Genesis 34:16

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:16 tunc dabimus et accipiemus mutuo filias vestras, ac nostras: et habitabimus vobiscum, erimusque unus populus:

then we will give and take your daughters and ours in mutual exchange, and we will live with you, and we will be one people;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 tunc then ADV
2 dabimus we will give 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 et and CONJ
4 accipiemus we will receive / take 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
5 mutuo mutually / in exchange ADV
6 filias daughters ACC.PL.F
7 vestras your ACC.PL.F (ADJ)
8 ac and also CONJ
9 nostras ours ACC.PL.F (ADJ)
10 et and CONJ
11 habitabimus we will live 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
12 vobiscum with you ADV (PREP+PRON COMPOUND)
13 erimusque and we will be 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
14 unus one NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
15 populus people / nation NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: tunc dabimus et accipiemus mutuo filias vestras, ac nostras — “Then we will give and take your daughters and ours in mutual exchange.”
• Adverb: tunc — situates the promise in time, contingent upon circumcision.
• Verbs: dabimus and accipiemus — coordinated future indicatives expressing reciprocal action.
• Adverb: mutuo — modifies both verbs, emphasizing mutuality.
• Objects: filias vestras, ac nostras — the reciprocal exchange of daughters in marriage.

Coordinated Clause: et habitabimus vobiscum — “and we will live with you.”
• Verb: habitabimus — future indicative; denotes unity of settlement.
• Adverbial Compound: vobiscum — “with you,” emphasizing integration.

Final Clause: erimusque unus populus — “and we will be one people.”
• Verb: erimus — future of “sum,” forming a statement of unity.
• Predicate Nominative: unus populus — “one people,” expresses complete assimilation.

Morphology

  1. tunc — Lemma: tunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal marker; Translation: “then”; Notes: Indicates result following the fulfillment of prior condition (circumcision).
  2. dabimus — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future active indicative; Function: first main verb; Translation: “we will give”; Notes: Refers to giving their daughters in marriage.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects reciprocal actions.
  4. accipiemus — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future active indicative; Function: second main verb; Translation: “we will take / receive”; Notes: Denotes reciprocal taking of wives from Shechem’s people.
  5. mutuo — Lemma: mutuus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: derived from adjective; Function: adverbial modifier; Translation: “mutually / in exchange”; Notes: Highlights bilateral agreement of intermarriage.
  6. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “dabimus” and “accipiemus”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Represents intertribal exchange of women in covenant formation.
  7. vestras — Lemma: vester; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “filias”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to daughters of the Hivites.
  8. ac — Lemma: ac (atque); Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: strengthens coordination; Translation: “and also”; Notes: Adds emphasis to the reciprocal aspect of the proposal.
  9. nostras — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies “filias” (implied); Translation: “our”; Notes: Refers to the daughters of Jacob’s household.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects subsequent clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces consequence of shared covenant.
  11. habitabimus — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “we will live”; Notes: Implies coexistence and community integration.
  12. vobiscum — Lemma: cum + vos; Part of Speech: compound adverb/preposition; Form: adverbial phrase; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Contraction for “cum vobis,” idiomatic in classical and biblical Latin.
  13. erimusque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (with enclitic -que); Form: 1st person plural future active indicative; Function: introduces coordinated result; Translation: “and we will be”; Notes: Enclitic -que connects to previous clause, stressing unity.
  14. unus — Lemma: unus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “one”; Notes: Describes complete unity of peoples envisioned in covenant.
  15. populus — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject complement of “erimus”; Translation: “people”; Notes: Conveys full national and familial unification.

 

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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