Genesis 29:28

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:28 Acquievit placito: et hebdomada transacta, Rachel duxit uxorem:

He agreed to the proposal; and when the week was completed, he took Rachel as his wife;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Acquievit he agreed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 placito to the proposal DAT.SG.N
3 et and CONJ
4 hebdomada week ABL.SG.F
5 transacta having been completed ABL.SG.F.PERF.PART.PASS
6 Rachel Rachel ACC.SG.F.PROPN
7 duxit he led / took (as wife) 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
8 uxorem wife ACC.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Acquievit placito — The perfect verb acquievit (“he agreed”) governs a dative complement placito (“to the proposal” or “agreement”), expressing Jacob’s consent to Laban’s terms.
Temporal Clause: et hebdomada transacta — The ablative absolute hebdomada transacta (“when the week was completed”) indicates the passage of time before the next event.
Main Clause 2: Rachel duxit uxorem — The verb duxit literally means “he led,” but idiomatically “he took in marriage.” The direct object Rachel specifies whom he married, while uxorem completes the idiom “to take as wife.”

Morphology

  1. Acquievit — Lemma: acquiesco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he agreed”; Notes: Indicates Jacob’s acceptance of Laban’s proposal.
  2. placito — Lemma: placitum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular neuter; Function: indirect object of acquievit; Translation: “to the proposal”; Notes: Refers to the agreement made with Laban.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: joins clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the consent to the subsequent marriage.
  4. hebdomada — Lemma: hebdomas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative absolute with transacta; Translation: “week”; Notes: Refers to the marriage week of Leah.
  5. transacta — Lemma: transigo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular feminine perfect passive; Function: part of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been completed”; Notes: Indicates completion of the seven-day period.
  6. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of duxit; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: The woman Jacob marries after Leah’s week is finished.
  7. duxit — Lemma: duco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he took (as wife)”; Notes: Common Latin idiom for marrying a woman (“uxorem ducere”).
  8. uxorem — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: internal accusative in idiom; Translation: “wife”; Notes: Completes the idiom “to take as wife.”

 

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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