Genesis 28:14

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:14 Eritque semen tuum quasi pulvis terræ: dilataberis ad Occidentem, et Orientem, et Septentrionem, et Meridiem: et BENEDICENTUR IN TE et in semine tuo cunctæ tribus terræ.

And your offspring will be as the dust of the earth; and you will spread abroad to the West and to the East and to the North and to the South; and in you and in your offspring all the tribes of the earth will be blessed.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Eritque and will be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
2 semen offspring NOM.SG.N
3 tuum your NOM.SG.N.PRON.ADJ
4 quasi as CONJ/ADV
5 pulvis dust NOM.SG.M
6 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F
7 dilataberis you will spread 2SG.FUT.PASS.IND
8 ad to PREP+ACC
9 Occidentem West ACC.SG.M
10 et and CONJ
11 Orientem East ACC.SG.M
12 et and CONJ
13 Septentrionem North ACC.SG.M
14 et and CONJ
15 Meridiem South ACC.SG.M
16 et and CONJ
17 benedicentur will be blessed 3PL.FUT.PASS.IND
18 in in PREP+ABL
19 te you ABL.SG.PRON
20 et and CONJ
21 in in PREP+ABL
22 semine offspring ABL.SG.N
23 tuo your ABL.SG.N.PRON.ADJ
24 cunctæ all NOM.PL.F
25 tribus tribes NOM.PL.F
26 terræ of the earth GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Eritque semen tuum quasi pulvis terræ — future indicative clause stating the promise of numerous offspring; semen is the subject, Erit the verb, and quasi pulvis terræ the predicate comparison.
dilataberis ad Occidentem et Orientem et Septentrionem et Meridiem — independent future middle/passive clause describing geographic expansion.
et benedicentur in te et in semine tuo cunctæ tribus terræ — future passive clause expressing divine blessing through Jacob and his lineage.

Morphology

  1. Eritque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of first clause; Translation: “and will be”; Notes: Compound of erit + enclitic -que, linking with previous narrative.
  2. semen — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of erit; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Used collectively for descendants.
  3. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: possessive modifier of semen; Translation: “your”; Notes: Indicates Jacob’s lineage.
  4. quasi — Lemma: quasi; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: —; Function: introduces comparison; Translation: “as”; Notes: Used to draw a simile.
  5. pulvis — Lemma: pulvis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “dust”; Notes: Symbol of multitude and abundance.
  6. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification modifying pulvis; Translation: “of the earth”; Notes: Specifies the dust’s origin.
  7. dilataberis — Lemma: dilatabor (from dilato); Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future indicative 2nd person singular passive in form, active in meaning; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “you will spread”; Notes: Promise of expansion and prosperity.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Repeated for each cardinal direction.
  9. Occidentem — Lemma: occidens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “West”; Notes: Indicates western expansion.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links parallel phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects successive directions.
  11. Orientem — Lemma: oriens; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “East”; Notes: Indicates eastern expansion.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins further phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues directional listing.
  13. Septentrionem — Lemma: septentrio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “North”; Notes: Indicates northern expansion.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: continues coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Adds final direction.
  15. Meridiem — Lemma: meridies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “South”; Notes: Completes fourfold direction set.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: introduces next clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the final blessing clause.
  17. benedicentur — Lemma: benedico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative 3rd person plural; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “will be blessed”; Notes: Passive voice emphasizes divine action.
  18. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces agent/sphere of blessing; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks instrumentality or connection.
  19. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of in; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Jacob personally.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins two prepositional phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Jacob with his seed as sources of blessing.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces second sphere; Translation: “in”; Notes: Parallel to previous in te.
  22. semine — Lemma: semen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “offspring”; Notes: Collective noun referring to descendants.
  23. tuo — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: pronoun/adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: possessive modifier of semine; Translation: “your”; Notes: Emphasizes covenant continuity.
  24. cunctæ — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifier of tribus; Translation: “all”; Notes: Inclusive universal term.
  25. tribus — Lemma: tribus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of benedicentur; Translation: “tribes”; Notes: Refers to all peoples or families of the earth.
  26. terræ — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification modifying tribus; Translation: “of the earth”; Notes: Denotes global scope of 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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