Genesis 32:30

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:30 Vocavitque Iacob nomen loci illius Phanuel, dicens: Vidi Deum facie ad faciem, et salva facta est anima mea.

And Jacob called the name of that place Phanuel, saying: “I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Vocavitque and he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
3 nomen name ACC.SG.N
4 loci of the place GEN.SG.M
5 illius of that GEN.SG.M (DEM.PRON)
6 Phanuel Peniel ACC.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
7 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
8 Vidi I saw 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 Deum God ACC.SG.M
10 facie by face ABL.SG.F
11 ad to PREP+ACC
12 faciem face ACC.SG.F
13 et and CONJ
14 salva safe NOM.SG.F (ADJ)
15 facta made NOM.SG.F (PERF.PTCP.PASS)
16 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
17 anima soul NOM.SG.F
18 mea my NOM.SG.F (POSS.ADJ)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Vocavitque Iacob nomen loci illius Phanuel — “And Jacob called the name of that place Phanuel.”
• Subject: Iacob — nominative, subject of “Vocavitque.”
• Verb: Vocavitque — perfect indicative with enclitic -que linking to prior narrative.
• Object Phrase: nomen loci illius — “the name of that place,” with loci illius as genitive of specification.
• Predicate Accusative: Phanuel — name given to the place.

Participial Clause: dicens — “saying,” introducing direct quotation.

Direct Speech Clause 1: Vidi Deum facie ad faciem — “I have seen God face to face.”
• Verb: Vidi — perfect, indicates completed perception.
• Object: Deum — accusative, direct object.
• Idiomatic Expression: facie ad faciem — ablative and accusative forming idiom “face to face.”

Coordinate Clause: et salva facta est anima mea — “and my soul has been saved.”
• Verb Phrase: facta est — perfect passive construction.
• Subject: anima mea — nominative; salva as predicate adjective.
• Meaning: emphasizes Jacob’s survival of the divine encounter.

Morphology

  1. Vocavitque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb of naming; Translation: “and he called”; Notes: -que connects this verse with the preceding narrative.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject of “Vocavitque”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Hebrew name, uninflected in Latin.
  3. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object; Translation: “name”; Notes: Object of the act of naming.
  4. loci — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of the place”; Notes: Modifies “nomen.”
  5. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “loci”; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Indicates distance in reference.
  6. Phanuel — Lemma: Phanuel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate accusative; Translation: “Phanuel”; Notes: Derived from Hebrew Penuel, “Face of God.”
  7. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces quotation; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Expresses simultaneous verbal action.
  8. Vidi — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 1st singular; Function: main verb of declaration; Translation: “I saw”; Notes: Marks completed perception of divine presence.
  9. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “God”; Notes: Object of visual perception.
  10. facie — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of respect or manner; Translation: “by face”; Notes: First part of idiomatic expression “facie ad faciem.”
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses relation; Translation: “to”; Notes: Completes idiom “face to face.”
  12. faciem — Lemma: facies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “face”; Notes: Completes idiom expressing direct divine encounter.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates following clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the two parts of Jacob’s statement.
  14. salva — Lemma: salvus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “safe”; Notes: Agrees with “anima.”
  15. facta — Lemma: fio; Part of Speech: participle (perfect passive of facio); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “made”; Notes: Completes periphrastic passive “facta est.”
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary in perfect passive; Translation: “is/has been”; Notes: Forms compound perfect with “facta.”
  17. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “soul”; Notes: Represents Jacob’s life or self preserved by God.
  18. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “anima”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Denotes possession or self-reference.

 

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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