Genesis 28:22

Posted on January 28, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 28:22 et lapis iste, quem erexi in titulum, vocabitur Domus Dei: cunctorumque quæ dederis mihi, decimas offeram tibi.

and this stone, which I have erected as a pillar, shall be called the house of God; and of all that you shall give me, I will offer you a tenth.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 lapis stone NOM.SG.M
3 iste this NOM.SG.M.DEM
4 quem which ACC.SG.M.REL
5 erexi I erected 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 in as/into PREP+ACC
7 titulum pillar/monument ACC.SG.M
8 vocabitur shall be called 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
9 Domus house NOM.SG.F
10 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
11 cunctorumque and of all GEN.PL.N + ENCLITIC
12 quæ which ACC.PL.N.REL
13 dederis you shall have given 2SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
14 mihi to me DAT.SG.PRON
15 decimas tithes/tenths ACC.PL.F
16 offeram I will offer 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
17 tibi to you DAT.SG.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause (naming): et lapis iste, quem erexi in titulum, vocabitur Domus Dei — Subject lapis iste is modified by the relative clause quem erexi in titulum; vocabitur (future passive) takes predicate nominative Domus Dei (“the house of God”).
Vow/Result Clause: cunctorumque quæ dederis mihi, decimas offeram tibi — Partitive genitive cunctorumque (“and of all”) + relative clause quæ dederis mihi (future perfect) supplies the basis for the resolve; matrix clause decimas offeram tibi (future) states the vowed action.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links this statement to the preceding vow; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative connector continuing Jacob’s speech.
  2. lapis — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of vocabitur; Translation: “stone”; Notes: The memorial stone Jacob set up.
  3. iste — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies lapis; Translation: “this”; Notes: Deictic reference to the specific stone.
  4. quem — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of erexi within the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Agrees with antecedent lapis.
  5. erexi — Lemma: erigo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first person singular; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “I erected”; Notes: Refers to the act of setting up the stone.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing the accusative; Function: expresses change of state/result; Translation: “as/into”; Notes: With verbs of making/appointing, marks resultant role.
  7. titulum — Lemma: titulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “pillar/monument”; Notes: The consecrated marker at Bethel.
  8. vocabitur — Lemma: voco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative third person singular; Function: main verb of naming clause; Translation: “shall be called”; Notes: Predicts future recognition of the site.
  9. Domus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative with vocabitur; Translation: “house”; Notes: Title of sacred locale (house of God).
  10. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive modifier of Domus; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Specifies the divine owner.
  11. cunctorumque — Lemma: cunctus + -que; Part of Speech: adjective with enclitic; Form: genitive plural neuter (+ coordinating enclitic -que); Function: partitive genitive framing the whole set; Translation: “and of all”; Notes: The -que links this part to the naming clause.
  12. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of dederis within the relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to all gifts bestowed.
  13. dederis — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative second person singular; Function: verb of the relative clause (implied condition); Translation: “you shall have given”; Notes: Anticipates future divine provision.
  14. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of dederis; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks the recipient (Jacob).
  15. decimas — Lemma: decima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of offeram; Translation: “tithes/tenths”; Notes: The vowed portion of all received.
  16. offeram — Lemma: offero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative first person singular; Function: main verb of vow; Translation: “I will offer”; Notes: States Jacob’s promised action.
  17. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of offeram; Translation: “to you”; Notes: The LORD is the recipient of the tithe.

 

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.