Genesis 34:25

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:25 Et ecce, die tertio quando gravissimus vulnerum dolor est: arreptis, duo filii Iacob, Simeon et Levi fratres Dinæ, gladiis, ingressi sunt urbem confidenter: interfectisque omnibus masculis,

And behold, on the third day, when the pain of the wounds was very severe, taking their swords, the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, brothers of Dina, entered the city confidently, and after killing all the males,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 ecce behold INTERJ
3 die on the day NOUN.ABL.SG.F
4 tertio third ADJ.ABL.SG.M
5 quando when CONJ
6 gravissimus very severe ADJ.NOM.SG.M.SUPERL
7 vulnerum of wounds NOUN.GEN.PL.N
8 dolor pain NOUN.NOM.SG.M
9 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
10 arreptis having taken PERF.PASS.PTCP.ABL.PL.M
11 duo two NUM.NOM.PL.M
12 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
13 Iacob of Jacob NOUN.GEN.SG.M
14 Simeon Simeon NOUN.NOM.SG.M
15 et and CONJ
16 Levi Levi NOUN.NOM.SG.M
17 fratres brothers NOUN.NOM.PL.M
18 Dinæ of Dinah NOUN.GEN.SG.F
19 gladiis with swords NOUN.ABL.PL.M
20 ingressi having entered PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.PL.M (DEP)
21 sunt were 3PL.PRES.IND.AUX
22 urbem city NOUN.ACC.SG.F
23 confidenter confidently ADV
24 interfectisque and after killing PERF.PASS.PTCP.ABL.PL.M + ENCLITIC -QUE
25 omnibus all ADJ.ABL.PL.M
26 masculis males NOUN.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: die tertio quando gravissimus vulnerum dolor est — ablative of time with subordinate temporal clause (“on the third day, when the pain of the wounds was very severe”).
Main Clause: Et ecce … ingressi sunt urbem confidenter — exclamatory narrative statement introduced by ecce. Subject: duo filii Iacob, Simeon et Levi fratres Dinæ; verb: ingressi sunt.
Ablative Absolute: arreptis gladiis — expresses attendant circumstance (“having taken their swords”).
Participial Phrase: interfectisque omnibus masculis — another ablative absolute, indicating completed action (“after killing all the males”).

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links narrative continuation.
  2. ecce — Lemma: ecce; Part of Speech: Interjection; Form: N/A; Function: Introduces vivid scene; Translation: “behold”; Notes: Dramatic marker used in narration.
  3. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative singular feminine; Function: Ablative of time; Translation: “on the day”; Notes: Specifies when the event occurred.
  4. tertio — Lemma: tertius; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative singular masculine; Function: Modifies die; Translation: “third”; Notes: Marks sequence of days.
  5. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Temporal subordinator.
  6. gravissimus — Lemma: gravis; Part of Speech: Adjective (superlative); Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject complement; Translation: “very severe”; Notes: Modifies dolor.
  7. vulnerum — Lemma: vulnus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive plural neuter; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of wounds”; Notes: Defines source of pain.
  8. dolor — Lemma: dolor; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “pain”; Notes: Head noun of the clause.
  9. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Present indicative active, 3rd person singular; Function: Copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Establishes state of being.
  10. arreptis — Lemma: arripio; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, ablative plural masculine; Function: Ablative absolute; Translation: “having taken”; Notes: Indicates preceding action.
  11. duo — Lemma: duo; Part of Speech: Numeral adjective; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Quantifies filii; Translation: “two”; Notes: Refers to Simeon and Levi.
  12. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Governs apposition with proper names.
  13. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of Jacob”; Notes: Patriarchal identifier.
  14. Simeon — Lemma: Simeon; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition to filii; Translation: “Simeon”; Notes: One of the two acting agents.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Connects names; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the two brothers.
  16. Levi — Lemma: Levi; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Nominative singular masculine; Function: Apposition; Translation: “Levi”; Notes: Second of the pair.
  17. fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Appositive describing Simeon and Levi; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Further identifies their relationship.
  18. Dinæ — Lemma: Dina; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular feminine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of Dinah”; Notes: Specifies whose brothers they were.
  19. gladiis — Lemma: gladius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Instrumental ablative; Translation: “with swords”; Notes: Indicates the weapon used.
  20. ingressi — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Perfect participle passive in form, nominative plural masculine; Function: Main verb (deponent usage); Translation: “entered”; Notes: Deponent verb used actively.
  21. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: Present indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary of deponent; Translation: “were”; Notes: Helps form perfect tense of deponent verb.
  22. urbem — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of ingressi sunt; Translation: “city”; Notes: Place entered.
  23. confidenter — Lemma: confidenter; Part of Speech: Adverb; Form: N/A; Function: Modifies ingressi sunt; Translation: “confidently”; Notes: Expresses boldness or assurance.
  24. interfectisque — Lemma: interficeo; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, ablative plural masculine, with enclitic -que; Function: Ablative absolute; Translation: “and after killing”; Notes: Expresses completed action with -que linking to prior action.
  25. omnibus — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Modifies masculis; Translation: “all”; Notes: Totality within the ablative phrase.
  26. masculis — Lemma: mas; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Object of ablative absolute; Translation: “males”; Notes: Specifies those slain in the city.

 

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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