Genesis 35:20

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:20 Erexitque Iacob titulum super sepulchrum eius: hic est titulus monumenti Rachel, usque in præsentem diem.

And Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb; this is the pillar of Rachel’s monument, even to this day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erexitque and set up 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL -QUE
2 Iacob Jacob PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 titulum pillar NOUN.ACC.SG.M
4 super over PREP+ACC
5 sepulchrum tomb NOUN.ACC.SG.N
6 eius her PRON.GEN.SG.F
7 hic this PRON.NOM.SG.M
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 titulus pillar NOUN.NOM.SG.M
10 monumenti of the monument NOUN.GEN.SG.N
11 Rachel Rachel PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.F
12 usque up to / even to PREP+ACC
13 in into / in PREP+ACC
14 præsentem present ADJ.ACC.SG.F
15 diem day NOUN.ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Erexitque Iacob titulum super sepulchrum eius — The conjunction -que links this clause with the previous narrative. The subject Iacob performs the action erexit, with titulum as the direct object and the prepositional phrase super sepulchrum eius denoting location: “over her tomb.”
Main Clause 2: hic est titulus monumenti Rachel — independent declarative clause identifying the memorial: “this is the pillar of Rachel’s monument.”
Prepositional Phrase: usque in præsentem diem — temporal expression meaning “up to this day,” modifying the entire preceding clause.

Morphology

  1. Erexitque — Lemma: ērigō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “and set up”; Notes: Compound of “ē-” + “regō,” denoting physical erection of a structure.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Erexitque”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Hebrew patriarch performing commemorative act.
  3. titulum — Lemma: titulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “Erexitque”; Translation: “pillar”; Notes: Refers to a commemorative stone monument or inscribed marker.
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses position “over”; Translation: “over / upon”; Notes: Introduces object of location.
  5. sepulchrum — Lemma: sepulchrum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “super”; Translation: “tomb”; Notes: Literally “burial place” or “grave.”
  6. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive modifier of “sepulchrum”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rachel.
  7. hic — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “est”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic pronoun introducing the identification clause.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links “hic” and “titulus.”
  9. titulus — Lemma: titulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “pillar / monument”; Notes: Refers to the stone marker set up by Jacob.
  10. monumenti — Lemma: monumentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of possession modifying “titulus”; Translation: “of the monument”; Notes: Expresses the memorial’s purpose or type.
  11. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying “monumenti”; Translation: “of Rachel”; Notes: Identifies the individual commemorated.
  12. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs prepositional phrase with “in”; Function: indicates continuance or limit; Translation: “up to / even to”; Notes: Temporal extension.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: part of prepositional phrase with “usque”; Translation: “in / into”; Notes: Reinforces temporal extent.
  14. præsentem — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “diem”; Translation: “present”; Notes: Qualifies time of reference.
  15. diem — Lemma: diēs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “usque in”; Translation: “day”; Notes: Forms idiom “usque in præsentem diem” = “to this very day.”

 

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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