Genesis 26:34

Posted on January 26, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 26:34 Esau vero quadragenarius duxit uxores, Iudith filiam Beeri Hethæi, et Basemath filiam Elon eiusdem loci:

But Esau, being forty years old, took wives—Judith, the daughter of Beeri the Hethite, and Basemath, the daughter of Elon of the same place;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Esau Esau NOM.SG.M (proper noun)
2 vero but CONJ
3 quadragenarius forty years old NOM.SG.M.ADJ
4 duxit he took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 uxores wives ACC.PL.F
6 Iudith Judith ACC.SG.F (proper noun)
7 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F
8 Beeri of Beeri GEN.SG.M (proper noun)
9 Hethæi the Hittite GEN.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 Basemath Basemath ACC.SG.F (proper noun)
12 filiam daughter ACC.SG.F
13 Elon of Elon GEN.SG.M (proper noun)
14 eiusdem of the same GEN.SG.M.DEMON.ADJ
15 loci place GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Esau vero quadragenarius duxit uxores — “But Esau, being forty years old, took wives.”
The conjunction vero introduces a narrative contrast. The adjective quadragenarius agrees with Esau, functioning appositively to indicate age. The verb duxit takes uxores as its direct object.
Appositional Phrases: Iudith filiam Beeri Hethæi and Basemath filiam Elon eiusdem loci — Each phrase defines one of Esau’s wives, specifying her name, parentage, and ethnic origin. The repeated structure highlights genealogical precision typical of biblical narrative.

Morphology

  1. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: The elder son of Isaac, representing the Edomite line.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Often used to shift focus in narrative sequence.
  3. quadragenarius — Lemma: quadragenarius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “forty years old”; Notes: Indicates Esau’s age at the time of marriage.
  4. duxit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he took (as wife)”; Notes: Common Latin idiom for marriage.
  5. uxores — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “wives”; Notes: Object of “duxit,” denoting polygamy.
  6. Iudith — Lemma: Iudith; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: appositive to “uxores”; Translation: “Judith”; Notes: First wife of Esau.
  7. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: appositive complement; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Defines Judith’s paternal lineage.
  8. Beeri — Lemma: Beeri; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Beeri”; Notes: Father of Judith.
  9. Hethæi — Lemma: Hethæus; Part of Speech: adjective (gentilic); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “Beeri”; Translation: “the Hittite”; Notes: Denotes ethnic origin from Heth (Hittite clan).
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links appositions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two wives’ names.
  11. Basemath — Lemma: Basemath; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: appositive to “uxores”; Translation: “Basemath”; Notes: Second wife of Esau.
  12. filiam — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: appositive complement; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Identifies Basemath’s lineage.
  13. Elon — Lemma: Elon; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Elon”; Notes: Father of Basemath.
  14. eiusdem — Lemma: idem; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “loci”; Translation: “of the same”; Notes: Emphasizes geographic origin shared by both wives.
  15. loci — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of place; Translation: “place”; Notes: Completes phrase “of the same place.”

 

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.