Genesis 31:1

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:1 Postquam autem audivit verba filiorum Laban dicentium: Tulit Iacob omnia quæ fuerunt patris nostri, et de illius facultate ditatus, factus est inclytus:

But after he heard the words of Laban’s sons, saying: “Jacob has taken all that belonged to our father, and from his wealth he has become rich and renowned.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Postquam after CONJ.TEMP
2 autem but ADV
3 audivit he heard 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
4 verba words ACC.PL.N
5 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
6 Laban Laban’s GEN.SG.M
7 dicentium saying GEN.PL.M.PRES.ACT.PTCP
8 Tulit he took 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
9 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
10 omnia all things ACC.PL.N
11 quae which NOM.PL.N.REL.PRON
12 fuerunt were 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
13 patris of the father GEN.SG.M
14 nostri our GEN.SG.M.PRON
15 et and CONJ
16 de from PREP+ABL
17 illius of him / his GEN.SG.M.DEMON.PRON
18 facultate wealth ABL.SG.F
19 ditatus enriched NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
20 factus made / become NOM.SG.M.PERF.PASS.PTCP
21 est is / was 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
22 inclytus renowned NOM.SG.M.ADJ

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Postquam autem audivit verba filiorum Laban dicentium — establishes the time preceding the main action, “after he heard the words of Laban’s sons.”
Indirect Speech: Tulit Iacob omnia quae fuerunt patris nostri — content of what Laban’s sons said, introduced by the participle dicentium.
Additional Clause: et de illius facultate ditatus, factus est inclytus — describes their claim that Jacob prospered from their father’s possessions; two perfect participles (ditatus, factus) express resulting state.

Morphology

  1. Postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Marks completion of hearing event before main action.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: transitional particle; Translation: “but”; Notes: Indicates mild contrast from preceding context.
  3. audivit — Lemma: audio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he heard”; Notes: Denotes completed perception event.
  4. verba — Lemma: verbum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of audivit; Translation: “words”; Notes: Refers to speech of Laban’s sons.
  5. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: Indicates speakers’ relationship to Laban.
  6. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: “of Laban”; Notes: Hebrew name uninflected in Latin.
  7. dicentium — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: genitive plural masculine, present active; Function: modifies filiorum; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Introduces indirect discourse.
  8. Tulit — Lemma: fero; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of reported clause; Translation: “he took”; Notes: Refers to accusation of seizing property.
  9. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of Tulit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Patriarch, target of accusation.
  10. omnia — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronoun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of Tulit; Translation: “all things”; Notes: Emphasizes totality of possessions.
  11. quae — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of fuerunt; Translation: “which”; Notes: Connects relative clause specifying possessions.
  12. fuerunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd plural; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: Indicates prior ownership by Laban’s family.
  13. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive with nostri; Translation: “of the father”; Notes: Part of possessive genitive phrase.
  14. nostri — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of patris; Translation: “our”; Notes: Indicates collective familial claim.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins parallel clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Introduces additional statement of accusation.
  16. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Denotes origin of Jacob’s wealth.
  17. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive with facultate; Translation: “of his”; Notes: Refers to Laban.
  18. facultate — Lemma: facultas; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “wealth / means”; Notes: Indicates resources from which Jacob benefited.
  19. ditatus — Lemma: dito; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “enriched”; Notes: Describes result of taking Laban’s property.
  20. factus — Lemma: facio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect passive; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “made / become”; Notes: Expresses transformation into a new status.
  21. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary of factus; Translation: “was / has been”; Notes: Forms periphrastic perfect construction (“has become”).
  22. inclytus — Lemma: inclytus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate complement; Translation: “renowned / illustrious”; Notes: Conveys Jacob’s elevated reputation resulting from divine favor.

 

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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