Genesis 30:32

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:32 Gyra omnes greges tuos, et separa cunctas oves varias, et sparso vellere; quodcumque furvum, et maculosum, variumque fuerit, tam in ovibus quam in capris, erit merces mea.

Go around all your flocks, and separate every speckled sheep and every one with spotted fleece; whatever is dark, or speckled, or variegated, both among the sheep and among the goats, shall be my wages.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Gyra go around 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 omnes all ACC.PL.F
3 greges flocks ACC.PL.M
4 tuos your ACC.PL.M.POSS.ADJ
5 et and CONJ
6 separa separate 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 cunctas all ACC.PL.F
8 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
9 varias speckled ACC.PL.F.ADJ
10 et and CONJ
11 sparso spotted ABL.SG.N.PART
12 vellere fleece ABL.SG.N
13 quodcumque whatever NOM/ACC.SG.N.INDEF.PRON
14 furvum dark NOM/ACC.SG.N.ADJ
15 et and CONJ
16 maculosum spotted NOM/ACC.SG.N.ADJ
17 variumque and variegated NOM/ACC.SG.N.ADJ + CONJ
18 fuerit will be 3SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
19 tam both ADV
20 in in PREP + ABL
21 ovibus sheep ABL.PL.F
22 quam as CONJ
23 in in PREP + ABL
24 capris goats ABL.PL.F
25 erit shall be 3SG.FUT.ACT.IND
26 merces wages NOM.SG.F
27 mea my NOM.SG.F.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Command: Gyra omnes greges tuos, et separa cunctas oves varias — Two imperatives (Gyra, separa) direct Laban to inspect and separate the livestock.
Participial Phrase: et sparso vellere — An ablative absolute meaning “with spotted fleece,” qualifying which sheep are to be separated.
Subordinate Clause: quodcumque furvum et maculosum variumque fuerit — Introduced by the indefinite relative quodcumque (“whatever”), containing the verb fuerit in the future perfect indicative.
Correlative Construction: tam in ovibus quam in capris — Expresses equivalence: “both among the sheep and among the goats.”
Final Clause: erit merces mea — A future indicative stating Jacob’s condition of agreement: “shall be my wages.”

Morphology

  1. Gyra — Lemma: gyro; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “go around”; Notes: Jacob instructs Laban to examine the herds carefully.
  2. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies greges; Translation: “all”; Notes: Indicates comprehensiveness of the inspection.
  3. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of Gyra; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers collectively to sheep and goats.
  4. tuos — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies greges; Translation: “your”; Notes: Highlights ownership by Laban.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links commands; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two imperatives.
  6. separa — Lemma: separo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “separate”; Notes: Instruction to sort animals by color or marking.
  7. cunctas — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies oves; Translation: “all”; Notes: Intensifies totality: “every speckled sheep.”
  8. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of separa; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Denotes female sheep, often used generically.
  9. varias — Lemma: varius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: modifies oves; Translation: “speckled”; Notes: Indicates patterned or multicolored animals.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects elements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links an ablative phrase specifying the fleece type.
  11. sparso — Lemma: spargo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative singular neuter perfect passive; Function: modifies vellere; Translation: “spotted”; Notes: Describes fleece mottled with color spots.
  12. vellere — Lemma: vellus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object in ablative absolute; Translation: “fleece”; Notes: Refers to wool’s natural patterning.
  13. quodcumque — Lemma: quicumque; Part of Speech: pronoun (indefinite/relative); Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “whatever”; Notes: Denotes inclusivity across species and markings.
  14. furvum — Lemma: furvus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate complement in relative clause; Translation: “dark”; Notes: Describes black or dark-colored animals.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects traits in the description list.
  16. maculosum — Lemma: maculosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: coordinate predicate; Translation: “spotted”; Notes: Refers to animals with distinct patches or marks.
  17. variumque — Lemma: varius; Part of Speech: adjective + conjunction; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: coordinate predicate; Translation: “and variegated”; Notes: Final member in descriptive triad.
  18. fuerit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “will be”; Notes: Future perfect marks condition established upon discovery.
  19. tam — Lemma: tam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: correlative with quam; Translation: “both”; Notes: Introduces balance between two groups.
  20. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates inclusion; Translation: “in / among”; Notes: Used spatially to mean “among the sheep.”
  21. ovibus — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: The first of the two categories in comparison.
  22. quam — Lemma: quam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: pairs with tam; Translation: “as”; Notes: Creates the correlative “both … and …” construction.
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: repeats preposition for symmetry; Translation: “in / among”; Notes: Maintains syntactic balance across the clause.
  24. capris — Lemma: capra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “goats”; Notes: Paired with ovibus to encompass all flock types.
  25. erit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of result clause; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Future tense indicating Jacob’s proposed agreement.
  26. merces — Lemma: merces; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of erit; Translation: “wages”; Notes: Represents Jacob’s rightful compensation.
  27. mea — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: modifies merces; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes personal claim of ownership over earned reward.

 

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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