Genesis 31:27

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

27 Cur ignorante me fugere voluisti, nec indicare mihi, ut prosequerer te cum gaudio, et canticis, et tympanis, et citharis?

Why did you wish to flee while I was unaware, and not tell me, so that I might accompany you with joy, and with songs, and with tambourines, and with lyres?

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cur why ADV.INT
2 ignorante being unaware ABL.SG.M.PTCP.PRES.ACT
3 me me ABL.SG.1P.PRON
4 fugere to flee INF.PRES.ACT
5 voluisti you wished 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 nec and not CONJ.NEG
7 indicare to tell INF.PRES.ACT
8 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
9 ut so that CONJ.PURP
10 prosequerer I might accompany 1SG.IMPERF.SUBJ.DEP
11 te you ACC.SG.2P.PRON
12 cum with PREP+ABL
13 gaudio joy ABL.SG.N
14 et and CONJ
15 canticis songs ABL.PL.N
16 et and CONJ
17 tympanis tambourines ABL.PL.N
18 et and CONJ
19 citharis lyres ABL.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Cur ignorante me fugere voluisti — interrogative clause expressing Laban’s reproach, with ignorante me as an ablative absolute.
Coordinate Clause: nec indicare mihi — adds the further complaint that Jacob did not inform him.
Final Clause: ut prosequerer te cum gaudio et canticis et tympanis et citharis — expresses Laban’s supposed intention to bid farewell joyfully, using the subjunctive prosequerer for purpose.
Overall Syntax: A sequence of interrogative and subordinate clauses reveals both emotional accusation and ironic exaggeration, showing Laban’s pretense of goodwill.

Morphology

  1. Cur — Lemma: cur; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces direct question; Translation: “why”; Notes: Opens rhetorical challenge implying wrongdoing by Jacob.
  2. ignorante — Lemma: ignoro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active; Function: forms ablative absolute with me; Translation: “while I was unaware”; Notes: Expresses time and circumstance of the action.
  3. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: subject of ablative absolute; Translation: “me”; Notes: Indicates Laban as the one kept in ignorance.
  4. fugere — Lemma: fugio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of voluisti; Translation: “to flee”; Notes: Expresses Jacob’s intent perceived as betrayal.
  5. voluisti — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 2nd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you wished”; Notes: Accusatory tone; perfect shows completed intent.
  6. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links negative clauses; Translation: “and not”; Notes: Adds second grievance — failure to notify.
  7. indicare — Lemma: indico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: dependent infinitive; Translation: “to tell”; Notes: Complements voluisti; expresses neglected duty of communication.
  8. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of indicare; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Indicates Laban as intended recipient of news.
  9. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Links Laban’s hypothetical goodwill to Jacob’s secretive act.
  10. prosequerer — Lemma: prosequor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: imperfect subjunctive, 1st person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “I might accompany”; Notes: Deponent form with active sense; expresses unrealized intention.
  11. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of prosequerer; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as addressee of reproach.
  12. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “with”; Notes: Introduces list of accompanying instruments or emotions.
  13. gaudio — Lemma: gaudium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of cum; Translation: “joy”; Notes: Expresses irony — feigned goodwill.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects ablative nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Repetition strengthens rhythm of the musical enumeration.
  15. canticis — Lemma: canticum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: second object of cum; Translation: “songs”; Notes: Associated with festive joy; ironic contrast to Laban’s anger.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues parallel structure of listing instruments.
  17. tympanis — Lemma: tympanum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: complements cum; Translation: “tambourines”; Notes: Symbol of celebration and procession in ancient Near Eastern culture.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: final link in polysyndeton; Translation: “and”; Notes: Marks climax of enumeration.
  19. citharis — Lemma: cithara; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: final ablative with cum; Translation: “lyres”; Notes: Completes list of instruments; conveys poetic irony in Laban’s false festivity.

 

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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