Genesis 30:20

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:20 et ait: Dotavit me Deus dote bona: etiam hac vice mecum erit maritus meus, eo quod genuerim ei sex filios: et idcirco appellavit nomen eius, Zabulon.

and she said: “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now this time my husband will be with me, because I have borne him six sons.” Therefore she called his name Zabulon.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Dotavit has endowed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 me me ACC.SG.1P.PRON
5 Deus God NOM.SG.M
6 dote with a dowry ABL.SG.F
7 bona good ABL.SG.F.ADJ
8 etiam also ADV
9 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEMONSTR.ADJ
10 vice time / occasion ABL.SG.F
11 mecum with me ABL.SG.1P.PRON + ENCL.PREP
12 erit will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 maritus husband NOM.SG.M
14 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
15 eo because ABL.SG.M.DEMONSTR.PRON
16 quod that / because CONJ
17 genuerim I have borne 1SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
18 ei to him DAT.SG.3P.PRON
19 sex six NUMERAL.INDECL
20 filios sons ACC.PL.M
21 et and CONJ
22 idcirco therefore ADV
23 appellavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
24 nomen name ACC.SG.N
25 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
26 Zabulon Zebulun ACC.SG.M.PROPN

Syntax

Quotation Clause: et ait introduces Leah’s declaration.
Main Clause: Dotavit me Deus dote bona — Deus is the subject, Dotavit is the main verb, and me is the direct object. The phrase dote bona is an ablative of means (“with a good dowry”).
Temporal Clause: etiam hac vice mecum erit maritus meus — The adverbial expression hac vice (“this time”) modifies erit, indicating Leah’s renewed hope.
Causal Clause: eo quod genuerim ei sex filios — The conjunction eo quod (“because”) introduces the reason Leah believes her husband will now stay with her.
Result Clause: et idcirco appellavit nomen eius Zabulon — idcirco (“therefore”) indicates the result of Leah’s reflection: the naming of her son Zebulun.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links Leah’s speech to her previous statement about bearing sons.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb (defective); Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common narrative formula for speech introduction.
  3. Dotavit — Lemma: doto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has endowed”; Notes: Refers to divine bestowal of favor symbolized by the birth of another son.
  4. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of Dotavit; Translation: “me”; Notes: Indicates Leah as the recipient of divine grace.
  5. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Dotavit; Translation: “God”; Notes: The giver of blessings and source of Leah’s fertility.
  6. dote — Lemma: dos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with a dowry”; Notes: Refers figuratively to the divine gifts (children) given to Leah.
  7. bona — Lemma: bonus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies dote; Translation: “good”; Notes: Qualifies the dowry as excellent, symbolizing divine favor.
  8. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: emphasizes addition; Translation: “also”; Notes: Highlights Leah’s expectation of continued blessing.
  9. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adjective (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies vice; Translation: “this”; Notes: Points to the current instance of childbirth.
  10. vice — Lemma: vicis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “time / occasion”; Notes: Refers to the event of Leah bearing another son.
  11. mecum — Lemma: ego + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun + preposition; Form: ablative singular; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Expresses Leah’s hope that her husband will stay by her side.
  12. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “will be”; Notes: Indicates Leah’s confidence in a future outcome.
  13. maritus — Lemma: maritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of erit; Translation: “husband”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, whose affection Leah longs for.
  14. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies maritus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces Leah’s claim of relationship.
  15. eo — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: part of idiom eo quod; Translation: “because”; Notes: Used idiomatically to introduce a reason.
  16. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “that / because”; Notes: Links cause to the main assertion.
  17. genuerim — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: verb of causal clause; Translation: “I have borne”; Notes: Subjunctive shows Leah’s subjective reasoning or belief.
  18. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (personal); Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of genuerim; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as the father of the sons.
  19. sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numerical modifier; Translation: “six”; Notes: Marks completeness of Leah’s fruitfulness.
  20. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of genuerim; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to Leah’s six sons as tokens of divine reward.
  21. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects to result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Transitions from reason to result.
  22. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces result; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Marks the logical conclusion — naming the child.
  23. appellavit — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of naming clause; Translation: “called”; Notes: Describes the act of naming as acknowledgment of divine grace.
  24. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of appellavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: Refers to the symbolic act of naming the child.
  25. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Leah’s newborn son.
  26. Zabulon — Lemma: Zabulon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “Zebulun”; Notes: Derived from Hebrew zabal (“to dwell”); Leah interprets the name as hope that Jacob will now dwell with her.

 

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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