Genesis 30:38

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:38 Posuitque eas in canalibus, ubi effundebatur aqua: ut cum venissent greges ad bibendum, ante oculos haberent virgas, et in aspectu earum conciperent.

And he placed them in the troughs, where the water was poured out, so that when the flocks came to drink, they might have the rods before their eyes, and in their sight they might conceive.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Posuitque and he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
2 eas them ACC.PL.F.PRON
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 canalibus troughs ABL.PL.M
5 ubi where ADV.REL
6 effundebatur was being poured out 3SG.IMPF.PASS.IND
7 aqua water NOM.SG.F
8 ut so that CONJ.PURP
9 cum when CONJ.TEMP
10 venissent had come 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
11 greges flocks NOM.PL.M
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 bibendum to drink GER.ACC.SG.N
14 ante before PREP+ACC
15 oculos eyes ACC.PL.M
16 haberent they might have 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
17 virgas rods ACC.PL.F
18 et and CONJ
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 aspectu sight ABL.SG.M
21 earum of them GEN.PL.F.PRON
22 conciperent they might conceive 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Posuitque eas in canalibus — The subject (Jacob) is implied; Posuitque is the main finite verb with the direct object eas (“them,” referring to the rods) and the locative prepositional phrase in canalibus indicating placement.
Relative Clause: ubi effundebatur aqua — Describes the location of the troughs; the verb effundebatur in imperfect passive expresses continuous action (“where the water was being poured out”).
Purpose Clause: ut cum venissent greges ad bibendum, ante oculos haberent virgas, et in aspectu earum conciperent — Introduced by ut (final conjunction) and dependent on Posuit. The subjunctives haberent and conciperent express desired result or purpose. The temporal subordinate cum venissent provides the circumstance: “when the flocks had come to drink.”

Morphology

  1. Posuitque — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb (+ enclitic); Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “and he placed”; Notes: Perfect tense marks completed action; enclitic -que joins it to the previous verse’s sequence.
  2. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of Posuit; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the rods Jacob had peeled earlier.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative; Translation: “in / within”; Notes: Introduces the place of placement — the water troughs.
  4. canalibus — Lemma: canalis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “troughs”; Notes: Refers to the channels where flocks drink.
  5. ubi — Lemma: ubi; Part of Speech: adverb (relative); Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces relative clause of place; Translation: “where”; Notes: Links location of action with flowing water.
  6. effundebatur — Lemma: effundo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: “was being poured out”; Notes: Describes continuous flow of water into troughs.
  7. aqua — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of effundebatur; Translation: “water”; Notes: Serves as the agent acted upon in the passive construction.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Establishes intention behind Jacob’s placement of the rods.
  9. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal subordinate conjunction; Translation: “when”; Notes: Introduces temporal setting for the purpose clause.
  10. venissent — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of the temporal clause; Translation: “had come”; Notes: Subjunctive in subordinate clause dependent on ut, denoting completed prior action.
  11. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of venissent and haberent; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers to the herds of Jacob’s livestock approaching the troughs.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates purpose or direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Introduces infinitive phrase of purpose with bibendum.
  13. bibendum — Lemma: bibo; Part of Speech: verbal noun (gerund); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of ad; Translation: “to drink”; Notes: Expresses purpose (“to drink”) through gerundive construction.
  14. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates spatial position; Translation: “before”; Notes: Introduces the object in visual field of the animals.
  15. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ante; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Refers to the sensory focus during conception — visual stimulus.
  16. haberent — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might have”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses desired result of placement (“that they might have the rods before them”).
  17. virgas — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of haberent; Translation: “rods”; Notes: Refers back to the prepared sticks placed in the troughs.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinated subjunctive verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins haberent and conciperent in parallel purpose structure.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Sets scene for conception under observation of rods.
  20. aspectu — Lemma: aspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “sight”; Notes: Denotes the visual influence — symbolic element of Jacob’s breeding method.
  21. earum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: possessive modifier of aspectu; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers to the rods; expresses “in their sight.”
  22. conciperent — Lemma: concipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might conceive”; Notes: Expresses intended reproductive outcome associated with visual influence.

 

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.