Genesis 33:7

Posted on February 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:7 Accessit quoque Lia cum pueris suis: et cum similiter adorassent, extremi Ioseph et Rachel adoraverunt.

And likewise Lia came forward with her children; and when they had bowed in the same way, last of all Joseph and Rachel bowed down.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Accessit came near / approached 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 quoque also / likewise ADV
3 Lia Leah NOM.SG.F (PROPN.INDECL)
4 cum with PREP+ABL
5 pueris children / sons ABL.PL.M
6 suis her ABL.PL.M (REFL.POSS.ADJ)
7 et and CONJ
8 cum when / as CONJ (TEMPORAL)
9 similiter in like manner / likewise ADV
10 adorassent had bowed / worshiped 3PL.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
11 extremi last / those at the end NOM.PL.M (ADJ)
12 Ioseph Joseph NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
13 et and CONJ
14 Rachel Rachel NOM.SG.F (PROPN.INDECL)
15 adoraverunt they bowed / worshiped 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Clause 1: Accessit quoque Lia cum pueris suis — “And likewise Lia came forward with her children.”
• Verb: Accessit — perfect tense, expresses completed motion.
• Subject: Lia — nominative proper noun, agent of the action.
• Adverb: quoque — “also,” marks continuation in order of approach.
• Prepositional Phrase: cum pueris suis — “with her children,” ablative of accompaniment.

Clause 2: et cum similiter adorassent — “and when they had bowed in the same way.”
• Conjunction: cum — temporal, introducing subordinate clause.
• Adverb: similiter — indicates resemblance to the previous gestures of homage.
• Verb: adorassent — pluperfect subjunctive, expressing completed prior action.

Main Clause 3: extremi Ioseph et Rachel adoraverunt — “last of all Joseph and Rachel bowed down.”
• Adjective: extremi — nominative plural, “those last.”
• Subjects: Ioseph et Rachel — compound subject following adjective.
• Verb: adoraverunt — perfect tense, concluding the sequential reverence.

Morphology

  1. Accessit — Lemma: accedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “came near”; Notes: Marks Leah’s approach after the handmaids.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: additive marker; Translation: “also”; Notes: Indicates continuation of pattern.
  3. Lia — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Leah”; Notes: Name of Jacob’s wife, from Hebrew לֵאָה (Leʾah).
  4. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Used with “pueris suis.”
  5. pueris — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “cum”; Translation: “children / sons”; Notes: Refers to Leah’s sons.
  6. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “pueris”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Reflects possession by Leah.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links subordinate clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the subsequent temporal clause.
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: temporal conjunction; Translation: “when”; Notes: Introduces pluperfect subjunctive clause.
  9. similiter — Lemma: similiter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “adorassent”; Translation: “in the same way”; Notes: Denotes identical action to others before them.
  10. adorassent — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive, 3rd plural; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “had bowed”; Notes: Indicates action completed before the final group’s approach.
  11. extremi — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicative adjective modifying “Ioseph et Rachel”; Translation: “last”; Notes: Denotes final position in sequence of homage.
  12. Ioseph — Lemma: Ioseph; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Joseph”; Notes: Youngest son present, paired with his mother Rachel.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins compound subject; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Joseph with Rachel.
  14. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject with Joseph; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: Jacob’s beloved wife, accompanying last.
  15. adoraverunt — Lemma: adoro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they bowed”; Notes: Marks final act of reverence, closing this sequence of homage.

 

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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