Genesis 25:22

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:22 Sed collidebantur in utero eius parvuli; quæ ait: Si sic mihi futurum erat, quid necesse fuit concipere? Perrexitque ut consuleret Dominum.

But the children struggled together within her womb; and she said: If it is to be so with me, why was it necessary to conceive? And she went to consult the LORD.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sed but CONJ
2 collidebantur were struggling 3PL.IMPERF.PASS.IND
3 in in PREP+ABL
4 utero womb NOUN.ABL.SG.M
5 eius her PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.F
6 parvuli children NOUN.NOM.PL.M
7 quæ who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.F
8 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 Si if CONJ
10 sic thus / so ADV
11 mihi to me PRON.DAT.SG.1PERS
12 futurum it would be PART.FUT.ACT.ACC.SG.N
13 erat was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
14 quid why INTERROG.PRON.NOM/ACC.SG.N
15 necesse necessary ADJ.INDECL
16 fuit was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 concipere to conceive INF.PRES.ACT
18 Perrexitque and she went 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + CONJ
19 ut to / that CONJ
20 consuleret she might consult 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
21 Dominum LORD NOUN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Sed collidebantur in utero eius parvuli — parvuli (subject) + collidebantur (verb) expresses reciprocal action “were struggling,” with in utero eius specifying location.
Main Clause 2: quæ ait introduces Rebecca’s speech; quæ (subject) refers back to her.
Subordinate Clause 1: Si sic mihi futurum erat — conditional clause meaning “If it was to be so with me,” using periphrastic future futurum erat.
Subordinate Clause 2: quid necesse fuit concipere — interrogative clause meaning “why was it necessary to conceive?” expressing frustration or confusion.
Main Clause 3: Perrexitque ut consuleret Dominum — Perrexit (main verb) + ut consuleret (purpose clause), describing her act of seeking divine counsel.

Morphology

  1. Sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative connector; Translation: “but”; Notes: Introduces contrast with the preceding verse.
  2. collidebantur — Lemma: collido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd person plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “were struggling / were striking together”; Notes: Describes mutual activity of the twins within the womb.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates interior position.
  4. utero — Lemma: uterus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “womb”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca’s womb.
  5. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “utero”; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  6. parvuli — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “children / little ones”; Notes: Refers to the unborn twins Jacob and Esau.
  7. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “ait”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca.
  8. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of speaking; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces her spoken question.
  9. Si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “if”; Notes: Marks hypothetical reflection.
  10. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “futurum erat”; Translation: “thus / so”; Notes: Indicates condition or state.
  11. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks personal concern in the question.
  12. futurum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: participle; Form: future active participle accusative singular neuter; Function: part of periphrastic future; Translation: “it would be”; Notes: Combined with “erat” to form “was to be.”
  13. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary in periphrastic; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes the periphrastic construction.
  14. quid — Lemma: quis; Part of Speech: interrogative pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: interrogative subject; Translation: “why”; Notes: Introduces rhetorical question.
  15. necesse — Lemma: necesse; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: indeclinable; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “necessary”; Notes: Used with impersonal verb “fuit.”
  16. fuit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: impersonal verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes “quid necesse fuit.”
  17. concipere — Lemma: concipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to conceive”; Notes: Object of impersonal “fuit.”
  18. Perrexitque — Lemma: pergo; Part of Speech: verb + conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and she went”; Notes: Indicates determined motion.
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: governs subjunctive; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “to / in order that”; Notes: Explains her purpose.
  20. consuleret — Lemma: consulo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “she might consult”; Notes: Purpose subjunctive following “ut.”
  21. Dominum — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “consuleret”; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the one consulted for divine guidance.

 

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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