Genesis 30:36

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:36 Et posuit spatium itineris trium dierum inter se et generum, qui pascebat reliquos greges eius.

And he set a distance of a three days’ journey between himself and his son-in-law, who was pasturing the rest of his flocks.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 posuit he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 spatium distance ACC.SG.N
4 itineris of journey GEN.SG.N
5 trium of three GEN.PL.NUM
6 dierum days GEN.PL.M
7 inter between PREP + ACC
8 se himself ACC.SG.REFL.PRON
9 et and CONJ
10 generum son-in-law ACC.SG.M
11 qui who NOM.SG.M.REL.PRON
12 pascebat was feeding 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
13 reliquos remaining ACC.PL.M.ADJ
14 greges flocks ACC.PL.M
15 eius his GEN.SG.M.PRON

Syntax

Main Clause: Et posuit spatium itineris trium dierum inter se et generum — The verb posuit governs the object spatium, which is expanded by the genitive phrase itineris trium dierum (“a three days’ journey”). The prepositional phrase inter se et generum marks separation between the two parties.
Relative Clause: qui pascebat reliquos greges eius — The relative pronoun qui refers to generum. The imperfect verb pascebat shows continuous past action: Jacob was shepherding the remaining flocks of Laban.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links this verse to the previous sentence; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces the next sequential action after the previous arrangement.
  2. posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he placed / set”; Notes: Expresses completed action describing Laban’s measure to separate himself from Jacob.
  3. spatium — Lemma: spatium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of posuit; Translation: “distance”; Notes: Specifies what Laban “set” — a physical space between himself and Jacob.
  4. itineris — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: partitive genitive modifying spatium; Translation: “of journey”; Notes: Defines the type of distance — measured by travel duration.
  5. trium — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: genitive plural; Function: modifies dierum; Translation: “of three”; Notes: Numerical genitive expressing measure (“three days’ journey”).
  6. dierum — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of measure; Translation: “of days”; Notes: Used idiomatically to indicate duration.
  7. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses separation; Translation: “between”; Notes: Marks physical distance or relational separation.
  8. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of inter; Translation: “himself”; Notes: Refers to Laban, subject of posuit.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: coordinates se and generum; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects the two individuals separated by distance.
  10. generum — Lemma: gener; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second object of inter; Translation: “son-in-law”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, Laban’s son-in-law.
  11. qui — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of pascebat; Translation: “who”; Notes: Connects the relative clause describing Jacob’s ongoing role.
  12. pascebat — Lemma: pasco; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: predicate of the relative clause; Translation: “was feeding”; Notes: Imperfect denotes continuous habitual action of tending flocks.
  13. reliquos — Lemma: reliquus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies greges; Translation: “remaining”; Notes: Describes the portion of the flocks still under Jacob’s care.
  14. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of pascebat; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Denotes the livestock still entrusted to Jacob.
  15. eius — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun (possessive); Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of greges; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Laban as the owner of the remaining flocks.

 

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.