Genesis 32:22

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:22 Cumque mature surrexisset, tulit duas uxores suas, et totidem famulas cum undecim filiis, et transivit vadum Iaboc.

And when he had risen early, he took his two wives, and as many maidservants, with his eleven sons, and crossed the ford of the Iaboc.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when SUBORD.CONJ + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 mature early ADV
3 surrexisset had risen 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 tulit took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 duas two ACC.PL.F
6 uxores wives ACC.PL.F
7 suas his ACC.PL.F (REFL.POSS)
8 et and CONJ
9 totidem as many INDEF.NUM.INVAR
10 famulas maidservants ACC.PL.F
11 cum with PREP+ABL
12 undecim eleven NUM.INVAR
13 filiis sons ABL.PL.M
14 et and CONJ
15 transivit crossed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
16 vadum ford ACC.SG.N
17 Iaboc Jabbok GEN.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque mature surrexisset — subordinate clause using cum + pluperfect subjunctive to denote temporal circumstance, “and when he had risen early.”
Main Clause: tulit duas uxores suas et totidem famulas cum undecim filiis — main narrative clause, “he took his two wives, and as many maidservants, with his eleven sons.”
Conjunction: et — links elements in coordination.
Prepositional phrase: cum undecim filiis — ablative of accompaniment, “with eleven sons.”
Final Clause: et transivit vadum Iaboc — perfect indicative narrative clause, “and he crossed the ford of the Iabbok.”
Word Order: chronological and cumulative — rising, gathering, crossing.
Subject: implied Iacob (he).

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + que; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction + enclitic; Form: compound form; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “and when”; Notes: Combines sequence and subordination.
  2. mature — Lemma: mature; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “surrexisset”; Translation: “early”; Notes: Temporal adverb of promptness.
  3. surrexisset — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he had risen”; Notes: Subjunctive after cum expressing temporal nuance.
  4. tulit — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he took”; Notes: Irregular verb of carrying or taking.
  5. duas — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “uxores”; Translation: “two”; Notes: Feminine form agreeing with noun.
  6. uxores — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “tulit”; Translation: “wives”; Notes: Object of taking action.
  7. suas — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “uxores”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive referring to Jacob himself.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects noun phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  9. totidem — Lemma: totidem; Part of Speech: indeclinable numeral; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “famulas”; Translation: “as many”; Notes: Used to express numerical correspondence.
  10. famulas — Lemma: famula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “maidservants”; Notes: Servant women belonging to Jacob’s household.
  11. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Preposition of accompaniment or association.
  12. undecim — Lemma: undecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “filiis”; Translation: “eleven”; Notes: Cardinal numeral, unchanged in form.
  13. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Ablative of accompaniment.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins final verb phrase.
  15. transivit — Lemma: transeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “crossed”; Notes: Compound of trans + eo, indicating movement across.
  16. vadum — Lemma: vadum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “transivit”; Translation: “ford”; Notes: Refers to shallow crossing in a river.
  17. Iaboc — Lemma: Iaboc; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of the Iabbok”; Notes: Hebrew river name, indeclinable in Latin.

 

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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