Genesis 27:19

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:19 Dixitque Iacob: Ego sum primogenitus tuus Esau: feci sicut præcepisti mihi: surge, sede, et comede de venatione mea, ut benedicat mihi anima tua.

And Jacob said: “I am your firstborn, Esau. I have done as you commanded me. Rise, sit, and eat from my hunting, that your soul may bless me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
3 Ego I NOM.SG.1ST.PRON
4 sum am 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 primogenitus firstborn NOM.SG.M
6 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
7 Esau Esau NOM.SG.M.PROP.NOUN
8 feci I have done 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 sicut as / just as CONJ
10 præcepisti you commanded 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 mihi to me DAT.SG.1ST.PRON
12 surge rise 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
13 sede sit 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 et and CONJ
15 comede eat 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
16 de from / of PREP+ABL
17 venatione hunting ABL.SG.F
18 mea my ABL.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
19 ut that / in order that CONJ
20 benedicat may bless 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
21 mihi me / to me DAT.SG.1ST.PRON
22 anima soul NOM.SG.F
23 tua your NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Direct Speech: Dixitque Iacob… introduces Jacob’s deceptive declaration.
Main Clause 1: Ego sum primogenitus tuus Esau — “I am your firstborn, Esau.” A simple equative clause where Ego is subject, sum is the copula, and primogenitus tuus Esau serves as predicate nominative.
Main Clause 2: Feci sicut præcepisti mihi — “I have done as you commanded me.” The perfect verb feci expresses completed obedience; sicut introduces a comparative clause.
Main Clause 3: Surge, sede, et comede de venatione mea — three imperatives forming an exhortation sequence.
Final Clause: ut benedicat mihi anima tua — “that your soul may bless me.” The conjunction ut introduces a purpose clause, and benedicat appears in the subjunctive to express desired result.

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic “-que” joins this sentence to the previous narrative.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Hebrew form retained, the speaker in this verse.
  3. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular 1st person; Function: subject; Translation: “I”; Notes: Used emphatically for self-identification.
  4. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present indicative active 1st person singular; Function: copula; Translation: “am”; Notes: Links subject with predicate nominative.
  5. primogenitus — Lemma: primogenitus; Part of Speech: noun/adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “firstborn”; Notes: Highlights Jacob’s deception by assuming Esau’s birthright.
  6. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “primogenitus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Directly personal, appealing to paternal recognition.
  7. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Appositional identification to reinforce the deception.
  8. feci — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 1st person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I have done”; Notes: Completes the claim of obedience to Isaac’s command.
  9. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: “as / just as”; Notes: Establishes comparison between command and fulfillment.
  10. præcepisti — Lemma: præcipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 2nd person singular; Function: verb of the subordinate clause; Translation: “you commanded”; Notes: Indicates Isaac’s prior instruction.
  11. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient of the command.
  12. surge — Lemma: surgo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: command; Translation: “rise”; Notes: The first of three imperatives encouraging Isaac’s action.
  13. sede — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: command; Translation: “sit”; Notes: Continues the sequence of hospitality gestures.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequentially connects commands.
  15. comede — Lemma: comedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present imperative active 2nd person singular; Function: command; Translation: “eat”; Notes: Invites Isaac to eat of the venison as a precursor to blessing.
  16. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes source; Translation: “from / of”; Notes: Introduces the ablative of material or source.
  17. venatione — Lemma: venatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of preposition “de”; Translation: “hunting”; Notes: Refers to the prepared game brought by Jacob.
  18. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies “venatione”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Claims ownership, aligning with Jacob’s deception.
  19. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses desired result; Translation: “that / in order that”; Notes: Introduces the purpose of the meal.
  20. benedicat — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present subjunctive active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of purpose clause; Translation: “may bless”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses Jacob’s intended outcome.
  21. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “me / to me”; Notes: The intended recipient of the paternal blessing.
  22. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “benedicat”; Translation: “soul”; Notes: Represents Isaac’s inner being as the agent of blessing.
  23. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies “anima”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers directly to Isaac, completing the expression “your soul.”

 

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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