Genesis 32:26

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:26 Dixitque ad eum: Dimitte me, iam enim ascendit aurora. Respondit: Non dimittam te, nisi benedixeris mihi.

And he said to him: “Let me go, for now the dawn has risen.” He replied: “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 eum him ACC.SG.M (PRON)
4 Dimitte let go 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
5 me me ACC.SG (PRON)
6 iam now, already ADV
7 enim for CONJ
8 ascendit has risen 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 aurora dawn NOM.SG.F
10 Respondit he replied 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Non not ADV
12 dimittam I will let go 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
13 te you ACC.SG (PRON)
14 nisi unless CONJ
15 benedixeris you bless 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
16 mihi me DAT.SG (PRON)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque ad eum — “And he said to him,” introducing direct speech.
Direct Speech Clause 1: Dimitte me, iam enim ascendit aurora — imperative request followed by causal clause.
• Main verb: Dimitte — imperative, direct command.
• Object: me — direct object of the imperative.
• Causal Clause: iam enim ascendit aurora — “for now the dawn has risen,” perfect tense expressing completed action.

Main Clause 2: Respondit — introduces Jacob’s reply.
Direct Speech Clause 2: Non dimittam te, nisi benedixeris mihi — a negated future statement with conditional clause.
• Verb: dimittam — future indicative expressing determination.
• Conditional Clause: nisi benedixeris mihi — future perfect indicating prior or prerequisite action: “unless you bless me.”
• Word Order: contrastive and emphatic; Jacob’s resistance highlighted through negation first (Non dimittam).

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: -que connects the action with the previous verse.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Common with verbs of speaking.
  3. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  4. Dimitte — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “let go”; Notes: Imperative used to urge release.
  5. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “Dimitte”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Reflexive object of the imperative.
  6. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “now, already”; Notes: Marks the dawn’s arrival as the reason for departure.
  7. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces explanation; Translation: “for”; Notes: Postpositive causal connector.
  8. ascendit — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “has risen”; Notes: Perfect expressing completed dawn.
  9. aurora — Lemma: aurora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “ascendit”; Translation: “dawn”; Notes: Personified or natural subject.
  10. Respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: introduces reply; Translation: “he replied”; Notes: Common in dialogue narrative.
  11. Non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negates verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Precedes the finite verb for emphasis.
  12. dimittam — Lemma: dimitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 1st singular; Function: main verb of response; Translation: “I will let go”; Notes: Indicates firm future resolve.
  13. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of “dimittam”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to the divine man.
  14. nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces exception or condition; Translation: “unless”; Notes: Conditional conjunction of exclusion.
  15. benedixeris — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: verb of condition; Translation: “you bless”; Notes: Future perfect expresses an action that must occur before the main verb “dimittam.”
  16. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “benedixeris”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Dative of advantage, expressing the recipient of blessing.

 

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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