Genesis 25:25

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:25 Qui prior egressus est, rufus erat, et totus in morem pellis hispidus: vocatumque est nomen eius Esau. Protinus alter egrediens, plantam fratris tenebat manu: et idcirco appellavit eum Iacob.

He who came out first was red and all over like a hairy garment, and his name was called Esau. Immediately afterward the other came out, holding his brother’s heel with his hand, and therefore he called him Jacob.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who REL.PRON.NOM.SG.M
2 prior first ADJ.NOM.SG.M.COMP
3 egressus having come out PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
4 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 rufus red ADJ.NOM.SG.M
6 erat was 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
7 et and CONJ
8 totus entirely / all ADJ.NOM.SG.M
9 in in / like PREP+ACC
10 morem manner / fashion NOUN.ACC.SG.M
11 pellis of skin / hide NOUN.GEN.SG.F
12 hispidus hairy / rough ADJ.NOM.SG.M
13 vocatumque and was called PART.PERF.PASS.ACC.SG.N + CONJ
14 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
15 nomen name NOUN.NOM.SG.N
16 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
17 Esau Esau PROPN.NOM.SG.M
18 Protinus immediately ADV
19 alter the other PRON.NOM.SG.M
20 egrediens coming out PART.PRES.ACT.NOM.SG.M
21 plantam heel NOUN.ACC.SG.F
22 fratris of brother NOUN.GEN.SG.M
23 tenebat was holding 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.IND
24 manu with (his) hand NOUN.ABL.SG.F
25 et and CONJ
26 idcirco therefore ADV
27 appellavit he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
28 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
29 Iacob Jacob PROPN.ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Clause 1: Qui prior egressus est — relative clause identifying the first twin; qui (subject) + egressus est (verb phrase).
Clause 2: rufus erat, et totus in morem pellis hispidus — predicate adjectives describe appearance, “he was red and completely hairy like a skin.”
Clause 3: vocatumque est nomen eius Esau — passive construction, “and his name was called Esau.”
Clause 4: Protinus alter egrediens — introduces second twin, “Immediately afterward the other coming out.”
Clause 5: plantam fratris tenebat manu — main clause, “he was holding his brother’s heel with his hand,” emphasizing gesture.
Clause 6: et idcirco appellavit eum Iacob — causal relation “and therefore he called him Jacob,” naming based on the act.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “egressus est”; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Esau.
  2. prior — Lemma: prior; Part of Speech: adjective (comparative); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “qui”; Translation: “first”; Notes: Comparative form of prioris used as ordinal.
  3. egressus — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of perfect periphrastic; Translation: “having come out”; Notes: Indicates completed birth action.
  4. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary of deponent construction; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes periphrastic perfect.
  5. rufus — Lemma: rufus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “red”; Notes: Describes Esau’s complexion.
  6. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “was”; Notes: Descriptive imperfect for state.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins descriptive phrases.
  8. totus — Lemma: totus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies Esau; Translation: “entirely / all”; Notes: Intensifies physical description.
  9. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses manner; Translation: “in / like”; Notes: Idiomatic “in morem” meaning “in the manner of.”
  10. morem — Lemma: mos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “manner”; Notes: Used idiomatically for comparison.
  11. pellis — Lemma: pellis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of comparison; Translation: “of skin”; Notes: Comparison “like a skin.”
  12. hispidus — Lemma: hispidus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “hairy”; Notes: Denotes texture or roughness.
  13. vocatumque — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb (perfect participle passive + enclitic); Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate with “nomen”; Translation: “and was called”; Notes: Refers to naming event.
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes passive construction.
  15. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “vocatum est”; Translation: “name”; Notes: The name given to Esau.
  16. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Esau.
  17. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Derived from Hebrew for “hairy.”
  18. Protinus — Lemma: protinus; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “immediately”; Notes: Marks rapid sequence.
  19. alter — Lemma: alter; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “the other”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  20. egrediens — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present participle nominative singular masculine; Function: modifying “alter”; Translation: “coming out”; Notes: Depicts simultaneous action.
  21. plantam — Lemma: planta; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “heel”; Notes: Symbolic of Jacob’s name origin.
  22. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of (his) brother”; Notes: Specifies relational object.
  23. tenebat — Lemma: teneo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “was holding”; Notes: Continuous aspect emphasizes grasp.
  24. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with (his) hand”; Notes: Expresses means of action.
  25. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects result clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Indicates consequence.
  26. idcirco — Lemma: idcirco; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: causal adverb; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces naming reason.
  27. appellavit — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he called”; Notes: Marks naming act.
  28. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  29. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object complement; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: From Hebrew Yaʿaqov, meaning “heel-grabber” or “supplanter.”

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.