Genesis 30:15

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:15 Illa respondit: Parumne tibi videtur quod præripueris maritum mihi, nisi etiam mandragoras filii mei tuleris? Ait Rachel: Dormiat tecum hac nocte pro mandragoris filii tui.

She answered: “Does it seem a small matter to you that you have taken away my husband, unless you would also take the mandrakes of my son?” And Rachel said: “He shall sleep with you tonight in exchange for your son’s mandrakes.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Illa she NOM.SG.F.DEMONSTR.PRON
2 respondit answered 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 Parumne is it a small thing? ADV + ENCL.PART
4 tibi to you DAT.SG.2P.PRON
5 videtur does it seem 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
6 quod that CONJ
7 præripueris you have taken away 2SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
8 maritum husband ACC.SG.M
9 mihi from me DAT.SG.1P.PRON
10 nisi unless CONJ
11 etiam also ADV
12 mandragoras mandrakes ACC.PL.F
13 filii of (my) son GEN.SG.M
14 mei my GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ
15 tuleris you take 2SG.PERF.ACT.SUBJ
16 Ait said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 Rachel Rachel NOM.SG.F.PROPN
18 Dormiat he shall sleep 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
19 tecum with you ABL.SG.2P.PRON
20 hac this ABL.SG.F.DEMONSTR.ADJ
21 nocte night ABL.SG.F
22 pro in exchange for PREP + ABL
23 mandragoris mandrakes ABL.PL.F
24 filii of (your) son GEN.SG.M
25 tui your GEN.SG.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

First Sentence: Illa respondit: Parumne tibi videtur quod præripueris maritum mihi — The pronoun Illa (“she,” referring to Leah) is the subject of respondit (“answered”). The indirect question Parumne tibi videtur (“Does it seem a small thing to you?”) introduces a subordinate clause quod præripueris maritum mihi explaining the offense: “that you have taken away my husband.”
Conditional Extension: nisi etiam mandragoras filii mei tuleris? — Introduced by nisi (“unless”), expressing contrast: “unless you would also take my son’s mandrakes.”
Second Sentence: Ait Rachel: Dormiat tecum hac nocte pro mandragoris filii tui — The perfect Ait (“said”) introduces Rachel’s concession. Dormiat is a jussive subjunctive expressing permission: “He shall sleep with you.” The prepositional phrase pro mandragoris filii tui marks the exchange price.

Morphology

  1. Illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of respondit; Translation: “she”; Notes: Refers to Leah.
  2. respondit — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Introduces Leah’s indignant reply.
  3. Parumne — Lemma: parum + ne; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces a rhetorical question; Translation: “Is it a small thing?”; Notes: The particle -ne marks the interrogative tone.
  4. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun (personal); Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Refers to Rachel.
  5. videtur — Lemma: videor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent/passive form); Form: present passive indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of perception; Translation: “does it seem”; Notes: Common in rhetorical constructions.
  6. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal or content clause; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces reason for complaint.
  7. præripueris — Lemma: præripio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive 2nd singular; Function: verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you have taken away”; Notes: Perfect subjunctive shows Leah’s grievance.
  8. maritum — Lemma: maritus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of præripueris; Translation: “husband”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  9. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun (personal); Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object; Translation: “from me”; Notes: Expresses possession violated.
  10. nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces exception; Translation: “unless”; Notes: Marks sarcastic continuation.
  11. etiam — Lemma: etiam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: emphasizes addition; Translation: “also”; Notes: Intensifies Leah’s accusation.
  12. mandragoras — Lemma: mandragora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of tuleris; Translation: “mandrakes”; Notes: Considered fertility charms.
  13. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying mandragoras; Translation: “of (my) son”; Notes: Refers to Reuben.
  14. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with filii; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses possession.
  15. tuleris — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active subjunctive 2nd singular; Function: main verb of subordinate clause; Translation: “you take”; Notes: Subjunctive in rhetorical question.
  16. Ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: introduces Rachel’s reply; Translation: “said”; Notes: Common speech formula in Latin narrative.
  17. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of Ait; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: Responds to Leah’s complaint.
  18. Dormiat — Lemma: dormio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: jussive subjunctive; Translation: “he shall sleep”; Notes: Expresses permission or concession.
  19. tecum — Lemma: tu + cum; Part of Speech: pronoun + enclitic preposition; Form: ablative singular; Function: complements Dormiat; Translation: “with you”; Notes: Refers to Leah.
  20. hac — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: adjective (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies nocte; Translation: “this”; Notes: Specifies temporal reference.
  21. nocte — Lemma: nox; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “night”; Notes: Indicates the time of the exchange.
  22. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses exchange or equivalence; Translation: “in exchange for”; Notes: Introduces condition of agreement.
  23. mandragoris — Lemma: mandragora; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of pro; Translation: “mandrakes”; Notes: The object of barter.
  24. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of (your) son”; Notes: Refers again to Reuben.
  25. tui — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with filii; Translation: “your”; Notes: Direct address to Leah.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.