Genesis 31:15

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:15 Nonne quasi alienas reputavit nos, et vendidit, comeditque pretium nostrum?

Has he not regarded us as strangers, and sold us, and even consumed our price?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nonne has he not PART.INTERROG
2 quasi as if CONJ.COMP
3 alienas foreign ACC.PL.F.ADJ
4 reputavit has regarded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 nos us ACC.PL.PRON
6 et and CONJ
7 vendidit has sold 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 comeditque and has consumed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
9 pretium price ACC.SG.N
10 nostrum of us GEN.PL.PRON

Syntax

Rhetorical Question: Nonne quasi alienas reputavit nos — introduces an indignant protest, expecting affirmative acknowledgment of injustice.
Coordinate Clauses: et vendidit, comeditque pretium nostrum — consecutive perfect verbs describing the father’s betrayal through sale and misuse of their dowry.

Morphology

  1. Nonne — Lemma: nonne; Part of Speech: interrogative particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces rhetorical question expecting “yes”; Translation: “has he not?”; Notes: Expresses rebuke or moral protest by Rachel and Leah.
  2. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as if”; Notes: Suggests irony, contrasting familial bonds with alien treatment.
  3. alienas — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective modifying nos; Translation: “foreign” or “strangers”; Notes: Implies estrangement and loss of kinship rights.
  4. reputavit — Lemma: reputo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has regarded”; Notes: Expresses completed judgment — Laban’s view of his daughters as outsiders.
  5. nos — Lemma: nos; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: direct object of reputavit; Translation: “us”; Notes: Object of paternal disregard in the complaint.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins subsequent accusations of wrongful acts.
  7. vendidit — Lemma: vendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has sold”; Notes: Refers to Laban’s commodification of his daughters through deceitful marriage arrangements.
  8. comeditque — Lemma: comedo + -que; Part of Speech: verb with enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “and has consumed”; Notes: Metaphorical consumption of their bride-price, implying greed and exploitation.
  9. pretium — Lemma: pretium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of comedit; Translation: “price”; Notes: Refers to the material or dowry compensation Jacob rendered for Rachel and Leah.
  10. nostrum — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: possessive genitive modifying pretium; Translation: “our”; Notes: Emphasizes the loss of what rightfully belonged to them, underscoring Laban’s moral failure.

 

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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