Genesis 30:40

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:40 Divisitque gregem Iacob, et posuit virgas in canalibus ante oculos arietum: erant autem alba et nigra quæque, Laban: cetera vero, Iacob, separatis inter se gregibus.

And Jacob divided the flock, and he placed the rods in the troughs before the eyes of the rams; and the white and the black ones were Laban’s, but the rest were Jacob’s, the flocks being separated from one another.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Divisitque and he divided 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND+ENCLITIC
2 gregem flock ACC.SG.M
3 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
4 et and CONJ
5 posuit he placed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 virgas rods ACC.PL.F
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 canalibus troughs ABL.PL.M
9 ante before PREP+ACC
10 oculos eyes ACC.PL.M
11 arietum of the rams GEN.PL.M
12 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
13 autem but ADV
14 alba white ones NOM.PL.N
15 et and CONJ
16 nigra black ones NOM.PL.N
17 quæque each INDEF.PRON.NOM.PL.N
18 Laban Laban’s NOM.SG.M
19 cetera the rest NOM.PL.N
20 vero but ADV
21 Iacob Jacob’s NOM.SG.M
22 separatis having been separated ABL.PL.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP
23 inter among PREP+ACC
24 se themselves ACC.PL.REFL.PRON
25 gregibus flocks ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Divisitque gregem Iacob — Iacob is the subject; Divisitque is the main verb with direct object gregem.
Coordinate Clause: et posuit virgas in canalibus ante oculos arietum — describes Jacob’s continuing action.
Second Sentence: erant autem alba et nigra quæque, Laban: cetera vero, Iacob — two copulative clauses contrast the property division between Laban and Jacob.
Participial Phrase: separatis inter se gregibus — ablative absolute explaining the condition under which the division occurred (“the flocks being separated from one another”).

Morphology

  1. Divisitque — Lemma: divido (+ -que); Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular, with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “and he divided”; Notes: The enclitic joins this act with the preceding context; perfect tense expresses a completed division.
  2. gregem — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of Divisit; Translation: “flock”; Notes: Represents Jacob’s livestock collectively.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject of Divisit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Main actor dividing his flocks.
  4. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinated verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the sequential actions of dividing and placing.
  5. posuit — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of second action; Translation: “he placed”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s intentional positioning of rods.
  6. virgas — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of posuit; Translation: “rods”; Notes: Refers to the peeled rods Jacob arranged in the troughs.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces the place of placement.
  8. canalibus — Lemma: canalis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “troughs”; Notes: Indicates the channels through which the flocks drank.
  9. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses visual orientation; Translation: “before”; Notes: Locates the rods within the sight of the animals.
  10. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ante; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Refers to the rams’ eyes, emphasizing visual stimulus.
  11. arietum — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession with oculos; Translation: “of the rams”; Notes: Specifies the male animals’ eyes upon which the rods acted.
  12. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: copula in the following predicate; Translation: “were”; Notes: Introduces a descriptive statement contrasting ownership.
  13. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective particle indicating contrast; Translation: “however / but”; Notes: Provides logical shift between clauses.
  14. alba — Lemma: albus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative with erant; Translation: “white ones”; Notes: Refers to Laban’s pure-colored animals.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins alba and nigra; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connector between two color terms.
  16. nigra — Lemma: niger; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative with erant; Translation: “black ones”; Notes: Denotes the darker sheep also owned by Laban.
  17. quæque — Lemma: quisque; Part of Speech: indefinite pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: modifier of alba et nigra; Translation: “each one”; Notes: Adds distributive nuance — “each of them.”
  18. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Laban’s”; Notes: Identifies ownership of the described animals.
  19. cetera — Lemma: ceterus; Part of Speech: adjective used substantively; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of an implied erant; Translation: “the rest”; Notes: Refers to all remaining multicolored animals.
  20. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative particle; Translation: “but / indeed”; Notes: Introduces a contrastive statement regarding Jacob’s portion.
  21. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Jacob’s”; Notes: Identifies the remainder as belonging to Jacob.
  22. separatis — Lemma: separo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: ablative plural neuter, perfect passive participle; Function: head of ablative absolute; Translation: “having been separated”; Notes: Describes state of division between groups.
  23. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: links reciprocal objects; Translation: “among / between”; Notes: Connects mutual separation in the ablative absolute.
  24. se — Lemma: sui; Part of Speech: reflexive pronoun; Form: accusative plural; Function: object of inter; Translation: “themselves”; Notes: Reflexive reference within ablative absolute structure.
  25. gregibus — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: complement of ablative absolute; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Refers to the groups of animals kept distinct between owners.

 

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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