Genesis 29:13

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:13 Qui cum audisset venisse Iacob filium sororis suæ, cucurrit obviam ei: complexusque eum, et in oscula ruens, duxit in domum suam. Auditis autem causis itineris,

And when he heard that Jacob, the son of his sister, had come, he ran to meet him; and embracing him, and falling upon his neck in kisses, he brought him into his house. And when he had heard the reasons for his journey,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
2 cum when CONJ
3 audisset had heard 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
4 venisse had come PERF.ACT.INF
5 Iacob Jacob ACC.SG.M.PROPN
6 filium son ACC.SG.M
7 sororis of (his) sister GEN.SG.F
8 suæ his GEN.SG.F.REFL.PRON
9 cucurrit ran 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
10 obviam to meet ADV + DAT
11 ei him DAT.SG.M.PRON
12 complexusque and having embraced NOM.SG.M.PERF.PART.DEP + ENCLITIC
13 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
14 et and CONJ
15 in in PREP+ACC
16 oscula kisses ACC.PL.N
17 ruens falling upon NOM.SG.M.PRES.PART.ACT
18 duxit led 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 in into PREP+ACC
20 domum house ACC.SG.F
21 suam his ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
22 Auditis having heard ABL.PL.F.PERF.PART.PASS
23 autem however/and CONJ
24 causis reasons ABL.PL.F
25 itineris of the journey GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Qui cum audisset venisse Iacob filium sororis suæ — Introduced by cum with subjunctive audisset forming a circumstantial clause (“when he had heard that Jacob, the son of his sister, had come”). The infinitive venisse is in indirect statement governed by audisset.
Main Clause 1: cucurrit obviam ei — The verb cucurrit (“he ran”) takes the adverb obviam with the dative ei (“to meet him”).
Participial Phrase: complexusque eum, et in oscula ruens — Perfect deponent participle complexus (“having embraced”) and present participle ruens (“falling upon”) describe attendant actions preceding the main verb.
Main Clause 2: duxit in domum suam — Perfect indicative verb meaning “he brought [him] into his house.”
Ablative Absolute: Auditis autem causis itineris — “And when the reasons for the journey had been heard”; Auditis causis forms the ablative absolute, setting up context for subsequent dialogue.

Morphology

  1. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of audisset and cucurrit; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Laban.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Governs subjunctive for temporal circumstance.
  3. audisset — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: verb of the cum clause; Translation: “had heard”; Notes: Indicates action prior to main clause.
  4. venisse — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active infinitive; Function: infinitive of indirect statement; Translation: “had come”; Notes: Dependent on audisset.
  5. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: subject accusative of indirect statement; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Object of audisset’s infinitive clause.
  6. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: appositive to Iacob; Translation: “son”; Notes: Clarifies kinship relation.
  7. sororis — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying filium; Translation: “of his sister”; Notes: Specifies Jacob’s maternal line.
  8. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun (reflexive possessive); Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies sororis; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to Laban.
  9. cucurrit — Lemma: curro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he ran”; Notes: Describes eager reaction.
  10. obviam — Lemma: obviam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: with dative; Translation: “to meet”; Notes: Expresses direction toward someone.
  11. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of obviam; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  12. complexusque — Lemma: complector; Part of Speech: participle (deponent) + enclitic; Form: nominative singular masculine perfect participle + -que; Function: participle modifying qui; Translation: “and having embraced”; Notes: Expresses affection in greeting.
  13. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of complexus; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: coordinates participles; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the two participial expressions.
  15. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “into”; Notes: Used with oscula metaphorically (“into kisses”).
  16. oscula — Lemma: osculum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “kisses”; Notes: Sign of greeting and affection.
  17. ruens — Lemma: ruo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “falling upon”; Notes: Expresses emotional spontaneity.
  18. duxit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he brought”; Notes: Main clause after series of participles.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion; Translation: “into”; Notes: Marks direction toward his home.
  20. domum — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “house”; Notes: Destination of Laban’s action.
  21. suam — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies domum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive possessive referring to Laban’s own house.
  22. Auditis — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: participle (perfect passive); Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative absolute with causis; Translation: “having heard”; Notes: Sets context for following speech.
  23. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: connects to next clause; Translation: “and/however”; Notes: Indicates transition or continuation.
  24. causis — Lemma: causa; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “reasons”; Notes: Refers to motives of Jacob’s journey.
  25. itineris — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: genitive of specification modifying causis; Translation: “of the journey”; Notes: Completes meaning of the phrase “reasons for the journey.”

 

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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