Genesis 31:54

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:54 immolatisque victimis in monte, vocavit fratres suos ut ederent panem. Qui cum comedissent, manserunt ibi.

and after the victims had been sacrificed on the mountain, he called his brothers to eat bread. And when they had eaten, they stayed there.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 immolatisque and having been sacrificed PERFECT PASSIVE PARTICIPLE ABL.PL.N + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 victimis victims / offerings NOUN ABL.PL.F
3 in on / upon PREPOSITION + ABL
4 monte mountain NOUN ABL.SG.M
5 vocavit he called VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
6 fratres brothers NOUN ACC.PL.M
7 suos his POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ACC.PL.M
8 ut that / in order that CONJUNCTION PURPOSE
9 ederent they might eat VERB 3PL IMPERFECT ACTIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
10 panem bread NOUN ACC.SG.M
11 Qui who RELATIVE PRONOUN NOM.PL.M
12 cum when CONJUNCTION TEMPORAL
13 comedissent they had eaten VERB 3PL PLUPERFECT ACTIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
14 manserunt they remained VERB 3PL PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
15 ibi there ADVERB PLACE

Syntax

Ablative Absolute: immolatisque victimis — denotes temporal circumstance (“after the victims had been sacrificed”), with victimis as ablative noun and immolatis as perfect passive participle. The enclitic -que links this clause to the main action.
Main Clause: vocavit fratres suos ut ederent panem — verb vocavit governs the object fratres suos (“his brothers”) and introduces a purpose clause with ut + subjunctive ederent (“that they might eat”). panem is the direct object of ederent.
Relative Temporal Clause: Qui cum comedissent, manserunt ibi — the relative pronoun Qui resumes fratres suos; cum + pluperfect subjunctive comedissent expresses temporal sequence (“when they had eaten”); manserunt ibi concludes with the result action (“they remained there”).
Syntax Summary: The verse presents a ritual sequence: sacrifice → invitation → meal → dwelling. The structure moves from sacred act to fellowship, typical of covenantal confirmation scenes.

Morphology

  1. immolatisque — Lemma: immolo; Part of Speech: participle + enclitic; Form: ablative plural neuter perfect passive participle + enclitic -que; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “and after having been sacrificed”; Notes: Refers to completion of ritual offering.
  2. victimis — Lemma: victima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “victims / offerings”; Notes: Sacrificial animals offered in covenant ceremony.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “on / upon”; Notes: Locative preposition modifying “monte.”
  4. monte — Lemma: mons; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “mountain”; Notes: Site of covenant sacrifice.
  5. vocavit — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he called”; Notes: Action following sacrifice.
  6. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of “vocavit”; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Refers to covenant witnesses or kinsmen.
  7. suos — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: agrees with “fratres”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessive referring to Jacob.
  8. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive verb “ederent.”
  9. ederent — Lemma: edo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural imperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might eat”; Notes: Denotes purpose or intended action.
  10. panem — Lemma: panis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “ederent”; Translation: “bread”; Notes: Symbol of covenant fellowship.
  11. Qui — Lemma: qui, quæ, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “manserunt”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Resumes antecedent “fratres.”
  12. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Governs pluperfect subjunctive “comedissent.”
  13. comedissent — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “they had eaten”; Notes: Indicates action completed before “manserunt.”
  14. manserunt — Lemma: maneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “they remained”; Notes: Denotes continuation in place after ritual meal.
  15. ibi — Lemma: ibi; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverb of place; Translation: “there”; Notes: Refers to the mountain site of the covenant.

 

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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