Genesis 35:14

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:14 Ille vero erexit titulum lapideum in loco quo locutus fuerat ei Deus: libans super eum libamina, et effundens oleum:

And he set up a stone pillar in the place where God had spoken to him, pouring out drink offerings upon it and anointing it with oil;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ille he PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 vero indeed / but ADV
3 erexit set up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 titulum pillar NOUN.ACC.SG.M
5 lapideum of stone ADJ.ACC.SG.M
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 loco place NOUN.ABL.SG.M
8 quo where PRON.REL.ABL.SG.M
9 locutus had spoken PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
10 fuerat had been 3SG.PLUP.ACT.IND (AUX)
11 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
12 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
13 libans pouring out PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
14 super upon PREP+ACC
15 eum it PRON.ACC.SG.M
16 libamina libations NOUN.ACC.PL.N
17 et and CONJ
18 effundens pouring out PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
19 oleum oil NOUN.ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Ille vero erexit titulum lapideum — the demonstrative pronoun Ille (Jacob) serves as the subject; erexit is the main verb; titulum lapideum is the direct object with adjective modifying it.
Relative Clause: in loco quo locutus fuerat ei Deus — “in the place where God had spoken to him,” with quo as the ablative of place.
Participial Phrases: libans super eum libamina and effundens oleum — two present active participles showing concurrent action, describing Jacob’s acts of worship as he pours drink offerings and oil upon the pillar.

Morphology

  1. Ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, marking contrast or continuation from previous divine action.
  2. vero — Lemma: vērō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: simple; Function: intensifier; Translation: “indeed” or “however”; Notes: Marks shift back to Jacob’s response.
  3. erexit — Lemma: ērigō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “set up”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s action of establishing a sacred pillar.
  4. titulum — Lemma: titulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “erexit”; Translation: “pillar”; Notes: Refers to a commemorative or cultic monument.
  5. lapideum — Lemma: lapideus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “titulum”; Translation: “of stone”; Notes: Indicates material composition.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial preposition.
  7. loco — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “place”; Notes: Denotes geographic site of theophany.
  8. quo — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause of place; Translation: “where”; Notes: Refers to “loco.”
  9. locutus — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate within relative clause; Translation: “had spoken”; Notes: Deponent participle forming pluperfect with “fuerat.”
  10. fuerat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: pluperfect indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary to “locutus”; Translation: “had been”; Notes: Expresses anterior divine speech.
  11. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “locutus fuerat”; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  12. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “locutus fuerat”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Subject of divine communication.
  13. libans — Lemma: libō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participle of attendant action; Translation: “pouring out”; Notes: Describes act of worship with libation.
  14. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position above; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Introduces the object “eum.”
  15. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the pillar.
  16. libamina — Lemma: libāmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of “libans”; Translation: “libations” or “drink offerings”; Notes: Cultic act of worship.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects participial phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the acts of libation and anointing.
  18. effundens — Lemma: effundō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: participle of attendant circumstance; Translation: “pouring out”; Notes: Parallel with “libans.”
  19. oleum — Lemma: oleum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “effundens”; Translation: “oil”; Notes: Represents anointing of the pillar as sacred offering.

 

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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