Genesis 37:35

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:35 Congregatis autem cunctis liberis eius ut lenirent dolorem patris, noluit consolationem accipere, sed ait: Descendam ad filium meum lugens in infernum. Et illo perseverante in fletu,

And when all his children had gathered together to comfort their father, he refused to receive consolation and said: “I will go down to my son, mourning, into the underworld.” And while he persisted in weeping,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Congregatis having gathered PART.PERF.PASS.ABL.PL.M
2 autem however / and CONJ
3 cunctis all ADJ.ABL.PL.M
4 liberis children NOUN.ABL.PL.M
5 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
6 ut to / in order that CONJ.PURPOSE
7 lenirent might soothe V.3PL.IMPF.SUBJ.ACT
8 dolorem grief NOUN.ACC.SG.M
9 patris of (their) father NOUN.GEN.SG.M
10 noluit he refused V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 consolationem consolation NOUN.ACC.SG.F
12 accipere to receive V.PRES.ACT.INF
13 sed but CONJ
14 ait he said V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 Descendam I will go down V.1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
17 filium son NOUN.ACC.SG.M
18 meum my ADJ.POSS.ACC.SG.M
19 lugens mourning PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
20 in into PREP+ACC
21 infernum underworld NOUN.ACC.SG.M
22 Et and CONJ
23 illo he / that one PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.M
24 perseverante persisting PART.PRES.ACT.ABL.SG.M
25 in in / during PREP+ABL
26 fletu weeping NOUN.ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Ablative absolute: Congregatis autem cunctis liberis eius — expresses attendant circumstance: “and when all his children had gathered.” The participle congregatis in the ablative absolute indicates completed action prior to the main verb.

Purpose clause: ut lenirent dolorem patris — introduced by ut with subjunctive lenirent, expressing intent: “to soothe the grief of their father.”

Main clause: noluit consolationem accipere — Jacob’s refusal, infinitive accipere complementing noluit.

Direct discourse: Descendam ad filium meum lugens in infernum — Descendam future indicative expresses determination: “I will go down to my son mourning into the underworld.” The participle lugens modifies the implied subject.

Secondary clause: Et illo perseverante in fletu — another ablative absolute describing continued weeping: “and while he persisted in weeping.”

Morphology

  1. Congregatis — Lemma: congregō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural masculine perfect passive; Function: part of ablative absolute with liberis; Translation: “having gathered”; Notes: Indicates action completed before main verb; shows unity of Jacob’s children.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective; Translation: “however / and”; Notes: Links the new narrative unit smoothly to previous verse.
  3. cunctis — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies liberis; Translation: “all”; Notes: Denotes inclusion of all sons and daughters.
  4. liberis — Lemma: līberī; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: substantive in ablative absolute; Translation: “children”; Notes: Refers collectively to Jacob’s offspring.
  5. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of liberis; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessive referring to Jacob.
  6. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “in order that”; Notes: Signals aim or intention of gathering.
  7. lenirent — Lemma: leniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural imperfect subjunctive active; Function: verb in purpose clause; Translation: “might soothe”; Notes: Subjunctive governed by ut for intention.
  8. dolorem — Lemma: dolor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of lenirent; Translation: “grief”; Notes: Refers to emotional pain over Joseph’s loss.
  9. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifying dolorem; Translation: “of their father”; Notes: Genitive shows possession.
  10. noluit — Lemma: nōlō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb; Translation: “he refused”; Notes: Perfect denotes completed decision to resist consolation.
  11. consolationem — Lemma: cōnsōlātiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of accipere; Translation: “consolation”; Notes: Represents the comfort offered by his children.
  12. accipere — Lemma: accipiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present infinitive active; Function: complementary infinitive with noluit; Translation: “to receive”; Notes: Infinitive expresses the action Jacob declined.
  13. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Contrasts rejection of comfort with Jacob’s lament.
  14. ait — Lemma: aiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Used as narrative verb of speaking.
  15. Descendam — Lemma: dēscendō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular future indicative active; Function: main verb in direct speech; Translation: “I will go down”; Notes: Expresses Jacob’s determination to follow Joseph to death.
  16. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Introduces goal of motion.
  17. filium — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to Joseph, whom Jacob believes dead.
  18. meum — Lemma: meus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies filium; Translation: “my”; Notes: Adds emotional intensity to lament.
  19. lugens — Lemma: lugeō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle modifying subject of Descendam; Translation: “mourning”; Notes: Describes the emotional state accompanying descent to Sheol.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks motion toward destination.
  21. infernum — Lemma: infernus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “underworld”; Notes: Represents Sheol, the realm of the dead.
  22. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Begins new circumstantial clause.
  23. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative absolute subject; Translation: “he / that one”; Notes: Refers to Jacob continuing in grief.
  24. perseverante — Lemma: perseverō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular masculine present active; Function: participle in ablative absolute; Translation: “persisting”; Notes: Denotes continuous action in sorrow.
  25. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses condition or state; Translation: “in / during”; Notes: Introduces sphere of emotion.
  26. fletu — Lemma: flētus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “weeping”; Notes: Represents the enduring mourning of Jacob’s heart.

 

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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