Genesis 32:7

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:7 Timuit Iacob valde: et perterritus divisit populum qui secum erat, greges quoque et oves et boves, et camelos in duas turmas,

And Jacob was greatly afraid; and being terrified, he divided the people that were with him, and also the flocks and the sheep and the oxen and the camels into two companies,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Timuit he feared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
3 valde greatly ADV
4 et and CONJ
5 perterritus terrified NOM.SG.M.PERF.PTCP
6 divisit he divided 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 populum people ACC.SG.M
8 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL
9 secum with him ABL.SG.M+REFL
10 erat was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
11 greges flocks ACC.PL.M
12 quoque also ADV
13 et and CONJ
14 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
15 et and CONJ
16 boves oxen ACC.PL.M
17 et and CONJ
18 camelos camels ACC.PL.M
19 in into PREP+ACC
20 duas two ACC.PL.F
21 turmas companies/groups ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Timuit Iacob valde — verb Timuit is the main predicate with subject Iacob; valde is an adverb modifying the verb, expressing degree.
Main Clause 2: et perterritus divisit populum — participle perterritus expresses cause or accompanying circumstance (“being terrified”), modifying the subject; divisit is the main verb; populum is its direct object.
Relative Clause: qui secum erat — describes populum; qui as relative pronoun is subject; secum erat forms predicate “was with him.”
Object Series: greges quoque et oves et boves et camelos — series of coordinated nouns joined by et and quoque meaning “also.”
Prepositional Phrase: in duas turmas — expresses result of division (“into two groups”).

Morphology

  1. Timuit — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he feared”; Notes: Perfect tense marking completed fear event.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Timuit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Latinized Hebrew name Yaʿaqov.
  3. valde — Lemma: valde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of degree; Translation: “greatly”; Notes: Intensifies Timuit.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential actions.
  5. perterritus — Lemma: perterreo; Part of Speech: perfect passive participle; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: adverbial participle describing state of subject; Translation: “terrified”; Notes: Indicates emotional condition causing subsequent action.
  6. divisit — Lemma: divido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “he divided”; Notes: Perfective aspect indicating completed division.
  7. populum — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of divisit; Translation: “people”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s household and attendants.
  8. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers back to populum.
  9. secum — Lemma: se + cum; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun with preposition; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: prepositional phrase “with himself”; Translation: “with him”; Notes: Reflexive pronoun agrees with subject Jacob.
  10. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular imperfect active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Continuous state of being.
  11. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of divisit; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers to animal herds.
  12. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: additive particle; Translation: “also”; Notes: Adds emphasis to enumeration.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinated nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connective repetition typical of enumerations.
  14. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: coordinated object; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Adds to Jacob’s possessions.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential list continuation.
  16. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “oxen”; Notes: Part of livestock divided.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Final conjunction joining last item.
  18. camelos — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: coordinated object; Translation: “camels”; Notes: Denotes wealth and transport animals.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces destination phrase; Translation: “into”; Notes: Expresses resulting division.
  20. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies turmas; Translation: “two”; Notes: Cardinal number showing partition.
  21. turmas — Lemma: turma; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “companies” or “groups”; Notes: Military term metaphorically applied to divided camps.

 

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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