Genesis 32:14

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:14 capras ducentas, hircos viginti, oves ducentas, et arietes viginti,

two hundred she-goats, twenty he-goats, two hundred ewes, and twenty rams,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 capras she-goats ACC.PL.F
2 ducentas two hundred ACC.PL.F.NUM
3 hircos he-goats ACC.PL.M
4 viginti twenty INDECL.NUM
5 oves ewes ACC.PL.F
6 ducentas two hundred ACC.PL.F.NUM
7 et and CONJ
8 arietes rams ACC.PL.M
9 viginti twenty INDECL.NUM

Syntax

Appositional List: The entire phrase is an enumeration of animals forming part of the gifts Jacob prepared for Esau. Each pair (capras ducentas, hircos viginti, oves ducentas, arietes viginti) functions as a noun phrase in the accusative plural, objects of the implicit verb dedit or separavit from the preceding context (Genesis 32:14).
Conjunction: et connects the final pair, marking the last item in the enumeration.

Morphology

  1. capras — Lemma: capra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object within the list of gifts; Translation: “she-goats”; Notes: Represents part of Jacob’s livestock offering to Esau.
  2. ducentas — Lemma: ducenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies capras; Translation: “two hundred”; Notes: Indicates large quantity, emphasizing wealth.
  3. hircos — Lemma: hircus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object in enumeration; Translation: “he-goats”; Notes: Offered alongside she-goats as breeding pairings.
  4. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies hircos; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: Numeral expressing smaller set compared to female livestock.
  5. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “ewes”; Notes: Denotes female sheep, valuable for wool and offspring.
  6. ducentas — Lemma: ducenti; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies oves; Translation: “two hundred”; Notes: Quantity mirrors that of capras to suggest symmetry in livestock offering.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins final item; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects oves ducentas and arietes viginti as part of continuous list.
  8. arietes — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: final item in enumeration; Translation: “rams”; Notes: Male sheep symbolizing strength and abundance.
  9. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies arietes; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: Numerical repetition emphasizes calculated balance of offerings.

 

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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