Genesis 29:7

Posted on January 29, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 29:7 Dixitque Iacob: Adhuc multum diei superest, nec est tempus ut reducantur ad caulas greges: date ante potum ovibus, et sic eas ad pastum reducite.

And Jacob said: “There is still much of the day remaining, and it is not yet time that the flocks should be brought back to the folds; give the sheep drink first, and then lead them to pasture.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Dixitque and he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC
2 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M.PROPN
3 Adhuc still ADV
4 multum much NOM.SG.N/ADV
5 diei of the day GEN.SG.M
6 superest remains 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
7 nec nor/not yet CONJ
8 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 tempus time NOM.SG.N
10 ut that CONJ
11 reducan­tur they be brought back 3PL.PRES.PASS.SUBJ
12 ad to PREP+ACC
13 caulas folds ACC.PL.F
14 greges flocks NOM.PL.M
15 date give 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
16 ante before ADV/PREP+ACC
17 potum drink ACC.SG.M
18 ovibus to the sheep DAT.PL.F
19 et and CONJ
20 sic thus/so ADV
21 eas them ACC.PL.F.PRON
22 ad to PREP+ACC
23 pastum pasture ACC.SG.M
24 reduci­te lead back 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP

Syntax

Main Clause: Dixitque Iacob — narrative introduction; Dixit is perfect active indicative, and Iacob is the subject.
Subordinate Clause 1: Adhuc multum diei superest — literally “still much of the day remains”; multum diei forms a partitive genitive construction.
Subordinate Clause 2: nec est tempus ut reducantur ad caulas greges — nec negates or connects; ut introduces a substantive clause with subjunctive reducan­tur (present passive), giving purpose/result: “it is not yet time that the flocks be brought back to the folds.”
Imperative Clause 1: date ante potum ovibus — command (“give drink first to the sheep”); date is the imperative, potum is the accusative of the thing given, ovibus the dative of indirect object.
Imperative Clause 2: et sic eas ad pastum reducite — the coordinating et introduces the next command; sic modifies reduci­te (“thus” or “afterwards”); eas (accusative) is the object, and ad pastum is a prepositional phrase of goal (“to pasture”).

Morphology

  1. Dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular + -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech in narrative sequence.
  2. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dixit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Patriarchal speaker addressing the shepherds.
  3. Adhuc — Lemma: adhuc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “still”; Notes: Indicates continuation of time.
  4. multum — Lemma: multus; Part of Speech: adjective/substantive; Form: nominative singular neuter (used substantively); Function: subject complement with superest; Translation: “much”; Notes: Quantitative expression with partitive genitive.
  5. diei — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: partitive genitive dependent on multum; Translation: “of the day”; Notes: Indicates amount of time remaining.
  6. superest — Lemma: supersum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “remains”; Notes: Describes remainder of the day.
  7. nec — Lemma: nec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: connects and negates; Translation: “nor/not yet”; Notes: Links clauses in negative coordination.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Forms existential clause with tempus.
  9. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of est; Translation: “time”; Notes: Abstract noun meaning appropriate moment.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces noun clause of result/purpose; Translation: “that”; Notes: Follows expressions of time or propriety.
  11. reducan­tur — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: verb of ut clause; Translation: “they be brought back”; Notes: Passive subjunctive expressing dependent obligation.
  12. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks destination.
  13. caulas — Lemma: caulae; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “folds”; Notes: Refers to sheep enclosures.
  14. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of reducan­tur; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Animals referred to throughout Jacob’s dialogue.
  15. date — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: imperative command; Translation: “give”; Notes: Command directed to the shepherds.
  16. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: governs accusative or adverbial; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “before”; Notes: Marks sequence of actions.
  17. potum — Lemma: potus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: internal accusative object of date; Translation: “drink”; Notes: Literally “a drink” as the thing given.
  18. ovibus — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural feminine; Function: indirect object of date; Translation: “to the sheep”; Notes: Indicates recipient of the drink.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: connects imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential coordination.
  20. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: —; Function: modifies reduci­te; Translation: “thus/so”; Notes: Denotes subsequent or orderly action.
  21. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of reduci­te; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the sheep (oves).
  22. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses motion toward; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks direction of the final verb.
  23. pastum — Lemma: pastus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “pasture”; Notes: Represents grazing area destination.
  24. reduci­te — Lemma: reduco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd plural; Function: final command; Translation: “lead back”; Notes: Completes the sequence of Jacob’s directive.

 

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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