Genesis 31:36

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:36 Tumensque Iacob, cum iurgio ait: Quam ob culpam meam, et ob quod peccatum meum sic exarsisti post me,

And Jacob, swelling with anger, said with a quarrel: “For what fault of mine, and for what sin of mine, have you thus burned in anger against me,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Tumensque and swelling PRESENT PARTICIPLE NOM.SG.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Iacob Jacob PROPER NOUN NOM.SG.M
3 cum with PREPOSITION + ABL
4 iurgio quarrel NOUN ABL.SG.N
5 ait he said VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
6 Quam for what INTERROGATIVE ADVERB
7 ob because of PREPOSITION + ACC
8 culpam fault NOUN ACC.SG.F
9 meam my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.F
10 et and CONJUNCTION
11 ob because of PREPOSITION + ACC
12 quod what INTERROGATIVE ADJECTIVE
13 peccatum sin NOUN ACC.SG.N
14 meum my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.N
15 sic thus ADVERB
16 exarsisti you have burned VERB 2SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
17 post after PREPOSITION + ACC
18 me me PRONOUN ACC.SG.1

Syntax

Main Clause: Tumensque Iacob … ait — Tumens (circumstantial participle) modifies Iacob (subject), and ait is the main finite verb of saying. The -que links tumens to the prior context.
Instrumental Phrase: cum iurgio (“with a quarrel”) — ablative of manner, specifying the emotional tone of his speech.
Direct Question: Quam ob culpam meam, et ob quod peccatum meum sic exarsisti post me — interrogative clause introduced by Quam ob (“for what reason”), containing two coordinated prepositional phrases (“for what fault of mine” / “for what sin of mine”).
Main Verb of Question: exarsisti (2nd person singular perfect active indicative) — “you have burned in anger,” governing the prepositional complement post me (“against me”).
Syntax Summary: The sentence combines emotional narrative structure (participial circumstantial phrase) with rhetorical direct speech, revealing Jacob’s indignant protest toward Laban.

Morphology

  1. Tumensque — Lemma: tumeo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine + enclitic -que; Function: circumstantial participle modifying “Iacob”; Translation: “and swelling (with anger)”; Notes: Suggests strong emotional agitation; figurative of anger rather than physical swelling.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “ait”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Retains Hebrew declension pattern in Latin context; nominative role supplied by syntax.
  3. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces phrase of accompaniment or manner; Translation: “with”; Notes: Often marks emotional or instrumental nuance with abstract nouns.
  4. iurgio — Lemma: iurgium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “cum” expressing manner; Translation: “quarrel”; Notes: Conveys tone of contention or dispute.
  5. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing direct discourse; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Common in narrative transitions, here marking direct speech.
  6. Quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: interrogative adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces interrogative phrase of degree or cause; Translation: “for what”; Notes: Used idiomatically with “ob” to form causal question.
  7. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates cause or reason; Translation: “because of / for”; Notes: Common with abstract nouns expressing cause.
  8. culpam — Lemma: culpa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ob”; Translation: “fault”; Notes: Classical and biblical Latin sense: moral or personal failing.
  9. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “culpam”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive referring to Jacob’s supposed fault.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates the two prepositional phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the parallel interrogative structure.
  11. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces second causal phrase; Translation: “for”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis in rhetorical balance.
  12. quod — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: interrogative adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “peccatum”; Translation: “what”; Notes: Serves interrogative force matching “quam ob.”
  13. peccatum — Lemma: peccatum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “ob”; Translation: “sin”; Notes: In moral sense—offense against another or against God.
  14. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: agrees with “peccatum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces Jacob’s claim of innocence.
  15. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “exarsisti”; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Expresses degree or manner of emotional intensity.
  16. exarsisti — Lemma: exardesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of interrogative clause; Translation: “you have burned (in anger)”; Notes: Metaphorical of emotional outburst, common biblical idiom.
  17. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses hostility or pursuit metaphorically “against”; Translation: “against / after”; Notes: In context, adversative rather than temporal.
  18. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular first person; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Marks target of Laban’s anger.

 

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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