Genesis 29:24

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Hn 29:24 dans ancillam filiæ, Zelpham nomine. Ad quam cum ex more Iacob fuisset ingressus, facto mane vidit Liam:

giving his handmaid to his daughter, named Zelpha. And when Jacob had gone in to her according to custom, in the morning he saw Lia;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dans giving NOM.SG.M.PRES.PART.ACT
2 ancillam handmaid ACC.SG.F
3 filiæ to (his) daughter DAT.SG.F
4 Zelpham Zilpah ACC.SG.F.PROPN
5 nomine by name ABL.SG.N
6 Ad to PREP+ACC
7 quam whom ACC.SG.F.REL.PRON
8 cum when CONJ
9 ex according to PREP+ABL
10 more custom ABL.SG.M
11 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M.PROPN
12 fuisset had been 3SG.PLUPERF.ACT.SUBJ
13 ingressus gone in NOM.SG.M.PERF.PART.DEP
14 facto having been made ABL.SG.N.PERF.PART.PASS
15 mane morning ABL.SG.N
16 vidit he saw 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 Liam Leah ACC.SG.F.PROPN

Syntax

Participial Phrase: dans ancillam filiæ Zelpham nomine — The present participle dans (“giving”) is nominative masculine, referring to Laban. The construction expresses simultaneous action: “giving his handmaid to his daughter.” The dative filiæ marks the indirect recipient, and Zelpham nomine (“named Zilpah”) provides apposition and identification of the maidservant.
Temporal Clause: Ad quam cum ex more Iacob fuisset ingressus — The conjunction cum introduces a temporal clause (“when”). The prepositional phrase ex more (“according to custom”) modifies the verb fuisset ingressus (pluperfect subjunctive, deponent compound) describing Jacob’s marital union.
Result Clause: facto mane vidit Liam — Ablative absolute facto mane (“when morning had come”) sets the scene. The perfect indicative vidit (“he saw”) forms the main verb, with Liam as its direct object (“he saw Leah”).

Morphology

  1. dans — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active; Function: describes Laban’s simultaneous action; Translation: “giving”; Notes: Implies concurrent act while preparing the marriage arrangement.
  2. ancillam — Lemma: ancilla; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of dans; Translation: “handmaid”; Notes: Refers to Zilpah, given to Leah as an attendant.
  3. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object of dans; Translation: “to (his) daughter”; Notes: Denotes recipient of the handmaid.
  4. Zelpham — Lemma: Zelpha; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: apposition to ancillam; Translation: “Zilpah”; Notes: Specifies the servant’s name.
  5. nomine — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of specification; Translation: “by name”; Notes: Expresses identification of the person mentioned.
  6. Ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the object of approach; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks direction of the action ingressus.
  7. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: relative pronoun referring to Liam; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Links subordinate clause to Leah.
  8. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Governs pluperfect subjunctive fuisset ingressus.
  9. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses conformity; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Used idiomatically with more.
  10. more — Lemma: mos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of ex; Translation: “custom”; Notes: Denotes customary marital conduct.
  11. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of fuisset ingressus; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Subject of the temporal clause.
  12. fuisset — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: pluperfect active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: part of pluperfect periphrastic; Translation: “had been”; Notes: Used with deponent participle ingressus.
  13. ingressus — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: participle (deponent); Form: nominative singular masculine perfect; Function: complements fuisset; Translation: “gone in”; Notes: Euphemism for conjugal union.
  14. facto — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been made”; Notes: Temporal marker for dawn.
  15. mane — Lemma: mane; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: with facto in ablative absolute; Translation: “morning”; Notes: Marks the time of discovery.
  16. vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of narrative; Translation: “he saw”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s realization.
  17. Liam — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of vidit; Translation: “Leah”; Notes: Reveals the deception at dawn.

 

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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