Genesis 30:35

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:35 Et separavit in die illa capras, et oves, et hircos, et arietes varios, atque maculosos: cunctum autem gregem unicolorem, id est albi, et nigri velleris, tradidit in manu filiorum suorum.

And he separated on that day the goats, and the sheep, and the he-goats, and the rams that were speckled and spotted; but the whole flock of one color, that is, of white and black fleece, he placed into the hand of his sons.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 separavit he separated 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 in on / in PREP + ABL
4 die day ABL.SG.F
5 illa that ABL.SG.F.DEM.PRON
6 capras she-goats ACC.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 oves sheep ACC.PL.F
9 et and CONJ
10 hircos he-goats ACC.PL.M
11 et and CONJ
12 arietes rams ACC.PL.M
13 varios speckled ACC.PL.M.ADJ
14 atque and also CONJ
15 maculosos spotted ACC.PL.M.ADJ
16 cunctum the whole ACC.SG.M.ADJ
17 autem but CONJ
18 gregem flock ACC.SG.M
19 unicolorem of one color ACC.SG.M.ADJ
20 id that NOM/ACC.SG.N.DEM.PRON
21 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
22 albi white GEN.SG.M.ADJ
23 et and CONJ
24 nigri black GEN.SG.M.ADJ
25 velleris of fleece GEN.SG.N
26 tradidit he handed over 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
27 in into PREP + ACC
28 manu hand ABL.SG.F
29 filiorum of sons GEN.PL.M
30 suorum his GEN.PL.M.POSS.ADJ

Syntax

Main Clause: Et separavit in die illa capras, et oves, et hircos, et arietes varios atque maculosos — The main verb separavit governs multiple direct objects. The prepositional phrase in die illa specifies the temporal circumstance.
Secondary Clause: Cunctum autem gregem unicolorem, id est albi et nigri velleris, tradidit in manu filiorum suorum — The conjunction autem introduces contrast; tradidit functions as the main verb, with gregem unicolorem as the direct object and in manu filiorum suorum as a prepositional phrase of agency or care.
Parenthetical: id est albi et nigri velleris — explanatory apposition clarifying “one-colored” as referring to white and black fleece.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins this clause to the previous one; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the narrative flow describing Jacob’s selective separation of livestock.
  2. separavit — Lemma: separo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he separated”; Notes: Perfect tense marking completed action on that day.
  3. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: temporal preposition; Translation: “on”; Notes: Used with ablative to indicate time when the action occurred.
  4. die — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: Specifies the time of the event.
  5. illa — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies die; Translation: “that”; Notes: Distinguishes the specific day of separation.
  6. capras — Lemma: capra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of separavit; Translation: “goats”; Notes: First in the list of animals separated.
  7. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: coordinate direct object; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Refers to ewes included in the division.
  8. hircos — Lemma: hircus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of separavit; Translation: “he-goats”; Notes: Distinct from female goats already mentioned.
  9. arietes — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of separavit; Translation: “rams”; Notes: Male sheep used for breeding, included among the segregated animals.
  10. varios — Lemma: varius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies arietes; Translation: “speckled”; Notes: Describes the physical marking that determined selection.
  11. maculosos — Lemma: maculosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies arietes; Translation: “spotted”; Notes: Reinforces color diversity among selected animals.
  12. cunctum — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies gregem; Translation: “the whole”; Notes: Emphasizes the entirety of the unicolored flock.
  13. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Contrasts speckled animals with those of uniform color.
  14. gregem — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of tradidit; Translation: “flock”; Notes: Collective noun for all remaining livestock.
  15. unicolorem — Lemma: unicolor; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies gregem; Translation: “of one color”; Notes: Describes the monochromatic animals separated for Laban’s sons.
  16. id — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (demonstrative); Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of est; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces explanatory apposition (“that is…”).
  17. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copulative verb; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links the explanatory phrase clarifying what “unicolorem” means.
  18. albi — Lemma: albus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies velleris; Translation: “of white”; Notes: One of two contrasting fleece colors named.
  19. nigri — Lemma: niger; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies velleris; Translation: “of black”; Notes: Describes the second fleece color of the unicolored animals.
  20. velleris — Lemma: vellus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: complement of albi and nigri; Translation: “of fleece”; Notes: Clarifies that the color distinction refers to the wool.
  21. tradidit — Lemma: trado; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of the second clause; Translation: “he handed over”; Notes: Indicates transfer of care or possession.
  22. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location or instrumentality; Translation: “into / in”; Notes: Here means “into the custody of.”
  23. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Idiomatic for “care” or “possession.”
  24. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possesses suorum; Translation: “of sons”; Notes: Indicates those to whom the flock was entrusted.
  25. suorum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive reflexive); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: “his”; Notes: Reflexive adjective referring to Laban as the possessor of the sons.

 

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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