Genesis 31:48

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:48 Dixitque Laban: Tumulus iste erit testis inter me et te hodie, et idcirco appellatum est nomen eius Galaad, id est, Tumulus testis.

And Laban said: “This mound shall be a witness between me and you today; therefore its name was called Galaad, that is, ‘Mound of Witness.’

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Laban Laban PROPER NOUN NOM.SG.M
3 Tumulus mound NOUN NOM.SG.M
4 iste this DEMONSTRATIVE PRONOUN NOM.SG.M
5 erit shall be VERB 3SG FUTURE ACTIVE INDICATIVE
6 testis witness NOUN NOM.SG.M (PREDICATE NOMINATIVE)
7 inter between PREPOSITION + ACC
8 me me PRONOUN ACC.SG.1
9 et and CONJUNCTION
10 te you PRONOUN ACC.SG.2
11 hodie today ADVERB TEMPORAL
12 et and CONJUNCTION
13 idcirco therefore ADVERB CAUSAL
14 appellatum was called VERB PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE NOM.SG.N
15 est is / was VERB 3SG PRESENT ACTIVE INDICATIVE (AUXILIARY)
16 nomen name NOUN NOM.SG.N
17 eius of it / its PRONOUN GEN.SG.M/N
18 Galaad Galeed PROPER NOUN NOM.SG.N (INDECLINABLE)
19 id that PRONOUN NOM.SG.N
20 est is VERB 3SG PRESENT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
21 Tumulus mound NOUN NOM.SG.M
22 testis witness NOUN GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque Laban — perfect verb dixit with enclitic -que connects with the preceding narrative; Laban is the nominative subject.
Direct Statement: Tumulus iste erit testis inter me et te hodie — Tumulus iste forms the subject (“this mound”); erit is the future copula; testis the predicate nominative (“a witness”); inter me et te indicates the covenant parties; hodie functions as a temporal adverb marking immediacy of witness.
Causal Clause: et idcirco appellatum est nomen eius Galaad — idcirco introduces reason (“therefore”); appellatum est (perfect passive) governs nomen eius (“its name”); Galaad serves as predicate noun.
Explanatory Apposition: id est, Tumulus testis — id est introduces interpretation, translating Galaad for Latin readers.
Syntax Summary: The verse is elegantly balanced: declaration → naming → interpretation. The future erit expresses enduring testimony, while the passive appellatum est indicates the formal establishment of a name linked to covenantal memory.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: introduces speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Narrative connector continuing covenant dialogue.
  2. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject; Translation: “Laban”; Notes: Speaker in covenant formula.
  3. Tumulus — Lemma: tumulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “erit”; Translation: “mound”; Notes: Physical marker of covenant.
  4. iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “tumulus”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Near demonstrative indicating visible object.
  5. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular future active indicative; Function: copula; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Denotes continuing role of witness.
  6. testis — Lemma: testis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “witness”; Notes: Legal metaphor in covenant context.
  7. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces relational phrase; Translation: “between”; Notes: Establishes relational parties of covenant.
  8. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular first person; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Laban’s side of the covenantal witness.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins parallel elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “me” and “te.”
  10. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular second person; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  11. hodie — Lemma: hodie; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “today”; Notes: Emphasizes immediacy of declaration.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links result clause.
  13. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: expresses causality; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces reason for naming.
  14. appellatum — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: predicate participle with “est”; Translation: “was called”; Notes: Passive voice emphasizes result of naming.
  15. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: auxiliary verb with participle; Translation: “is / was”; Notes: Auxiliary forming perfect passive.
  16. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “appellatum est”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Denotes the designation of the monument.
  17. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine/neuter; Function: possessive genitive modifying “nomen”; Translation: “of it / its”; Notes: Refers to the mound.
  18. Galaad — Lemma: Galaad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular neuter (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Galaad”; Notes: Hebraic toponym meaning “Mound of Witness.”
  19. id — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces gloss or explanation.
  20. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula of explanatory clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: Used in translation formula “id est.”
  21. Tumulus — Lemma: tumulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of implied “est”; Translation: “mound”; Notes: Part of translation gloss.
  22. testis — Lemma: testis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of witness”; Notes: Provides meaning of “Galaad.”

 

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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