Genesis 31:34

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:34 illa festinans abscondit idola subter stramenta cameli, et sedit desuper: scrutantique omne tentorium, et nihil invenienti,

she, hurrying, hid the idols beneath the camel’s straw, and sat upon them; and while he searched through the whole tent, and found nothing,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 illa she PRONOUN NOM.SG.F
2 festinans hurrying PRESENT PARTICIPLE NOM.SG.F
3 abscondit hid VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
4 idola idols NOUN ACC.PL.N
5 subter beneath PREPOSITION + ACC
6 stramenta straw NOUN ACC.PL.N
7 cameli of the camel NOUN GEN.SG.M
8 et and CONJUNCTION
9 sedit sat VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
10 desuper upon them ADVERB / PREPOSITION
11 scrutantique to him searching PRESENT PARTICIPLE DAT.SG.M
12 omne the whole ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.N
13 tentorium tent NOUN ACC.SG.N
14 et and CONJUNCTION
15 nihil nothing PRONOUN ACC.SG.N
16 invenienti to him finding PRESENT PARTICIPLE DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Subject illa (feminine pronoun) + Participial Modifier festinans (circumstantial participle “hurrying”) + Verb abscondit (main finite verb) + Object idola (direct object).
Prepositional Phrase: subter stramenta cameli expresses location of concealment (“beneath the camel’s straw”).
Conjoined Clause: et sedit desuper adds the subsequent action, using desuper to indicate position “upon them.”
Subordinate Circumstantial Clause: introduced implicitly with participial phrases scrutantique and invenienti (dative absolutes) — literally “while he was searching through the whole tent and finding nothing.” These participles modify the situation under which Rachel concealed the idols.
Objects within participial phrase: omne tentorium (accusative object of the verbal idea within the participle “searching”) and nihil (object of “finding”).

Morphology

  1. illa — Lemma: ille, illa, illud; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “abscondit” and “sedit”; Translation: “she”; Notes: Demonstrative pronoun referring contextually to Rachel.
  2. festinans — Lemma: festino; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present participle nominative singular feminine; Function: circumstantial modifier describing manner; Translation: “hurrying”; Notes: Adds vividness to the narrative by portraying Rachel’s quick motion.
  3. abscondit — Lemma: abscondo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main finite verb; Translation: “hid”; Notes: Perfect tense depicts completed action of concealment before discovery attempt.
  4. idola — Lemma: idolum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “abscondit”; Translation: “idols”; Notes: Refers to the teraphim stolen by Rachel.
  5. subter — Lemma: subter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces prepositional phrase indicating location; Translation: “beneath”; Notes: Poetic or archaic preposition persisting in Vulgate diction.
  6. stramenta — Lemma: stramentum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of “subter”; Translation: “straw”; Notes: Refers to bedding or litter on which the camel’s saddle rests.
  7. cameli — Lemma: camelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive with “stramenta”; Translation: “of the camel”; Notes: Specifies the animal whose straw or bedding is used.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects coordinated actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins “abscondit” and “sedit.”
  9. sedit — Lemma: sedeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: second finite verb in coordination; Translation: “sat”; Notes: Depicts Rachel’s posture concealing the idols physically.
  10. desuper — Lemma: desuper; Part of Speech: adverb/preposition; Form: invariable; Function: spatial adverb indicating “on top”; Translation: “upon them”; Notes: Often governs implied object when meaning is clear from context.
  11. scrutantique — Lemma: scrutor; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present participle dative singular masculine; Function: dative absolute modifying the circumstance; Translation: “to him searching”; Notes: Derived from deponent verb; dative marks the agent of circumstantial clause.
  12. omne — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “tentorium”; Translation: “the whole”; Notes: Encompasses totality of the tent in the search.
  13. tentorium — Lemma: tentorium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object within participial phrase “scrutantique”; Translation: “tent”; Notes: Reinforces spatial scope of Laban’s search.
  14. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins dative participles “scrutantique” and “invenienti”; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links the double dative construction expressing parallel circumstances.
  15. nihil — Lemma: nihil; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “invenienti”; Translation: “nothing”; Notes: Negative substantive indicating the fruitlessness of the search.
  16. invenienti — Lemma: invenio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present participle dative singular masculine; Function: part of dative absolute; Translation: “to him finding”; Notes: Parallel to “scrutantique,” emphasizing continual attempt without result.

 

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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