Genesis 30:41

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:41 Igitur quando primo tempore ascendebantur oves, ponebat Iacob virgas in canalibus aquarum ante oculos arietum et ovium, ut in earum contemplatione conciperent:

Therefore, when at the first time the sheep went up to be mated, Jacob placed the rods in the channels of water before the eyes of the rams and the ewes, so that in their contemplation they might conceive;

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Igitur therefore ADV
2 quando when CONJ.TEMP
3 primo first ABL.SG.M.ADJ
4 tempore time ABL.SG.N
5 ascendebantur were being mated 3PL.IMPF.PASS.IND
6 oves sheep NOM.PL.F
7 ponebat he placed 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
8 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
9 virgas rods ACC.PL.F
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 canalibus channels ABL.PL.M
12 aquarum of waters GEN.PL.F
13 ante before PREP+ACC
14 oculos eyes ACC.PL.M
15 arietum of the rams GEN.PL.M
16 et and CONJ
17 ovium of the ewes GEN.PL.F
18 ut so that CONJ.PURP
19 in in PREP+ABL
20 earum of them GEN.PL.F.PRON
21 contemplatione contemplation ABL.SG.F
22 conciperent they might conceive 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ

Syntax

Temporal Clause: quando primo tempore ascendebantur oves — introduces the temporal circumstance (“when the sheep were being mated for the first time”).
Main Clause: ponebat Iacob virgas in canalibus aquarum ante oculos arietum et ovium — subject Iacob with verb ponebat and double genitive arietum et ovium defining whose eyes.
Purpose Clause: ut in earum contemplatione conciperent — expresses Jacob’s intention; conciperent is in subjunctive due to ut, showing desired effect (“so that they might conceive”).

Morphology

  1. Igitur — Lemma: igitur; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional adverb; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Marks continuation and logical consequence from previous events.
  2. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Sets the temporal framework of Jacob’s breeding actions.
  3. primo — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: adjective modifying tempore; Translation: “first”; Notes: Emphasizes initial phase of the breeding season.
  4. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in understood with temporal sense; Translation: “time”; Notes: Expresses point of time (“at the first time”).
  5. ascendebantur — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect passive indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of temporal clause; Translation: “were being mated”; Notes: Passive reflects idiomatic Latin expression for animals mounting one another.
  6. oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of ascendebantur; Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Refers specifically to the females involved in mating.
  7. ponebat — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of principal clause; Translation: “he placed”; Notes: Describes habitual or repeated action.
  8. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: subject of ponebat; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: The patriarch orchestrating the breeding experiment.
  9. virgas — Lemma: virga; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of ponebat; Translation: “rods”; Notes: Refers to the peeled rods placed strategically for visual stimulation.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies where Jacob positioned the rods.
  11. canalibus — Lemma: canalis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “channels”; Notes: Troughs or conduits carrying water for the flocks.
  12. aquarum — Lemma: aqua; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of specification with canalibus; Translation: “of waters”; Notes: Identifies the kind of channels mentioned.
  13. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial preposition; Translation: “before”; Notes: Indicates the rods’ visibility to the animals.
  14. oculos — Lemma: oculus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of ante; Translation: “eyes”; Notes: Denotes the sensory focus of the animals during conception.
  15. arietum — Lemma: aries; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession with oculos; Translation: “of the rams”; Notes: Refers to the male breeding animals.
  16. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects coordinated genitives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins arietum with ovium.
  17. ovium — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive with oculos; Translation: “of the ewes”; Notes: Specifies both genders were influenced by sight.
  18. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces purpose clause; Translation: “so that”; Notes: Governs subjunctive conciperent expressing intent.
  19. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses condition or means; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks relationship with mental focus (contemplatione).
  20. earum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: possessive modifier of contemplatione; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers to the rods being gazed upon.
  21. contemplatione — Lemma: contemplatio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: ablative of cause or circumstance; Translation: “contemplation”; Notes: Denotes the visual contemplation affecting breeding outcome.
  22. conciperent — Lemma: concipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd person plural; Function: main verb of purpose clause; Translation: “they might conceive”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses the desired biological result intended by Jacob’s act.

 

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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