Genesis 34:24

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:24 Assensique sunt omnes, circumcisis cunctis maribus.

And they all agreed, after all the males had been circumcised.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Assensique and they agreed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 sunt were 3PL.PRES.IND.AUX
3 omnes all ADJ.NOM.PL.M
4 circumcisis having been circumcised PERF.PASS.PTCP.ABL.PL.M
5 cunctis all ADJ.ABL.PL.M
6 maribus males NOUN.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Assensique sunt omnes — subject omnes with compound verb assensique sunt (“and they all agreed”).
Ablative Absolute: circumcisis cunctis maribus — expresses temporal or causal circumstance (“after all the males had been circumcised”).

Morphology

  1. Assensique — Lemma: assentior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Perfect indicative active (deponent in form), 3rd person plural, with enclitic -que; Function: Main verb; Translation: “and they agreed”; Notes: The enclitic -que links this clause with the preceding statement.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: Present indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary for perfect deponent; Translation: “were”; Notes: Used with deponent perfect form to form compound tense.
  3. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective (used substantively); Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject of assensique sunt; Translation: “all”; Notes: Refers to the entire group in agreement.
  4. circumcisis — Lemma: circumcido; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, ablative plural masculine; Function: Part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been circumcised”; Notes: Denotes completed action prior to the main clause.
  5. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Modifies maribus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes totality within the ablative absolute phrase.
  6. maribus — Lemma: mas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Ablative in ablative absolute construction; Translation: “males”; Notes: Refers specifically to male individuals who underwent circumcision.

 

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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