Genesis 35:8

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:8 Eodem tempore mortua est Debora nutrix Rebeccæ, et sepulta est ad radices Bethel subter quercum: vocatumque est nomen loci illius, Quercus fletus.

At that same time Debora, the nurse of Rebecca, died, and she was buried at the base of Bethel under the oak; and the name of that place was called Oak of Weeping.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Eodem at the same ADJ.ABL.SG.M
2 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N
3 mortua died PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
4 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
5 Debora Deborah PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F
6 nutrix nurse NOUN.NOM.SG.F
7 Rebeccæ of Rebecca PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.F
8 et and CONJ
9 sepulta was buried PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
10 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
11 ad at/to PREP+ACC
12 radices roots/base NOUN.ACC.PL.F
13 Bethel Bethel PROP.NOUN.ACC.SG.F
14 subter under PREP+ACC
15 quercum oak NOUN.ACC.SG.F
16 vocatumque and was called PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N + ENCL -QUE
17 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
18 nomen name NOUN.NOM.SG.N
19 loci of the place NOUN.GEN.SG.M
20 illius that PRON.GEN.SG.M
21 Quercus Oak NOUN.NOM.SG.F
22 fletus of weeping NOUN.GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Phrase: Eodem tempore introduces the time setting, “at that same time.”
Main Clause 1: mortua est Debora nutrix Rebeccæ — compound subject with appositive (“Deborah, the nurse of Rebecca”) and perfect passive periphrastic verb expressing her death.
Main Clause 2: et sepulta est ad radices Bethel subter quercum — coordinates another perfect passive construction “and she was buried at the base of Bethel under the oak.”
Result Clause: vocatumque est nomen loci illius Quercus fletus — neuter participle with auxiliary “est” expresses the naming: “and the name of that place was called Oak of Weeping.”

Morphology

  1. Eodem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifier of “tempore”; Translation: “at the same”; Notes: Demonstrative expressing identity in time.
  2. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of preposition implied in the temporal ablative; Translation: “time”; Notes: Ablative of time when.
  3. mortua — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate with auxiliary “est”; Translation: “died”; Notes: Deponent participle used with auxiliary.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: present indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary of perfect deponent; Translation: “was”; Notes: Helps form perfect tense.
  5. Debora — Lemma: Debora; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Deborah”; Notes: Proper name of Rebecca’s nurse.
  6. nutrix — Lemma: nutrix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to “Debora”; Translation: “nurse”; Notes: Clarifies her role.
  7. Rebeccæ — Lemma: Rebecca; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of Rebecca”; Notes: Shows whom she served.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins two clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects sequential events.
  9. sepulta — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate with auxiliary “est”; Translation: “was buried”; Notes: Passive voice.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect passive.
  11. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing accusative; Function: expresses proximity; Translation: “at/to”; Notes: Introduces location.
  12. radices — Lemma: radix; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “roots/base”; Notes: Describes burial site.
  13. Bethel — Lemma: Bethel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: complement of “ad radices”; Translation: “Bethel”; Notes: Geographic reference.
  14. subter — Lemma: subter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: with accusative; Function: expresses position beneath; Translation: “under”; Notes: Spatial relationship.
  15. quercum — Lemma: quercus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “subter”; Translation: “oak”; Notes: Marks burial landmark.
  16. vocatumque — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb (participle + enclitic); Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular neuter + -que; Function: predicate adjective with “nomen”; Translation: “and was called”; Notes: -que joins with preceding sentence.
  17. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: present indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary with “vocatum”; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms periphrastic passive.
  18. nomen — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “vocatum est”; Translation: “name”; Notes: The subject of naming action.
  19. loci — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the place”; Notes: Specifies possession.
  20. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “loci”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers to the same Bethel area.
  21. Quercus — Lemma: quercus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative in apposition; Translation: “Oak”; Notes: First element of the new place-name.
  22. fletus — Lemma: fletus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of weeping”; Notes: Describes the oak by emotional association.

 

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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