Genesis 30:42

Posted on January 30, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 30:42 quando vero serotina admissura erat, et conceptus extremus, non ponebat eas. Factaque sunt ea quæ erant serotina, Laban: et quæ primi temporis, Iacob.

but when it was the later time for mating, and the last conception, he did not place them. And the ones that were later belonged to Laban, and those of the first time to Jacob.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 quando when CONJ.TEMP
2 vero but ADV
3 serotina late NOM.SG.F.ADJ
4 admissura mating NOM.SG.F.PART.FUT.ACT
5 erat was 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
6 et and CONJ
7 conceptus conception NOM.SG.M
8 extremus last NOM.SG.M.ADJ
9 non not ADV
10 ponebat he placed 3SG.IMPF.ACT.IND
11 eas them ACC.PL.F.PRON
12 Factaque and were made NOM.PL.N.PERF.PASS.PTCP+ENCLITIC
13 sunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
14 ea those things NOM.PL.N.PRON
15 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL.PRON
16 erant were 3PL.IMPF.ACT.IND
17 serotina late ones NOM.PL.N.ADJ
18 Laban Laban’s NOM.SG.M
19 et and CONJ
20 quæ which NOM.PL.N.REL.PRON
21 primi of the first GEN.SG.M.ADJ
22 temporis time GEN.SG.N
23 Iacob Jacob’s NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: quando vero serotina admissura erat — “but when it was the late mating season,” establishes the time of Jacob’s different action.
Main Clause: et conceptus extremus, non ponebat eas — elliptical construction meaning “and (when) the final conception occurred, he did not place them.”
Result/Outcome Clause: Factaque sunt ea quae erant serotina, Laban: et quae primi temporis, Iacob — describes the outcome of Jacob’s selective breeding; two parallel copulative clauses divide the ownership between Laban and Jacob.

Morphology

  1. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Indicates time of the action relative to previous context.
  2. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Contrasts with earlier clause describing the first mating period.
  3. serotina — Lemma: serotinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject with admissura; Translation: “late”; Notes: Describes the season or the delayed period of mating.
  4. admissura — Lemma: admitto; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine, future active participle; Function: predicate nominative with erat; Translation: “mating / to be mated”; Notes: Refers to animals ready to copulate.
  5. erat — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula of temporal clause; Translation: “was”; Notes: Describes continuous state of readiness.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects two parallel temporal conditions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins admissura with conceptus extremus.
  7. conceptus — Lemma: conceptus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of understood verb erat; Translation: “conception”; Notes: Refers to act of impregnation or offspring generation.
  8. extremus — Lemma: extremus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies conceptus; Translation: “last / final”; Notes: Marks the final breeding cycle.
  9. non — Lemma: non; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: negation particle; Translation: “not”; Notes: Negates the main verb ponebat.
  10. ponebat — Lemma: pono; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd person singular; Function: main verb of principal clause; Translation: “he placed”; Notes: Indicates Jacob refrained from using rods at this time.
  11. eas — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of ponebat; Translation: “them”; Notes: Refers to the rods previously mentioned.
  12. Factaque — Lemma: facio (+ -que); Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative plural neuter, perfect passive participle with enclitic -que; Function: begins new clause; Translation: “and were made”; Notes: Perfect participle denotes completed outcome; enclitic connects clause to prior sentence.
  13. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: auxiliary verb with Facta; Translation: “were”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect passive.
  14. ea — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of Facta sunt; Translation: “those things”; Notes: Refers to the offspring resulting from breeding.
  15. quae — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of erant; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause specifying the late offspring.
  16. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: Expresses ongoing identity or state.
  17. serotina — Lemma: serotinus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “late ones”; Notes: Describes offspring conceived during late season.
  18. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Laban’s”; Notes: Denotes ownership of the late offspring.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links the two relative clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects Laban’s and Jacob’s parts.
  20. quae — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of implied erant; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to earlier offspring.
  21. primi — Lemma: primus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive modifier of temporis; Translation: “of the first”; Notes: Indicates earlier season of conception.
  22. temporis — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular neuter; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “time”; Notes: Specifies the initial breeding period.
  23. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Jacob’s”; Notes: Denotes possession of the earlier, stronger offspring.

 

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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