Genesis 35:26

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:26 Filii Zelphæ ancillæ Liæ: Gad et Aser: hi sunt filii Iacob, qui nati sunt ei in Mesopotamia Syriæ.

The sons of Zelpha, Lia’s handmaid: Gad and Asher. These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
2 Zelphæ of Zilpah PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.F
3 ancillæ handmaid NOUN.GEN.SG.F
4 Liæ of Leah PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.F
5 Gad Gad PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 Aser Asher PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M
8 hi these PRON.NOM.PL.M
9 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
10 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
11 Iacob of Jacob PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.M
12 qui who PRON.REL.NOM.PL.M
13 nati born PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.PL.M
14 sunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND (AUX)
15 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
16 in in PREP+ABL
17 Mesopotamia Paddan PROP.NOUN.ABL.SG.F
18 Syriæ of Syria (Aram) PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Nominative Phrase: Filii Zelphæ ancillæ Liæ — genitive chain defining origin: “the sons of Zilpah, the handmaid of Leah.”
Appositive Enumeration: Gad et Aser — nominative proper nouns linked by et, identifying Zilpah’s sons.
Main Clause: hi sunt filii Iacob — copular statement identifying the preceding individuals as Jacob’s sons.
Relative Clause: qui nati sunt ei in Mesopotamia Syriæ — “who were born to him in Mesopotamia of Syria”; relative pronoun qui refers to filii, and ei marks the dative of possession or interest.

Morphology

  1. Filii — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the clause; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Introduces genealogical heading.
  2. Zelphæ — Lemma: Zelpha; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of possession with “Filii”; Translation: “of Zilpah”; Notes: Indicates maternal descent.
  3. ancillæ — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive apposition clarifying Zilpah’s social role; Translation: “handmaid”; Notes: Demonstrates subordination to Leah’s household.
  4. Liæ — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying “ancillæ”; Translation: “of Leah”; Notes: Identifies Leah as Zilpah’s mistress.
  5. Gad — Lemma: Gad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: coordinate subject in list; Translation: “Gad”; Notes: First son of Zilpah and Jacob; name meaning “good fortune.”
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins coordinate nouns; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the two sons.
  7. Aser — Lemma: Aser; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: coordinate subject in list; Translation: “Asher”; Notes: Second son of Zilpah; name meaning “happy” or “blessed.”
  8. hi — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “sunt”; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers back to all sons listed previously.
  9. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: copula; Translation: “are”; Notes: Equates “hi” with “filii Iacob.”
  10. filii — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Reiterates Jacob’s offspring group.
  11. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Jacob”; Notes: Patriarchal name linking the lineage.
  12. qui — Lemma: quī; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of relative clause; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to “filii Iacob.”
  13. nati — Lemma: nāscor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate of relative clause with “sunt”; Translation: “born”; Notes: Deponent form used passively in sense.
  14. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary with “nati”; Translation: “were”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect passive.
  15. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object (dative of reference); Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as the father.
  16. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the place of birth.
  17. Mesopotamia — Lemma: Mesopotamia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Mesopotamia”; Notes: Geographic reference between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.
  18. Syriæ — Lemma: Syria; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive modifying “Mesopotamia”; Translation: “of Syria”; Notes: Distinguishes the Mesopotamian region associated with Aram (Syria).

 

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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