Genesis 33:13

Posted on February 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:13 Dixitque Iacob: Nosti domine mi quod parvulos habeam teneros, et oves, et boves fœtas mecum: quas si plus in ambulando fecero laborare, morientur una die cuncti greges.

And Jacob said: “You know, my lord, that I have little children who are tender, and sheep and cattle with young are with me; if I make them labor more in walking, all the flocks will die in one day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
3 Nosti you know 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 domine lord VOC.SG.M
5 mi my VOC.SG.M (POSS.ADJ)
6 quod that / because CONJ
7 parvulos little children ACC.PL.M
8 habeam I have 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
9 teneros tender ACC.PL.M (ADJ)
10 et and CONJ
11 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
12 et and CONJ
13 boves cattle / oxen ACC.PL.M
14 fœtas pregnant / with young ACC.PL.F (ADJ)
15 mecum with me PREP (CUM) + 1SG.ABL.PRON
16 quas which ACC.PL.F (REL.PRON)
17 si if COND.CONJ
18 plus more ADV.COMP
19 in in / during PREP+ABL
20 ambulando in walking GERUND (ABL)
21 fecero I make / cause 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
22 laborare to labor / to toil PRES.ACT.INF
23 morientur they will die 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND
24 una together / at once ADV
25 die day ABL.SG.F
26 cuncti all NOM.PL.M (ADJ)
27 greges flocks NOM.PL.M

Syntax

Introductory Clause: Dixitque Iacob — “And Jacob said.”
• Verb: Dixitque — perfect tense with enclitic “-que,” introduces direct speech.
• Subject: Iacob — nominative, the speaker.

Main Clause: Nosti domine mi quod parvulos habeam teneros — “You know, my lord, that I have little children who are tender.”
• Verb: Nosti — perfect indicative, “you know.”
• Vocative Phrase: domine mi — “my lord,” term of deference.
• Subordinate Clause: quod habeam — subjunctive of indirect statement.
• Object: parvulos teneros — “tender children.”

Coordinate Clause: et oves et boves fœtas mecum — “and sheep and cattle with young are with me.”
• Subject: oves, boves — accusatives governed by implied “esse.”
• Adjective: fœtas — “pregnant,” modifying both.
• Prepositional Phrase: mecum — “with me.”

Conditional Clause: quas si plus in ambulando fecero laborare — “which, if I make labor more in walking.”
• Conditional Particle: si — introduces condition.
• Verb: fecero laborare — future perfect + infinitive construction “to make work.”
• Gerund: in ambulando — ablative of manner, “in walking.”

Result Clause: morientur una die cuncti greges — “all the flocks will die in one day.”
• Verb: morientur — deponent, future indicative.
• Adverb: una — “together,” emphasizes simultaneity.
• Subject: cuncti greges — “all the flocks.”

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “and said”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” joins this clause to the preceding context.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “dixit”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Speaker addressing Esau with humility and reasoning.
  3. Nosti — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “you know”; Notes: Perfect form expressing present awareness (“you know well”).
  4. domine — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: term of address; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Used reverently toward Esau as superior.
  5. mi — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: vocative singular masculine; Function: modifies “domine”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Vocative form expressing courtesy and affection.
  6. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces indirect statement after verb of knowing; Translation: “that”; Notes: Marks the content of knowledge.
  7. parvulos — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: noun (diminutive); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “habeam”; Translation: “little children”; Notes: Indicates Jacob’s young dependents, needing protection.
  8. habeam — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, 1st singular; Function: verb in indirect statement; Translation: “I have”; Notes: Subjunctive dependent on “quod.”
  9. teneros — Lemma: tener; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “parvulos”; Translation: “tender / delicate”; Notes: Describes children’s fragility, stressing Jacob’s concern.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects “oves” and “boves”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinating conjunction joining related nouns.
  11. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object within implied “esse”; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Refers to part of Jacob’s livestock.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins “boves” to “oves”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination of two animal groups.
  13. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: parallel object; Translation: “cattle / oxen”; Notes: Refers to domesticated herd animals.
  14. fœtas — Lemma: fœta; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “oves” and “boves”; Translation: “with young / pregnant”; Notes: Emphasizes physical vulnerability of the herds.
  15. mecum — Lemma: cum + ego; Part of Speech: preposition + pronoun; Form: “cum” with ablative singular pronoun; Function: prepositional phrase; Translation: “with me”; Notes: Enclitic placement of “cum” is idiomatic Latin.
  16. quas — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: introduces subordinate clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the flocks (“oves” and “boves”).
  17. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks protasis of conditional clause.
  18. plus — Lemma: plus; Part of Speech: adverb (comparative); Form: invariable; Function: modifies “laborare”; Translation: “more”; Notes: Expresses excess or degree of exertion.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates circumstance; Translation: “in / during”; Notes: Used with gerund “ambulando.”
  20. ambulando — Lemma: ambulo; Part of Speech: gerund; Form: ablative singular; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: “in walking”; Notes: Describes activity causing strain to flocks.
  21. fecero — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, 1st singular; Function: main verb in conditional clause; Translation: “I will have made / cause”; Notes: Future perfect anticipates result of action.
  22. laborare — Lemma: laboro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive with “fecero”; Translation: “to labor / to toil”; Notes: Expresses causative result.
  23. morientur — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “they will die”; Notes: Deponent in form but active in meaning.
  24. una — Lemma: una; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverb of manner or time; Translation: “together / at once”; Notes: Stresses simultaneity of calamity.
  25. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “in one day”; Notes: Specifies the temporal limit of the event.
  26. cuncti — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies “greges”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of the herds.
  27. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “morientur”; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers to all livestock groups under Jacob’s care.

 

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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