Genesis 35:4

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Hn 35:4 Dederunt ergo ei omnes deos alienos quos habebant, et inaures quæ erant in auribus eorum: at ille infodit ea subter terebinthum, quæ est post urbem Sichem.

So they gave him all the foreign gods that they had, and the earrings that were in their ears; and he buried them beneath the terebinth that is behind the city of Sichem.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dederunt they gave 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 ergo therefore CONJ
3 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
4 omnes all ADJ.ACC.PL.M
5 deos gods NOUN.ACC.PL.M
6 alienos foreign ADJ.ACC.PL.M
7 quos whom REL.PRON.ACC.PL.M
8 habebant they had 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
9 et and CONJ
10 inaures earrings NOUN.ACC.PL.F
11 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.F
12 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 auribus ears NOUN.ABL.PL.F
15 eorum of them PRON.GEN.PL.M
16 at but CONJ
17 ille he PRON.NOM.SG.M
18 infodit buried 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 ea them PRON.ACC.PL.N
20 subter under PREP+ACC
21 terebinthum terebinth NOUN.ACC.SG.F
22 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
23 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
24 post behind PREP+ACC
25 urbem city NOUN.ACC.SG.F
26 Sichem Shechem PROP.NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Dederunt (verb, 3rd person plural perfect) governs the indirect object ei (“to him”) and the direct objects deos alienos and inaures.
Quos habebant is a relative clause modifying deos alienos.
Quæ erant in auribus eorum is a relative clause modifying inaures.
The coordinating conjunction at introduces a contrasting clause, ille infodit ea subter terebinthum.
Within this, ea is the object of infodit, and subter terebinthum quæ est post urbem Sichem is a prepositional phrase with a relative clause further modifying terebinthum.

Morphology

  1. Dederunt — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “they gave”; Notes: Refers to the action of surrendering idols and ornaments.
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links with a previous cause; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces a consequential clause.
  3. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob (implicit subject).
  4. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “deos”; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes completeness of their surrender.
  5. deos — Lemma: deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “gods”; Notes: Refers to pagan idols.
  6. alienos — Lemma: alienus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “deos”; Translation: “foreign”; Notes: Describes idols as belonging to other nations.
  7. quos — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “habebant”; Translation: “whom/which”; Notes: Connects relative clause to antecedent “deos.”
  8. habebant — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: verb in relative clause; Translation: “they had”; Notes: Expresses continuous possession of idols.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links “deos” and “inaures”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two objects.
  10. inaures — Lemma: inauris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “earrings”; Notes: Possibly connected with idolatrous adornment.
  11. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “erant”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “inaures.”
  12. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “were”; Notes: Describes location of earrings.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Governs “auribus.”
  14. auribus — Lemma: auris; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of preposition; Translation: “ears”; Notes: Indicates physical location of the earrings.
  15. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s household.
  16. at — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: adversative; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Signals contrast with previous clause.
  17. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  18. infodit — Lemma: infodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of contrasting clause; Translation: “buried”; Notes: Denotes decisive action of removal.
  19. ea — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “infodit”; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers collectively to idols and ornaments.
  20. subter — Lemma: subter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “beneath”; Notes: Marks the burial site.
  21. terebinthum — Lemma: terebinthus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “subter”; Translation: “terebinth”; Notes: Refers to a large tree near Shekhem.
  22. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “terebinthum.”
  23. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: copulative; Translation: “is”; Notes: Describes current location of the tree.
  24. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: indicates position; Translation: “behind”; Notes: Denotes spatial relationship.
  25. urbem — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “post”; Translation: “city”; Notes: Specifies location.
  26. Sichem — Lemma: Sichem; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: appositive specifying “urbem”; Translation: “Shekhem”; Notes: Ancient city near Mount Gerizim.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.