Genesis 27:35

Posted on January 27, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 27:35 Qui ait: Venit germanus tuus fraudulenter, et accepit benedictionem tuam.

And he said: “Your brother came deceitfully, and has taken your blessing.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui and he who / he NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 germanus brother NOM.SG.M
5 tuus your NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
6 fraudulenter deceitfully ADV
7 et and CONJ
8 accepit has taken 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 benedictionem blessing ACC.SG.F
10 tuam your ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Qui ait — “And he said.” The relative pronoun qui serves as a connective, linking this sentence to the preceding one about Esau’s plea.
Reported Speech: Venit germanus tuus fraudulenter, et accepit benedictionem tuam — “Your brother came deceitfully, and has taken your blessing.” Two coordinated perfect verbs describe completed past actions, emphasizing Jacob’s deception and success.
The adverb fraudulenter modifies venit, expressing the deceitful manner of arrival. The direct object benedictionem tuam completes accepit, clarifying the object of Jacob’s theft.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: connective pronoun referring to Isaac; Translation: “and he who / he”; Notes: Common in Latin narrative to continue speech without repeating the subject’s name.
  2. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: verb of saying; Translation: “said”; Notes: Introduces the following direct statement.
  3. Venit — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Perfect tense indicates completed motion, emphasizing the suddenness of Jacob’s act.
  4. germanus — Lemma: germanus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “venit” and “accepit”; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, highlighting kinship and irony — betrayal by one’s own brother.
  5. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “germanus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes Esau’s relationship to the deceiver.
  6. fraudulenter — Lemma: fraudulenter; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: modifies “venit”; Translation: “deceitfully”; Notes: Highlights moral judgment of the act; derived from “fraus,” meaning “deceit” or “trickery.”
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: connects verbs “venit” and “accepit”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Indicates sequential narration: arrival followed by appropriation.
  8. accepit — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect indicative active 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has taken”; Notes: The perfect tense expresses completed action with lasting consequence — the blessing cannot be undone.
  9. benedictionem — Lemma: benedictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “accepit”; Translation: “blessing”; Notes: Represents spiritual inheritance and covenant favor in patriarchal context.
  10. tuam — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies “benedictionem”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Intensifies loss — Esau’s own blessing now belongs irrevocably to Jacob.

Notes

  • Theme of Deception: The adverb fraudulenter encapsulates the entire episode’s moral tone, identifying Jacob’s cunning as the means of obtaining divine favor.
  • Perfect Tense Duality: The paired verbs venit and accepit express both the act and its completion — Jacob’s arrival and the successful theft — leaving no room for reversal.
  • Contrast and Irony: The use of “germanus tuus” (“your brother”) heightens the irony: Esau’s own brother has supplanted him in inheritance, reinforcing the prophecy given to Rebecca.
  • Syntactic Clarity: Latin’s concise construction omits explicit conjunctions of subordination, delivering the emotional immediacy of Isaac’s words in sharp declarative sequence.
  • Theological Resonance: The verse reflects the mystery of divine election: though achieved through deception, Jacob’s possession of the blessing fulfills divine purpose, not human merit.

 

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.