Genesis 25:30

Posted on January 25, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 25:30 ait: Da mihi de coctione hac rufa, quia oppido lassus sum. Quam ob causam vocatum est nomen eius Edom.

he said: “Give me some of this red stew, for I am very weary.” Therefore his name was called Edom.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 Da give 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMPV
3 mihi to me PRON.DAT.SG.1PERS
4 de of / from PREP+ABL
5 coctione cooking / stew NOUN.ABL.SG.F
6 hac this PRON.DEM.ABL.SG.F
7 rufa red ADJ.ABL.SG.F
8 quia because CONJ
9 oppido very / greatly ADV
10 lassus weary / tired ADJ.NOM.SG.M
11 sum I am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 Quam which / therefore REL.PRON.ACC.SG.F
13 ob on account of PREP+ACC
14 causam cause / reason NOUN.ACC.SG.F
15 vocatum called PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.N
16 est was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 nomen name NOUN.NOM.SG.N
18 eius his PRON.POSS.GEN.SG.M
19 Edom Edom PROPN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: ait introduces direct speech: Esau’s command to Jacob.
Direct Speech Clause: Da mihi de coctione hac rufa — imperative Da governs dative mihi, meaning “give me,” with de coctione hac rufa indicating “some of this red stew.”
Subordinate Clause: quia oppido lassus sum — causal clause, “because I am very weary.”
Main Clause 2: Quam ob causam vocatum est nomen eius Edom — literally, “for which reason his name was called Edom,” explaining the etymology of *Edom* (“red”).

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: verb of saying; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Introduces Esau’s speech.
  2. Da — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd person singular; Function: command; Translation: “give”; Notes: Expresses urgent request.
  3. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Recipient of the action.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or portion; Translation: “of / from”; Notes: Indicates partitive sense.
  5. coctione — Lemma: coctio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “cooking / stew”; Notes: Refers to the meal Jacob prepared.
  6. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “coctione”; Translation: “this”; Notes: Emphasizes proximity to the stew.
  7. rufa — Lemma: rufus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “coctione”; Translation: “red”; Notes: Color reference explaining the name Edom.
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains reason for the request.
  9. oppido — Lemma: oppido; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverbial intensifier; Translation: “very / exceedingly”; Notes: Strengthens degree of fatigue.
  10. lassus — Lemma: lassus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “weary”; Notes: Describes Esau’s state after hunting.
  11. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “I am”; Notes: Completes the predicate “lassus sum.”
  12. Quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ob”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the previous event or reason.
  13. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses cause; Translation: “on account of”; Notes: Governs “causam.”
  14. causam — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ob”; Translation: “reason / cause”; Notes: Explains the naming of Edom.
  15. vocatum — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate with “nomen”; Translation: “called”; Notes: Forms part of the passive periphrasis “vocatum est.”
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: auxiliary verb; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes the periphrastic passive construction.
  17. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “name”; Notes: Subject of “vocatum est.”
  18. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Esau.
  19. Edom — Lemma: Edom; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Edom”; Notes: Means “red,” a nickname derived from the color of the stew.

 

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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