Genesis 30:17

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:17 Et exaudivit Deus preces eius: concepitque et peperit filium quintum,

And God heard her prayers, and she conceived and bore a fifth son,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 exaudivit heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Deus God NOM.SG.M
4 preces prayers ACC.PL.F
5 eius her GEN.SG.F.PRON
6 concepitque and she conceived 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL.CONJ
7 et and CONJ
8 peperit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 filium son ACC.SG.M
10 quintum fifth ACC.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Et exaudivit Deus preces eius — The verb exaudivit (“heard”) governs the direct object preces eius (“her prayers”), with Deus as the nominative subject.
Coordinated Clauses: concepitque et peperit filium quintum — Two verbs joined by et and -que describe successive actions: “she conceived and bore.” The phrase filium quintum (“a fifth son”) functions as the shared direct object.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces a new narrative clause connecting divine response to prior petition.
  2. exaudivit — Lemma: exaudio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “heard”; Notes: The prefix ex- intensifies “heard,” implying full and favorable attention to prayer.
  3. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of exaudivit; Translation: “God”; Notes: The divine agent responding to Leah’s supplication.
  4. preces — Lemma: prex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of exaudivit; Translation: “prayers”; Notes: Denotes earnest petitions or pleas for favor, often in a religious context.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying preces; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Leah, indicating that God heard *her* petitions.
  6. concepitque — Lemma: concipio + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: first verb in coordinated clause; Translation: “and she conceived”; Notes: Describes divine response realized physically; -que connects it tightly to peperit.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the sequential action; Translation: “and”; Notes: Emphasizes temporal continuity: conception followed by birth.
  8. peperit — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: second verb in coordination; Translation: “bore”; Notes: Expresses the act of childbirth as completed, matching the previous conception verb.
  9. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of peperit; Translation: “son”; Notes: Indicates the offspring granted as divine blessing.
  10. quintum — Lemma: quintus; Part of Speech: adjective (ordinal); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: adjective modifying filium; Translation: “fifth”; Notes: Highlights Leah’s continued fruitfulness, underscoring divine favor in sequential births.

 

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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