Genesis 31:37

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:37 et scrutatus es omnem supellectilem meam? Quid invenisti de cuncta substantia domus tuæ? pone hic coram fratribus meis, et fratribus tuis, et iudicent inter me, et te.

and have you searched all my household goods? What have you found of all the substance of your house? Set it here before my brothers and your brothers, and let them judge between me and you.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJUNCTION
2 scrutatus having searched PERFECT PARTICIPLE NOM.SG.M
3 es you are / have VERB 2SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE (AUXILIARY)
4 omnem all ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.F
5 supellectilem furniture / goods NOUN ACC.SG.F
6 meam my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.F
7 Quid what INTERROGATIVE PRONOUN ACC.SG.N
8 invenisti have you found VERB 2SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
9 de of / from PREPOSITION + ABL
10 cuncta all ADJECTIVE ABL.SG.F
11 substantia substance / property NOUN ABL.SG.F
12 domus house NOUN GEN.SG.F (IRREGULAR 4TH-DECL. FORM)
13 tuæ your POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE GEN.SG.F
14 pone place VERB 2SG PRESENT ACTIVE IMPERATIVE
15 hic here ADVERB
16 coram before PREPOSITION + ABL
17 fratribus brothers NOUN ABL.PL.M
18 meis my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ABL.PL.M
19 et and CONJUNCTION
20 fratribus brothers NOUN ABL.PL.M
21 tuis your POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ABL.PL.M
22 et and CONJUNCTION
23 iudicent let them judge VERB 3PL PRESENT ACTIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
24 inter between PREPOSITION + ACC
25 me me PRONOUN ACC.SG.1
26 et and CONJUNCTION
27 te you PRONOUN ACC.SG.2

Syntax

First Interrogative: et scrutatus es omnem supellectilem meam? — perfect indicative second person; rhetorical question expressing reproach. Subject (implied “you”) + auxiliary es with participle scrutatus (perfect deponent sense). Object: omnem supellectilem meam (“all my household goods”).
Second Question: Quid invenisti de cuncta substantia domus tuæ? — interrogative pronoun Quid (“what”) is object of invenisti; prepositional phrase de cuncta substantia domus tuæ indicates the range of search, “of all the property of your house.”
Main Imperative Clause: pone hic coram fratribus meis et fratribus tuis — imperative pone (“place”) + adverb hic (“here”) + prepositional phrase coram fratribus (ablative of presence), doubled for parallelism.
Final Subjunctive Clause: et iudicent inter me et te — jussive subjunctive iudicent (“let them judge”) expressing request or challenge; inter me et te marks the parties in dispute.
Syntax Summary: The verse forms a sequence of escalating rhetoric: reproach (perfect questions) → demand for evidence (imperative) → invitation to arbitration (subjunctive clause).

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links this statement to previous context; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinating connector continuing Jacob’s speech.
  2. scrutatus — Lemma: scrutor; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: main verb in periphrastic construction with “es”; Translation: “having searched”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning; expresses completed examination.
  3. es — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: second person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary forming perfect tense with “scrutatus”; Translation: “you have”; Notes: Provides finite element for participial predicate.
  4. omnem — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “supellectilem”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of Jacob’s goods.
  5. supellectilem — Lemma: supellex, supellectilis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “scrutatus es”; Translation: “furniture, household goods”; Notes: Irregular declension noun used collectively.
  6. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “supellectilem”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive expressing ownership.
  7. Quid — Lemma: quis, quid; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “invenisti”; Translation: “what”; Notes: Neuter form used in direct question of object discovery.
  8. invenisti — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of question; Translation: “have you found”; Notes: Perfect indicates completed search.
  9. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: marks source or range; Translation: “of / from”; Notes: Common preposition introducing partitive phrase.
  10. cuncta — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “substantia”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes entirety of Laban’s possessions.
  11. substantia — Lemma: substantia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “property / substance”; Notes: Refers to wealth or assets of the household.
  12. domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying “substantia”; Translation: “of the house”; Notes: Fourth declension noun with feminine gender.
  13. tuæ — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: agrees with “domus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks possession by Laban.
  14. pone — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular present active imperative; Function: imperative of command; Translation: “set / place”; Notes: Strong imperative demanding evidence of guilt.
  15. hic — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “pone”; Translation: “here”; Notes: Refers to immediate physical presence of both parties.
  16. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes presence before witnesses; Translation: “before”; Notes: Legal and forensic nuance: before an assembly.
  17. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “coram”; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Denotes relatives or witnesses, not necessarily siblings.
  18. meis — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: agrees with “fratribus”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Distinguishes Jacob’s kin from Laban’s.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links coordinated prepositional phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Creates balanced parallelism.
  20. fratribus — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: second object of “coram”; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Parallel structure strengthens judicial imagery.
  21. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: agrees with second “fratribus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Laban’s family members or witnesses.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins imperative with subjunctive clause.
  23. iudicent — Lemma: iudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural present active subjunctive; Function: jussive subjunctive expressing appeal; Translation: “let them judge”; Notes: Expresses appeal to impartial witnesses for arbitration.
  24. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the two parties; Translation: “between”; Notes: Used in forensic contexts.
  25. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular first person; Function: first object of “inter”; Translation: “me”; Notes: One of the disputants (Jacob).
  26. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins the two parties; Translation: “and”; Notes: Basic coordinating conjunction.
  27. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular second person; Function: second object of “inter”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Laban, forming a balanced judicial pair.

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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