Genesis 27:23

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

23 Et non cognovit eum, quia pilosæ manus similitudinem maioris expresserant. Benedicens ergo illi,

And he did not recognize him, because the hairy hands had imitated the likeness of the elder. Therefore, blessing him,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 non not ADV
3 cognovit he recognized 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 eum him ACC.SG.M.3RD.PRON
5 quia because CONJ
6 pilosæ hairy NOM.PL.F.ADJ
7 manus hands NOM.PL.F
8 similitudinem likeness ACC.SG.F
9 maioris of the elder GEN.SG.M.COMP.ADJ (SUBST)
10 expresserant had imitated / expressed 3PL.PLUPERF.ACT.IND
11 Benedicens blessing PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
12 ergo therefore ADV
13 illi him DAT.SG.M.3RD.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Et non cognovit eum — “And he did not recognize him.” The perfect cognovit marks completed failure to perceive Jacob’s true identity.
Causal Clause: quia pilosæ manus similitudinem maioris expresserant — “because the hairy hands had imitated the likeness of the elder.” The pluperfect expresserant expresses prior cause; pilosæ manus is the subject, and similitudinem maioris the direct object of the verb.
Participial Clause: Benedicens ergo illi — “Therefore, blessing him.” The present participle benedicens denotes contemporaneous action, introducing the next narrative moment when Isaac bestows the blessing.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects narrative clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the sequence of events in Isaac’s examination.
  2. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: negates the verb; Translation: “not”; Notes: Denotes failure to perceive or identify.
  3. cognovit — Lemma: cognosco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he recognized”; Notes: Perfect tense expresses completed perception or recognition (here, its absence).
  4. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of “cognovit”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as the unrecognized son.
  5. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains the reason for Isaac’s misjudgment.
  6. pilosæ — Lemma: pilosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies “manus”; Translation: “hairy”; Notes: Describes the texture of Jacob’s disguised hands.
  7. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “expresserant”; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Refers to the artificially covered hands of Jacob.
  8. similitudinem — Lemma: similitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “likeness / resemblance”; Notes: The resemblance between Jacob’s disguise and Esau’s natural features.
  9. maioris — Lemma: maior; Part of Speech: comparative adjective (substantivized); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of the elder”; Notes: Refers to Esau, the elder brother.
  10. expresserant — Lemma: exprimo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect indicative active 3rd person plural; Function: main verb of causal clause; Translation: “had imitated / expressed”; Notes: Pluperfect tense denotes an action completed before Isaac’s failure to recognize Jacob.
  11. Benedicens — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “blessing”; Notes: Introduces the transition to Isaac’s action of blessing Jacob.
  12. ergo — Lemma: ergo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: logical connector; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Marks consequence from Isaac’s misjudgment.
  13. illi — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “benedicens”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as the recipient of the blessing.

 

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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