Genesis 29:2

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:2 Et vidit puteum in agro, tres quoque greges ovium accubantes iuxta eum: nam ex illo adaquabantur pecora, et os eius grandi lapide claudebatur.

And he saw a well in the field, and three flocks of sheep lying near it; for from it the flocks were watered, and its mouth was closed with a large stone.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 vidit he saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 puteum well ACC.SG.M
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 agro field ABL.SG.M
6 tres three ACC.PL.F.NUM
7 quoque also ADV
8 greges flocks ACC.PL.M
9 ovium of sheep GEN.PL.F
10 accubantes lying NOM.PL.M.PRES.PART.ACT
11 iuxta near PREP+ACC
12 eum it ACC.SG.M.PRON
13 nam for CONJ
14 ex from PREP+ABL
15 illo it ABL.SG.M.DEM
16 adaquabantur they were watered 3PL.IMPERF.PASS.IND
17 pecora flocks NOM.PL.N
18 et and CONJ
19 os mouth NOM.SG.N
20 eius its GEN.SG.M.PRON
21 grandi large ABL.SG.M.ADJ
22 lapide stone ABL.SG.M
23 claudebatur was closed 3SG.IMPERF.PASS.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Et vidit puteum in agro — vidit (perfect) governs direct object puteum (“a well”), with in agro marking location (“in the field”).
Clause 2: tres quoque greges ovium accubantes iuxta eum — a coordinated accusative phrase expressing what Jacob saw; greges ovium (“flocks of sheep”) is modified by accubantes (present participle), and iuxta eum gives spatial relation (“lying near it”).
Explanatory Clause: nam ex illo adaquabantur pecora — causal, explaining the previous scene; pecora is nominative plural, adaquabantur is imperfect passive (“were watered”), and ex illo marks source (“from it”).
Concluding Clause: et os eius grandi lapide claudebatur — independent clause with os eius (“its mouth”) as subject, claudebatur (imperfect passive) as predicate, and grandi lapide ablative of means (“with a large stone”).

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins to previous verse; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple narrative connector.
  2. vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he saw”; Notes: Describes perception initiating narrative event.
  3. puteum — Lemma: puteus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of vidit; Translation: “well”; Notes: Common source of water for shepherds.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governing ablative; Function: locative preposition; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates fixed location.
  5. agro — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “field”; Notes: Rural area or pasture.
  6. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies greges; Translation: “three”; Notes: Numeric quantity of flocks.
  7. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: additive adverb; Translation: “also”; Notes: Reinforces inclusion.
  8. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of vidit; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers to groups of animals.
  9. ovium — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: partitive genitive with greges; Translation: “of sheep”; Notes: Specifies the type of flock.
  10. accubantes — Lemma: accubo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural masculine present active; Function: adjective describing greges; Translation: “lying”; Notes: Depicts the animals resting nearby.
  11. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial relation; Translation: “near”; Notes: Indicates proximity.
  12. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the well (puteum).
  13. nam — Lemma: nam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces explanatory clause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains why the flocks were gathered.
  14. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks origin of the water supply.
  15. illo — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ex; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers to the well.
  16. adaquabantur — Lemma: adaquo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of explanatory clause; Translation: “they were watered”; Notes: Habitual past action.
  17. pecora — Lemma: pecus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of adaquabantur; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Collective for domesticated animals.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: links final clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination.
  19. os — Lemma: os; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of claudebatur; Translation: “mouth”; Notes: Refers to the well’s opening.
  20. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of os; Translation: “its”; Notes: Refers to the well.
  21. grandi — Lemma: grandis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies lapide; Translation: “large”; Notes: Qualifies the size of the stone.
  22. lapide — Lemma: lapis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “stone”; Notes: Indicates the means of closure.
  23. claudebatur — Lemma: claudo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: predicate of final clause; Translation: “was closed”; Notes: Describes state of being sealed by the stone.

 

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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