Genesis 30:3

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:3 At illa: Habeo, inquit, famulam Balam: ingredere ad illam, ut pariat super genua mea, et habeam ex illa filios.

But she said: “I have my handmaid Bala; go in to her, that she may bear upon my knees, and that I also may have children by her.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 illa she NOM.SG.F.DEMONST.PRON
3 Habeo I have 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
4 inquit she said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
5 famulam handmaid ACC.SG.F
6 Balam Bala ACC.SG.F.PROPN
7 ingredere go in 2SG.PRES.DEP.IMP
8 ad to / into PREP + ACC
9 illam her ACC.SG.F.DEMONST.PRON
10 ut so that / in order that CONJ
11 pariat she may bear 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
12 super upon PREP + ACC
13 genua knees ACC.PL.N
14 mea my ACC.PL.N.POSS.ADJ
15 et and CONJ
16 habeam I may have 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 ex from / by PREP + ABL
18 illa her ABL.SG.F.DEMONST.PRON
19 filios children / sons ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: At illa: Habeo, inquit, famulam Balam — The conjunction At introduces contrast to the preceding dialogue. Habeo serves as the main verb, expressing possession, with famulam Balam as its direct object. The parenthetical inquit attributes speech.
Imperative Clause: ingredere ad illam — A direct command in deponent form, where ingredere (“go in”) takes ad illam (“to her”) as a prepositional complement.
Purpose Clause 1: ut pariat super genua mea — Introduced by ut with the subjunctive pariat, expressing purpose (“so that she may bear”). super genua mea literally means “upon my knees,” a symbolic gesture denoting adoption or surrogate motherhood.
Purpose Clause 2: et habeam ex illa filios — The subjunctive habeam depends on ut by parallelism, expressing intended result (“that I may have children by her”). The preposition ex marks source or instrumentality.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks Rachel’s response following Jacob’s rebuke.
  2. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of inquit; Translation: “she”; Notes: Refers to Rachel.
  3. Habeo — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 1st singular; Function: expresses possession; Translation: “I have”; Notes: Main verb introducing her plan.
  4. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: parenthetical verb of speaking; Translation: “she said”; Notes: Common narrative insertion for direct speech.
  5. famulam — Lemma: famula; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of Habeo; Translation: “handmaid”; Notes: Identifies the servant Bala.
  6. Balam — Lemma: Bala; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: apposition to famulam; Translation: “Bala”; Notes: Hebrew name meaning “timid” or “restrained.”
  7. ingredere — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “go in”; Notes: Deponent form with active sense.
  8. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Expresses movement toward a person.
  9. illam — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ad; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Bala.
  10. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive verbs pariat and habeam.
  11. pariat — Lemma: pario; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 3rd singular; Function: main verb of purpose clause; Translation: “she may bear”; Notes: Expresses intended outcome of the command.
  12. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses spatial relation; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Symbolic posture of surrogacy.
  13. genua — Lemma: genu; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of super; Translation: “knees”; Notes: Sign of maternal acceptance.
  14. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: agrees with genua; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates symbolic ownership of the child.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: —; Function: joins purpose clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links parallel subjunctives.
  16. habeam — Lemma: habeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive 1st singular; Function: expresses desired result; Translation: “I may have”; Notes: Dependent on preceding ut.
  17. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source or origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks agency or source of offspring.
  18. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of ex; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Bala as source of childbearing.
  19. filios — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of habeam; Translation: “children”; Notes: Represents surrogate offspring.

 

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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