Genesis 29:4

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:4 Dixitque ad pastores: Fratres, unde estis? Qui responderunt: De Haran.

And he said to the shepherds: “Brothers, where are you from?” And they answered: “From Haran.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 ad to PREP+ACC
3 pastores shepherds ACC.PL.M
4 Fratres brothers VOC.PL.M
5 unde from where ADV.INTERROG
6 estis are you 2PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 Qui who NOM.PL.M.REL
8 responderunt they answered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
9 De from PREP+ABL
10 Haran Ḥaran ABL.SG.F.INDECL

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Dixitque ad pastores — Dixit is the main verb (“he said”), ad pastores is a prepositional phrase indicating the addressees (“to the shepherds”).
Direct Speech: Fratres, unde estis? — Fratres (vocative plural) is a direct address, while unde estis is an interrogative clause with unde (interrogative adverb) and estis (2nd plural present indicative).
Main Clause 2: Qui responderunt: De Haran — Qui (relative pronoun) connects the response to the antecedent pastores, forming a relative clause; responderunt is the verb (“they answered”), and De Haran expresses origin (“from Ḥaran”).

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: The enclitic -que links this clause with the preceding narrative.
  2. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces the indirect object phrase; Translation: “to”; Notes: Indicates direction of speech.
  3. pastores — Lemma: pastor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “shepherds”; Notes: Addressees of Jacob’s question.
  4. Fratres — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: vocative plural masculine; Function: term of address; Translation: “brothers”; Notes: Expresses fraternity or kinship greeting.
  5. unde — Lemma: unde; Part of Speech: adverb (interrogative); Form: —; Function: introduces direct question of origin; Translation: “from where”; Notes: Used for inquiry of source or place.
  6. estis — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 2nd person plural; Function: main verb of interrogative clause; Translation: “are you”; Notes: Present tense of existence or identity.
  7. Qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of responderunt; Translation: “who”; Notes: Connects the relative clause to pastores.
  8. responderunt — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person plural; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “they answered”; Notes: Indicates completed action of response.
  9. De — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks geographic provenance.
  10. Haran — Lemma: Haran; Part of Speech: proper noun (indeclinable); Form: ablative singular (indeclinable form); Function: object of de; Translation: “Ḥaran”; Notes: Refers to the Mesopotamian city of Jacob’s family origins.

 

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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