Genesis 30:43

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:43 Ditatusque est homo ultra modum, et habuit greges multos, ancillas et servos, camelos et asinos.

And the man became exceedingly rich, and he had many flocks, maidservants and menservants, camels and donkeys.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ditatusque and enriched PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.SG.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 homo man NOM.SG.M
4 ultra beyond PREP+ACC
5 modum measure ACC.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 habuit he had 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 greges flocks ACC.PL.M
9 multos many ACC.PL.M.ADJ
10 ancillas maidservants ACC.PL.F
11 et and CONJ
12 servos menservants ACC.PL.M
13 camelos camels ACC.PL.M
14 et and CONJ
15 asinos donkeys ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ditatusque est homo ultra modum — compound predicate with perfect passive participle Ditatus and auxiliary est, describing Jacob’s overwhelming prosperity.
Main Clause 2: et habuit greges multos, ancillas et servos, camelos et asinos — lists Jacob’s possessions, joined by polysyndeton (et… et… et…) to emphasize abundance and completeness.

Morphology

  1. Ditatusque — Lemma: dito (+ -que); Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: part of periphrastic construction; Translation: “and enriched”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s resultant state after divine blessing; enclitic connects with subsequent verb.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Combines with Ditatus to form perfect passive sense (“was enriched”).
  3. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of est and habuit; Translation: “man”; Notes: Refers to Jacob generically as “the man.”
  4. ultra — Lemma: ultra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses comparison; Translation: “beyond”; Notes: Indicates excessiveness of wealth.
  5. modum — Lemma: modus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ultra; Translation: “measure”; Notes: Conveys limit surpassed by divine prosperity.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two main clauses.
  7. habuit — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “he had”; Notes: Expresses possession completed in the past.
  8. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of habuit; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Represents wealth in livestock.
  9. multos — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifier of greges; Translation: “many”; Notes: Emphasizes large quantity of herds.
  10. ancillas — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of habuit; Translation: “maidservants”; Notes: Denotes female household workers or concubines.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins parallel nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates with servos.
  12. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of habuit; Translation: “menservants”; Notes: Completes the human possessions parallel to ancillas.
  13. camelos — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of habuit; Translation: “camels”; Notes: Indicates transport and trade wealth.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links final item in series; Translation: “and”; Notes: Used to close enumerative series.
  15. asinos — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of habuit; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Domestic beasts of burden symbolizing material success and independence.

 

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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