Genesis 33:16

Posted on January 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:16 Reversus est itaque illo die Esau itinere quo venerat in Seir.

So Esau returned that day by the way by which he had come to Seir.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Reversus having returned PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
2 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 itaque therefore / so CONJ
4 illo that ABL.SG.M (DEMONS.PRON)
5 die day ABL.SG.M
6 Esau Esau NOM.SG.M (PROPN)
7 itinere by the way ABL.SG.N
8 quo by which ABL.SG.N (REL.PRON)
9 venerat he had come 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
10 in to / into PREP+ACC
11 Seir Seir ACC.SG (PROPN.INDECL)

Syntax

Main Clause: Reversus est itaque illo die Esau — “So Esau returned that day.”
• Verb: Reversus est — perfect passive form (deponent sense) meaning “he returned.”
• Subject: Esau — nominative, agent of the action.
• Adverbial Phrase: illo die — ablative of time, “that day.”
• Conjunction: itaque — introduces conclusion or result, linking narrative flow.

Relative Clause: itinere quo venerat in Seir — “by the way by which he had come to Seir.”
• Noun: itinere — ablative of means, indicating the path.
• Relative Pronoun: quo — ablative, referring to “itinere.”
• Verb: venerat — pluperfect, denoting prior action of coming.
• Prepositional Phrase: in Seir — destination of Esau’s travel.

Morphology

  1. Reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle form); Form: perfect participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: main verb in compound perfect; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning; often combined with “est.”
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary with participle; Translation: “has / was”; Notes: Forms compound perfect with “Reversus.”
  3. itaque — Lemma: itaque; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces result; Translation: “therefore / so”; Notes: Links the verse with preceding reconciliation narrative.
  4. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “die”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Emphasizes specific time frame.
  5. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of time when; Translation: “day”; Notes: Temporal complement of “Reversus est.”
  6. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Proper name, indeclinable in Latin usage.
  7. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “by the way”; Notes: Describes route of return.
  8. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause modifying “itinere”; Translation: “by which”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with antecedent “itinere.”
  9. venerat — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had come”; Notes: Expresses action preceding return.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates destination; Translation: “to / into”; Notes: Governs place to which motion occurs.
  11. Seir — Lemma: Seir; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Seir”; Notes: Refers to Esau’s territory in Edom.

 

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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