Genesis 32:32

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:32 Quam ob causam non comedunt nervum filii Israel, qui emarcuit in femore Iacob, usque in præsentem diem: eo quod tetigerit nervum femoris eius, et obstupuerit.

For this reason the sons of Israel do not eat the nerve that shrank in the thigh of Jacob, even to this present day, because he had touched the nerve of his thigh and it became numbed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quam which / for which REL.PRON/ACC.SG.F
2 ob on account of PREP+ACC
3 causam reason ACC.SG.F
4 non not ADV
5 comedunt they eat 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
6 nervum nerve ACC.SG.M
7 filii sons NOM.PL.M
8 Israel Israel GEN.SG (PROPN.INDECL)
9 qui which / who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
10 emarcuit withered / shrank 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 in in PREP+ABL
12 femore thigh ABL.SG.N
13 Iacob Jacob GEN.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
14 usque up to PREP+ACC
15 in into / until PREP+ACC
16 præsentem present ACC.SG.M
17 diem day ACC.SG.M
18 eo for that (reason) ABL.SG.N (DEM.PRON)
19 quod because CONJ
20 tetigerit he had touched 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
21 nervum nerve ACC.SG.M
22 femoris of the thigh GEN.SG.N
23 eius his GEN.SG.M (POSS.PRON)
24 et and CONJ
25 obstupuerit it became numbed 3SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Quam ob causam non comedunt nervum filii Israel — “For which reason the sons of Israel do not eat the nerve.”
• Quam ob causam — idiomatic causal phrase, literally “on account of which reason.”
• Subject: filii Israel — nominative plural, “sons of Israel.”
• Verb: non comedunt — present indicative negative, “they do not eat.”
• Object: nervum — direct object of “comedunt.”

Relative Clause: qui emarcuit in femore Iacob — “which shrank in the thigh of Jacob.”
• Verb: emarcuit — perfect, describing completed past event.
• Location: in femore Iacob — ablative of place within.

Temporal Extension: usque in præsentem diem — “until this present day.”

Causal Clause: eo quod tetigerit nervum femoris eius et obstupuerit — “because he had touched the nerve of his thigh and it became numbed.”
• Eo quod — fixed expression meaning “because.”
• Verb 1: tetigerit — perfect subjunctive, subordinate clause of cause.
• Verb 2: obstupuerit — perfect subjunctive, coordinated with “tetigerit.”
• Objects: nervum femoris eius — “the nerve of his thigh.”

Morphology

  1. Quam — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ob causam”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces causal phrase.
  2. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses reason or cause; Translation: “on account of”; Notes: Part of idiom “ob causam.”
  3. causam — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ob”; Translation: “reason”; Notes: With “ob” expresses “for this reason.”
  4. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: negation; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates verb “comedunt.”
  5. comedunt — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they eat”; Notes: Ongoing custom or law.
  6. nervum — Lemma: nervus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “nerve”; Notes: Object of dietary prohibition.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers collectively to Israelites.
  8. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: possessive; Translation: “of Israel”; Notes: Genitive of possession.
  9. qui — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “emarcuit”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “nervum.”
  10. emarcuit — Lemma: emarcesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “withered”; Notes: Indicates physical degeneration.
  11. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks place of action.
  12. femore — Lemma: femur; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “in the thigh”; Notes: Place where the nerve shrank.
  13. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Jacob”; Notes: Denotes whose thigh was affected.
  14. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates continuity; Translation: “up to”; Notes: Combined with “in” forms “until.”
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: motion toward; Translation: “into,” “until”; Notes: Completes phrase “usque in.”
  16. præsentem — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “diem”; Translation: “present”; Notes: Temporal modifier.
  17. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “day”; Notes: Temporal endpoint phrase “until this present day.”
  18. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of cause; Translation: “for that”; Notes: Introduces causal clause.
  19. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces causal subordinate clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Joins cause and effect.
  20. tetigerit — Lemma: tango; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: verb in causal clause; Translation: “he had touched”; Notes: Refers to divine contact with Jacob’s thigh.
  21. nervum — Lemma: nervus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “tetigerit”; Translation: “nerve”; Notes: Repetition emphasizes anatomical detail.
  22. femoris — Lemma: femur; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the thigh”; Notes: Specifies the location of the nerve.
  23. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “femoris”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordinates verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links “tetigerit” with “obstupuerit.”
  25. obstupuerit — Lemma: obstupesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: coordinated verb; Translation: “it became numbed”; Notes: Depicts physical consequence of divine touch.

 

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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