Genesis 32:5

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

5 Habeo boves, et asinos, et oves, et servos, et ancillas: mittoque nunc legationem ad dominum meum, ut inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo.

I have oxen, and donkeys, and sheep, and male servants, and female servants; and now I send a message to my lord, that I may find favor in your sight.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habeo I have 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
2 boves oxen ACC.PL.M
3 et and CONJ
4 asinos donkeys ACC.PL.M
5 et and CONJ
6 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 servos male servants ACC.PL.M
9 et and CONJ
10 ancillas female servants ACC.PL.F
11 mittoque and I send 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND+QUE
12 nunc now ADV
13 legationem message/embassy ACC.SG.F
14 ad to/toward PREP+ACC
15 dominum lord ACC.SG.M
16 meum my ACC.SG.M
17 ut that/in order that SCONJ
18 inveniam I may find 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 gratiam favor ACC.SG.F
20 in in PREP+ABL
21 conspectu sight/presence ABL.SG.M
22 tuo your ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Habeo boves et asinos et oves et servos et ancillas — implied subject “I”; Habeo governs a coordinated series of direct objects.
Main Clause 2 (coordinated by -que): mittoque nunc legationem — mitto with enclitic “-que” links to the prior clause; legationem is direct object; nunc is an adverb.
Prepositional Phrase (recipient): ad dominum meum — goal of the sending expressed with ad + accusative.
Purpose Clause: ut inveniam gratiam in conspectu tuo — ut introduces purpose; verb inveniam in the present subjunctive; gratiam is its object; in conspectu tuo is a prepositional phrase (“in your sight”).

Morphology

  1. Habeo — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of possession; Translation: “I have”; Notes: Simple present denoting current ownership.
  2. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Habeo; Translation: “oxen”; Notes: Livestock enumerated as property.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Repeated for rhythmic listing.
  4. asinos — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Pack animals indicating wealth.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the series.
  6. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Flock animals.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links final pairs.
  8. servos — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “male servants”; Notes: Household personnel.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins last coordinated item.
  10. ancillas — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “female servants”; Notes: Paired with servos for completeness.
  11. mittoque — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: “and I send”; Notes: -que coordinates with the preceding clause.
  12. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial modifier of mittoque; Translation: “now”; Notes: Marks immediacy of the action.
  13. legationem — Lemma: legatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of mitto; Translation: “message/embassy”; Notes: Formal term for a diplomatic message.
  14. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the goal/recipient; Translation: “to/toward”; Notes: Motion towards a person.
  15. dominum — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Courtesy title for Esau (human, not YHWH).
  16. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies dominum; Translation: “my”; Notes: Signals deference.
  17. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: introduces a purpose clause with the subjunctive; Function: marks intended outcome; Translation: “that/in order that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive inveniam.
  18. inveniam — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active subjunctive; Function: verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “I may find”; Notes: Subjunctive of purpose.
  19. gratiam — Lemma: gratia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of inveniam; Translation: “favor”; Notes: Standard biblical idiom “find favor.”
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative here; Function: introduces a locative/prepositional phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: With ablative indicates location/state.
  21. conspectu — Lemma: conspectus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “sight/presence”; Notes: Ablative of place within metaphorical domain.
  22. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies conspectu; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Esau as addressee.

 

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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