Genesis 49:6

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 49:6 In consilium eorum non veniat anima mea, et in cœtu illorum non sit gloria mea: quia in furore suo occiderunt virum, et in voluntate sua suffoderunt murum.

Into their council let my soul not come, and in their assembly let my glory not be: for in their anger they killed a man, and in their will they dug down a wall.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 In in PREP+ACC
2 consilium council N.NEUT.ACC.SG
3 eorum of them PRON.GEN.PL
4 non not ADV.NEG
5 veniat may come V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
6 anima soul N.FEM.NOM.SG
7 mea my POSS.ADJ.FEM.NOM.SG
8 et and CONJ.COORD
9 in in PREP+ABL
10 cœtu assembly N.MASC.ABL.SG
11 illorum of them PRON.GEN.PL
12 non not ADV.NEG
13 sit may be V.3SG.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
14 gloria glory N.FEM.NOM.SG
15 mea my POSS.ADJ.FEM.NOM.SG
16 quia because CONJ.SUBORD
17 in in PREP+ABL
18 furore anger N.MASC.ABL.SG
19 suo their POSS.ADJ.MASC.ABL.SG
20 occiderunt they killed V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
21 virum a man N.MASC.ACC.SG
22 et and CONJ.COORD
23 in in PREP+ABL
24 voluntate will N.FEM.ABL.SG
25 sua their POSS.ADJ.FEM.ABL.SG
26 suffoderunt they dug down V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
27 murum wall N.MASC.ACC.SG

Syntax

First optative/jussive clause: In consilium eorum non veniat anima mea expresses Jacob’s refusal to be associated with Simeon and Levi’s counsel.
veniat is subjunctive of prohibition: “let not … come.”

Second parallel optative clause: et in cœtu illorum non sit gloria mea repeats the structure.
gloria mea is the subject; sit is subjunctive of exclusion.

Causal clause: quia in furore suo occiderunt virum gives the reason: their violence and murder.
in furore suo is an ablative of cause/instrument.

Second accusation: et in voluntate sua suffoderunt murum presents another violent deed, literally “they dug down a wall,” idiomatically describing destructive aggression.

Morphology

  1. In — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces place of association; Translation: in; Notes: motion or entry nuance.
  2. consilium — Lemma: consilium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: council; Notes: metaphorical company.
  3. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of them; Notes: refers to Simeon and Levi.
  4. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative particle; Function: negates veniat; Translation: not; Notes: forms strong prohibition.
  5. veniat — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: jussive/optative; Translation: may…come; Notes: expresses repudiation.
  6. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of veniat; Translation: soul; Notes: Jacob’s inner self.
  7. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies anima; Translation: my; Notes: agrees in gender.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: links parallel clauses; Translation: and; Notes: introduces second exclusion.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces place; Translation: in; Notes: static location.
  10. cœtu — Lemma: cœtus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: assembly; Notes: indicates gathering for counsel.
  11. illorum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: of them; Notes: parallels eorum.
  12. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative; Function: negates sit; Translation: not; Notes: expresses repudiation.
  13. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: jussive; Translation: may…be; Notes: expresses separation.
  14. gloria — Lemma: gloria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of sit; Translation: glory; Notes: honor or dignity.
  15. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies gloria; Translation: my; Notes: emphasizes personal disassociation.
  16. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces reason; Translation: because; Notes: causal link.
  17. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces instrument/cause; Translation: in; Notes: expresses means.
  18. furore — Lemma: furor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of cause; Translation: anger; Notes: intense rage.
  19. suo — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies furore; Translation: their; Notes: refers to Simeon and Levi.
  20. occiderunt — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they killed; Notes: describes violent vengeance.
  21. virum — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: a man; Notes: likely referring to Shechem.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects parallel accusations; Translation: and; Notes: additive.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces associative cause; Translation: in; Notes: parallels earlier phrase.
  24. voluntate — Lemma: voluntas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of manner; Translation: will; Notes: deliberate choice.
  25. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies voluntate; Translation: their; Notes: refers to Simeon and Levi.
  26. suffoderunt — Lemma: suffodio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they dug down; Notes: figurative destruction or literal violence.
  27. murum — Lemma: murus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: wall; Notes: imagery of ruin.

 

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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