Genesis 27:11

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:11 Cui ille respondit: Nosti quod Esau frater meus homo pilosus sit, et ego lenis:

He answered her: “You know that Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am smooth;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cui to whom DAT.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 ille he NOM.SG.M.DEM.PRON
3 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 Nosti you know 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 quod that CONJ
6 Esau Esau NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
7 frater brother NOM.SG.M
8 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
9 homo man NOM.SG.M
10 pilosus hairy NOM.SG.M.ADJ
11 sit is 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 et and CONJ
13 ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
14 lenis smooth NOM.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Cui ille respondit — “He answered her.” The dative relative pronoun Cui refers to Rebecca, functioning as the indirect object of respondit.
Subordinate Clause: Nosti quod Esau frater meus homo pilosus sit — “You know that Esau my brother is a hairy man.” The verb Nosti (perfect for present sense) governs the object clause introduced by quod.
Coordinated Clause: et ego lenis — “and I am smooth.” Ellipsis of the verb sum (understood). The contrast between pilosus and lenis creates a rhetorical opposition describing Esau and Jacob.

Morphology

  1. Cui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to whom”; Notes: Refers to Rebecca as the person addressed by Jacob’s response.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, marking him as the speaker replying.
  3. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Perfect tense used for completed action in narrative.
  4. Nosti — Lemma: nosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 2nd person singular; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you know”; Notes: Perfect with present meaning (“you know well”).
  5. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces indirect statement; Translation: “that”; Notes: Connects Nosti with the content clause.
  6. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of sit; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Hebrew name preserved in Latin without declension.
  7. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “Esau”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Identifies kinship relation.
  8. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “frater”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses personal relationship of Jacob to Esau.
  9. homo — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “man”; Notes: Serves as predicate to describe Esau’s nature.
  10. pilosus — Lemma: pilosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: adjective modifying “homo”; Translation: “hairy”; Notes: Contrasts Jacob’s smoothness; emphasizes physical distinction.
  11. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of indirect statement; Translation: “is”; Notes: Subjunctive dependent on quod in indirect discourse.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins contrasting clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Esau’s description with Jacob’s self-description.
  13. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic personal pronoun expressing contrast.
  14. lenis — Lemma: lenis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “smooth”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s lack of hair, setting the stage for Rebecca’s plan of deception.

 

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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