Genesis 31:29

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:29 valet manus mea reddere tibi malum: sed Deus patris vestri heri dixit mihi: Cave ne loquaris contra Iacob quidquam durius.

my hand has the power to repay you with harm; but the God of your father said to me yesterday: Beware that you do not speak anything harshly against Jacob.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 valet has power 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 manus hand NOM.SG.F
3 mea my NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
4 reddere to repay INF.PRES.ACT
5 tibi to you DAT.SG.2P.PRON
6 malum evil ACC.SG.N
7 sed but CONJ
8 Deus God NOM.SG.M
9 patris of the father GEN.SG.M
10 vestri your GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
11 heri yesterday ADV
12 dixit said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 mihi to me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
14 Cave beware 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
15 ne lest CONJ.NEG
16 loquaris you speak 2SG.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
17 contra against PREP+ACC
18 Iacob Jacob ACC.SG.M.PROP
19 quidquam anything ACC.SG.N.INDEF.PRON
20 durius more harshly COMP.ADV

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Valet manus mea reddere tibi malum — a declarative clause expressing Laban’s potential for retaliation; infinitive reddere functions as complementary verb to valet.
Main Clause 2: Sed Deus patris vestri heri dixit mihi — introduces divine intervention that restrains Laban’s will; sed introduces contrast between human ability and divine command.
Subordinate Clause: Cave ne loquaris contra Iacob quidquam durius — expresses divine warning; ne introduces negative command with subjunctive.
Overall Syntax: The verse juxtaposes human capacity for vengeance with divine sovereignty that tempers it, continuing the narrative of God’s protection over Jacob.

Morphology

  1. valet — Lemma: valeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has power” or “is strong”; Notes: Denotes capability or strength, introducing Laban’s claim to power.
  2. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of valet; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Common idiom for personal agency or power in biblical Latin.
  3. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies manus; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes self-assertion of control by Laban.
  4. reddere — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with valet; Translation: “to repay”; Notes: Expresses potential or intended action—vengeance withheld.
  5. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers directly to Jacob as the would-be recipient of harm.
  6. malum — Lemma: malum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of reddere; Translation: “evil,” “harm”; Notes: Typical biblical expression for moral or physical retribution.
  7. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks divine intervention as opposing human impulse.
  8. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, protector of Jacob and patriarchal lineage.
  9. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the father”; Notes: Genitive modifying Deus, forming the phrase “God of your father.”
  10. vestri — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies patris; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers collectively to Jacob and his family, distinguishing divine allegiance.
  11. heri — Lemma: heri; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal modifier of dixit; Translation: “yesterday”; Notes: Adds immediacy to divine communication.
  12. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “said”; Notes: Marks direct divine revelation to Laban.
  13. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of dixit; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Highlights personal encounter between Laban and God.
  14. Cave — Lemma: caveo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, 2nd person singular; Function: verb of direct command; Translation: “beware”; Notes: Common in divine injunctions, expressing prohibition.
  15. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Signals prohibition with subjunctive following Cave.
  16. loquaris — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present subjunctive, 2nd person singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you speak”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning; subjunctive under negative ne.
  17. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Expresses moral and relational hostility.
  18. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of contra; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Object of divine protection and command.
  19. quidquam — Lemma: quisquam; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of loquaris; Translation: “anything”; Notes: Generalizing prohibition against all forms of hostile speech.
  20. durius — Lemma: dure; Part of Speech: adverb (comparative form); Form: comparative adverb; Function: modifies loquaris; Translation: “more harshly”; Notes: Comparative nuance—no speech of greater severity permitted toward Jacob.

 

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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