Genesis 37:34

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:34 Scissisque vestibus, indutus est cilicio, lugens filium suum multo tempore.

And having torn his clothes, he put on sackcloth, mourning his son for a long time.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Scissisque and having torn PART.PERF.PASS.ABL.PL.F + ENCLITIC.CONJ
2 vestibus clothes NOUN.ABL.PL.F
3 indutus having put on PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.M
4 est was / has been V.3SG.PRES.IND.AUX
5 cilicio sackcloth NOUN.ABL.SG.N
6 lugens mourning PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
7 filium son NOUN.ACC.SG.M
8 suum his ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
9 multo for a long ADJ.ABL.SG.N (adverbial use)
10 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N

Syntax

Ablative absolute: Scissisque vestibus — ablative phrase expressing attendant circumstance: “and after having torn his clothes.” The perfect passive participle scissis shows completed action preceding the main verb, with enclitic -que joining the clause to the following statement.

Main clause: indutus est cilicio — a deponent-like passive form (“he put on sackcloth”). cilicio is ablative of material or instrument.

Participial phrase: lugens filium suum multo tempore — the present participle lugens describes continuous mourning, with multo tempore functioning as an ablative of duration.

Morphology

  1. Scissisque — Lemma: scindō; Part of Speech: participle with enclitic conjunction; Form: ablative plural feminine perfect passive + enclitic -que; Function: ablative absolute indicating prior action; Translation: “and having torn”; Notes: Combines the participle scissis and -que (“and”), showing an attendant circumstance linked to mourning.
  2. vestibus — Lemma: vestis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: noun in ablative absolute construction; Translation: “clothes”; Notes: Symbol of grief in ancient Hebrew and Near Eastern mourning practices.
  3. indutus — Lemma: induō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect passive; Function: predicate participle with est; Translation: “having put on”; Notes: Though passive in form, carries middle sense “clothed himself.”
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: auxiliary in perfect construction; Translation: “has been / was”; Notes: Helps form perfect tense with indutus.
  5. cilicio — Lemma: cilicium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of material or means; Translation: “sackcloth”; Notes: A rough garment of mourning, worn as a sign of repentance or grief.
  6. lugens — Lemma: lugeō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: modifies implied subject; Translation: “mourning”; Notes: Expresses continuous grief simultaneous with the act of wearing sackcloth.
  7. filium — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of lugens; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, the cause of Jacob’s lamentation.
  8. suum — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies filium; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive, referring back to Jacob as the subject of lugens.
  9. multo — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: adverbial modifier of duration with tempore; Translation: “for a long”; Notes: Indicates the extended duration of mourning.
  10. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “time”; Notes: Completes the phrase multo tempore meaning “for a long time.”

 

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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