Genesis 31:39

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:39 nec captum a bestia ostendi tibi, ego damnum omne reddebam: quidquid furto peribat, a me exigebas:

neither did I show to you what was taken by a beast; I myself repaid every loss. Whatever was stolen, you required it from me.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 nec nor / neither CONJUNCTION NEGATIVE
2 captum seized / taken PERFECT PARTICIPLE ACC.SG.N
3 a by PREPOSITION + ABL
4 bestia beast NOUN ABL.SG.F
5 ostendi I showed VERB 1SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
6 tibi to you PRONOUN DAT.SG.2
7 ego I PRONOUN NOM.SG.1
8 damnum loss NOUN ACC.SG.N
9 omne every ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.N
10 reddebam I repaid VERB 1SG IMPERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
11 quidquid whatever INDEFINITE RELATIVE PRONOUN NOM/ACC.SG.N
12 furto by theft NOUN ABL.SG.N
13 peribat was perishing / was lost VERB 3SG IMPERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
14 a from / by PREPOSITION + ABL
15 me me PRONOUN ABL.SG.1
16 exigebas you demanded VERB 2SG IMPERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE

Syntax

First Clause: nec captum a bestia ostendi tibi — negative statement: nec (nor) introduces the clause; captum (accusative neuter, object of “ostendi”) + a bestia (ablative of agent) express “what was taken by a beast.” ostendi is the perfect active first person verb (“I showed”), governing dative tibi (“to you”).
Second Clause: ego damnum omne reddebam — ego emphasizes the subject; damnum omne (“every loss”) functions as direct object of reddebam (imperfect tense, repeated past action).
Third Clause: quidquid furto peribat, a me exigebas — indefinite relative quidquid introduces a general condition (“whatever was lost by theft”), with furto (ablative of means) and peribat (imperfect indicating ongoing vulnerability). The main clause a me exigebas uses ablative of source and the imperfect of exigo (“you used to demand”).
Syntax Summary: The verse forms a triadic argument of faithful service: Jacob neither concealed loss, bore restitution personally, nor escaped unfair demands from Laban.

Morphology

  1. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: negative coordinator continuing from previous clause; Translation: “nor / neither”; Notes: Extends negative sequence of Jacob’s defense.
  2. captum — Lemma: capio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle accusative singular neuter; Function: substantive used as object of “ostendi”; Translation: “what was taken”; Notes: Refers to stolen or devoured livestock.
  3. a — Lemma: a / ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates agent of action; Translation: “by”; Notes: Introduces the agent “bestia.”
  4. bestia — Lemma: bestia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agent of the passive idea “captum”; Translation: “beast”; Notes: Wild animal responsible for the loss.
  5. ostendi — Lemma: ostendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “I showed”; Notes: Perfect tense refers to completed past action.
  6. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular second person; Function: indirect object of “ostendi”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Laban.
  7. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular first person; Function: explicit subject emphasizing personal responsibility; Translation: “I”; Notes: Reinforces Jacob’s integrity.
  8. damnum — Lemma: damnum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “reddebam”; Translation: “loss”; Notes: Refers to economic damage compensated by Jacob.
  9. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “damnum”; Translation: “every”; Notes: Emphasizes completeness of restitution.
  10. reddebam — Lemma: reddo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “I repaid”; Notes: Imperfect tense shows habitual past action of reimbursement.
  11. quidquid — Lemma: quisquis; Part of Speech: indefinite relative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause of general reference; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: Used absolutely with general sense “anything that.”
  12. furto — Lemma: furtum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by theft”; Notes: Describes cause or means of loss.
  13. peribat — Lemma: pereo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “was perishing / was lost”; Notes: Imperfect emphasizes repeated or continual danger of theft.
  14. a — Lemma: a / ab; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source of demand; Translation: “from”; Notes: Used with verbs of asking or demanding.
  15. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular first person; Function: object of “a” with “exigebas”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Emphasizes unfair personal accountability.
  16. exigebas — Lemma: exigo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “you demanded”; Notes: Imperfect denotes ongoing or customary expectation imposed by Laban.

 

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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