Genesis 30:10

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:10 Qua post conceptum edente filium,

Who, after conceiving, bore a son,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Qua who ABL.SG.F.REL.PRON
2 post after PREP + ACC
3 conceptum conception ACC.SG.M/NEUT
4 edente bearing ABL.SG.F.PRES.ACT.PART
5 filium son ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Clause: Qua post conceptum edente filium — This is a participial phrase functioning as an ablative absolute, dependent on the preceding context (referring to Zelpha). The relative pronoun Qua (“who”) stands in the ablative to agree with its antecedent. Post conceptum (“after conception”) provides a temporal modifier, and edente filium (“bearing a son”) is the core action. The construction literally reads: “After she had conceived, while bearing a son.”

Morphology

  1. Qua — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: pronoun (relative); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative absolute referring to Zelpha; Translation: “who”; Notes: Connects this phrase to the previous sentence, referring to Leah’s maidservant.
  2. post — Lemma: post; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: temporal preposition; Translation: “after”; Notes: Marks sequence of events — conception before birth.
  3. conceptum — Lemma: conceptus; Part of Speech: noun (verbal noun); Form: accusative singular masculine/neuter; Function: object of post; Translation: “conception”; Notes: Derived from concipio, indicating the act of becoming pregnant.
  4. edente — Lemma: edo; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: ablative singular feminine present active participle; Function: ablative absolute with Qua; Translation: “bearing”; Notes: Describes the act of giving birth as contemporaneous with the context clause.
  5. filium — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of edente; Translation: “son”; Notes: Refers to the child born to Zelpha.

 

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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