Genesis 49:23

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 49:23 Sed exasperaverunt eum, et iurgati sunt, invideruntque illi habentes iacula.

But they provoked him and quarreled with him, and they envied him, those who wielded darts.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sed but CONJ.ADVERS
2 exasperaverunt they provoked V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
3 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
4 et and CONJ.COORD
5 iurgati having quarreled PPP.NOM.PL.M (DEP)
6 sunt they were V.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 invideruntque and they envied V.3PL.PERF.ACT.IND + -QUE
8 illi him PRON.DAT.SG.M
9 habentes holding PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
10 iacula darts / javelins N.NEUT.ACC.PL

Syntax

Adversative opening: Sed exasperaverunt eum introduces opposition to Joseph’s earlier prosperity.
exasperaverunt is the main verb; eum is the direct object (“him”).

Second action: iurgati sunt — a deponent perfect passive participle + auxiliary, meaning “they quarreled.”
The grammatical form is passive, but the meaning is active due to deponent usage.

Third action with enclitic: invideruntque illi — the enclitic -que links the clause tightly to the previous, forming a cumulative attack: “and they envied him.”

Participial phrase: habentes iacula describes those who envied him, functioning as a substantive participle (“those holding darts”).
iacula is the object of habentes.

Morphology

  1. Sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: but; Notes: adversative marker.
  2. exasperaverunt — Lemma: exasperō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: they provoked; Notes: conveys hostility and persistent opposition.
  3. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of exasperaverunt; Translation: him; Notes: refers to Joseph.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects actions; Translation: and; Notes: simple coordination.
  5. iurgati — Lemma: iurgor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle nominative plural masculine; Function: part of periphrastic verb with sunt; Translation: having quarreled; Notes: deponent = passive form, active meaning.
  6. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: auxiliary for deponent construction; Translation: they were; Notes: completes iurgati sunt.
  7. invideruntque — Lemma: invideō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of third action; Translation: and they envied; Notes: envy as a repeated motif in Joseph’s life.
  8. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: him; Notes: refers back to Joseph.
  9. habentes — Lemma: habeō; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative plural masculine; Function: substantive participle referring to the antagonists; Translation: holding; Notes: describes armed hostility.
  10. iacula — Lemma: iaculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of habentes; Translation: darts / javelins; Notes: weapons used metaphorically or literally.

 

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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