Genesis 36:33

Posted on February 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 36:33 Mortuus est autem Bela, et regnavit pro eo Iobab filius Zaræ de Bosra.

Bela died, and Jobab, the son of Zara from Bosra, reigned in his place.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mortuus died PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
2 est is / has been V.3SG.PRES.IND.ACT (AUX)
3 autem however / and ADV
4 Bela Bela PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 regnavit reigned V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 pro in place of PREP+ABL
8 eo him PRON.PERS.ABL.SG.M
9 Iobab Jobab PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M
10 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M
11 Zaræ of Zerah PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.M
12 de from PREP+ABL
13 Bosra Bozrah PROP.NOUN.ABL.SG.F

Syntax

Clause 1: Mortuus est autem Bela —
The participle Mortuus with the auxiliary est forms a perfect passive construction meaning “Bela died.” The subject is Bela, while autem connects this event to the prior narrative, marking succession in the genealogy.

Clause 2: et regnavit pro eo Iobab filius Zaræ de Bosra —
The verb regnavit (“reigned”) governs the prepositional phrase pro eo (“in his place”). The subject is Iobab, further qualified by the appositive filius Zaræ (“son of Zerah”) and the locative phrase de Bosra (“from Bozrah”), identifying both lineage and origin.

Morphology

  1. Mortuus — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of periphrastic verb phrase; Translation: “died”; Notes: Used with est to express completed action; passive in form but active in meaning.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary of perfect tense; Translation: “has (died)”; Notes: Forms compound perfect with participle.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “however / now”; Notes: Marks transition to a new succession.
  4. Bela — Lemma: Bela; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of mortuus est; Translation: “Bela”; Notes: Former king of Edom; same person as previous verse.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinate clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Indicates sequence of death and succession.
  6. regnavit — Lemma: regnō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “reigned”; Notes: Describes the commencement of Jobab’s rule.
  7. pro — Lemma: prō; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces substitution phrase; Translation: “in place of”; Notes: Indicates succession or replacement.
  8. eo — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of pro; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Bela, the deceased king.
  9. Iobab — Lemma: Iobab; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of regnavit; Translation: “Jobab”; Notes: Successor to Bela in Edom’s royal lineage.
  10. filius — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive to Iobab; Translation: “son”; Notes: Specifies genealogical descent.
  11. Zaræ — Lemma: Zara; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying filius; Translation: “of Zerah”; Notes: Identifies Jobab’s father, linking to Edomite lineage.
  12. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces place of origin or residence.
  13. Bosra — Lemma: Bosra; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Bozrah”; Notes: Capital city of Edom, indicating the geographical center of Jobab’s rule.

 

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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