notes: Emphasizes divine continuation.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: connects actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links conception and birth.
  4. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: second verb in narrative; Translation: “she bore”; Notes: Main verb describing childbirth.
  5. alium — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective (pronoun-like); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies filium; Translation: “another”; Notes: Distinguishes this son from the previous two.
  6. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of genuit; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Levi, the third son.
  7. dixitque — Lemma: dico + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: verb of speech introducing quotation; Translation: “and she said”; Notes: Signals her theological reflection.
  8. Nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks present hope.
  9. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: intensifier; Translation: “also”; Notes: Expresses addition to previous blessings.
  10. copulabitur — Lemma: copulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “will be joined”; Notes: Figuratively describes marital attachment.
  11. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of copulabitur; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates desired emotional union.
  12. maritus — Lemma: maritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of copulabitur; Translation: “husband”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  13. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies maritus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reflects Leah’s personal longing.
  14. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: part of conjunction eo quod; Translation: “because”; Notes: Introduces causal clause.
  15. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: connects subordinate clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Links to reason clause.
  16. pepererim — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: “I have borne”; Notes: Expresses completed reason for expectation.
  17. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of pepererim; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  18. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies filios; Translation: “three”; Notes: Number of sons marking divine favor.
  19. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of pepererim; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to Reuben, Simeon, and Levi.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: joins result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Signals consequence.
  21. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: introduces reason; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Summarizes cause for naming.
  22. appellavit — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she called”; Notes: Indicates naming action.
  23. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: first object of naming; Translation: “name”; Notes: Double accusative construction.
  24. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the newborn child.
  25. Levi — Lemma: Levi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second accusative in naming construction; Translation: “Levi”; Notes: Name derived from Hebrew root lāwâ (“to join”), reflecting Leah’s hope for attachment.

 

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.