Genesis 29:32

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:32 Quæ conceptum genuit filium, vocavitque nomen eius Ruben, dicens: Vidit Dominus humilitatem meam, nunc amabit me vir meus.

And she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Ruben, saying: “The LORD has seen my affliction; now my husband will love me.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quæ who NOM.SG.F.REL.PRON
2 conceptum having conceived ACC.SG.M.PERF.PART.PASS
3 genuit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 filium son ACC.SG.M
5 vocavitque and she called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL.CONJ
6 nomen name ACC.SG.N
7 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON
8 Ruben Reuben ACC.SG.M.PROPN
9 dicens saying NOM.SG.F.PRES.PART.ACT
10 Vidit has seen 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 Dominus LORD NOM.SG.M
12 humilitatem affliction ACC.SG.F
13 meam my ACC.SG.F.POSS.ADJ
14 nunc now ADV
15 amabit will love 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
16 me me ACC.SG.1P.PRON
17 vir husband NOM.SG.M
18 meus my NOM.SG.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Relative Clause: Quæ conceptum genuit filium — Introduced by Quæ (“who”), referring to Leah. The verb genuit (“bore”) is the main predicate, while conceptum (perfect passive participle) indicates the completed conception preceding birth.
Coordinated Clause: vocavitque nomen eius Ruben — vocavitque joins two actions (“and she called”) via the enclitic -que. nomen eius Ruben forms a double accusative construction (“she called his name Reuben”).
Participial Clause: dicens: Vidit Dominus humilitatem meam — The participle dicens introduces direct speech, indicating Leah’s proclamation. Within the quotation, Vidit Dominus humilitatem meam is a perfect statement recognizing divine compassion, followed by nunc amabit me vir meus expressing her hope.
Main Clause (in quotation): Vidit Dominus humilitatem meam — Subject: Dominus; verb: Vidit; object: humilitatem meam.
Subsequent Clause: nunc amabit me vir meus — The future amabit expresses anticipation; me is the object, and vir meus (“my husband”) is the subject.

Morphology

  1. Quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of genuit; Translation: “who”; Notes: Refers to Leah, continuing from the previous verse.
  2. conceptum — Lemma: concipio; Part of Speech: participle (perfect passive); Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object complement of genuit; Translation: “having conceived”; Notes: Refers to the completed conception prior to birth.
  3. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “she bore”; Notes: Marks the action of childbirth.
  4. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of genuit; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to her firstborn, Reuben.
  5. vocavitque — Lemma: voco + que; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic conjunction; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of following clause; Translation: “and she called”; Notes: Links the birth to the naming action.
  6. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal accusative; Translation: “name”; Notes: Part of double accusative idiom (“to call someone by a name”).
  7. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to the newborn son.
  8. Ruben — Lemma: Ruben; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second accusative in naming construction; Translation: “Reuben”; Notes: Name derived from Hebrew “see, a son.”
  9. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle (present active); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies subject quæ; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces her exclamation.
  10. Vidit — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “has seen”; Notes: Indicates divine awareness of Leah’s distress.
  11. Dominus — Lemma: Dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Vidit; Translation: “LORD”; Notes: Represents YHWH’s compassion.
  12. humilitatem — Lemma: humilitas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Vidit; Translation: “affliction”; Notes: Refers to Leah’s emotional suffering.
  13. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies humilitatem; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses personal experience of suffering.
  14. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “now”; Notes: Introduces hopeful anticipation.
  15. amabit — Lemma: amo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “will love”; Notes: Expresses Leah’s expectation of affection.
  16. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of amabit; Translation: “me”; Notes: Indicates Leah as recipient of love.
  17. vir — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of amabit; Translation: “husband”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  18. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies vir; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes personal relationship and longing for affection.

 

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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