Genesis 31:35

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:35 ait: Ne irascatur dominus meus quod coram te assurgere nequeo: quia iuxta consuetudinem feminarum nunc accidit mihi. sic delusa solicitudo quærentis est.

she said: “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for according to the custom of women it has now happened to me.” Thus the anxious searcher was deceived.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 ait she said VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
2 Ne let not NEGATIVE PARTICLE + SUBJUNCTIVE
3 irasnatur be angry VERB 3SG PRESENT SUBJUNCTIVE DEPONENT
4 dominus lord NOUN NOM.SG.M
5 meus my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE NOM.SG.M
6 quod that CONJUNCTION
7 coram before PREPOSITION + ABL
8 te you PRONOUN ABL.SG.2
9 assurgere to rise INFINITIVE PRESENT ACTIVE
10 nequeo I cannot VERB 1SG PRESENT ACTIVE INDICATIVE (COMPOUND OF “non” + “queo”)
11 quia because CONJUNCTION
12 iuxta according to PREPOSITION + ACC
13 consuetudinem custom NOUN ACC.SG.F
14 feminarum of women NOUN GEN.PL.F
15 nunc now ADVERB
16 accidit it happens VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
17 mihi to me PRONOUN DAT.SG.1
18 sic thus ADVERB
19 delusa deceived PERFECT PARTICIPLE NOM.SG.F
20 sollicitudo anxiety NOUN NOM.SG.F
21 quærentis of the one seeking PRESENT PARTICIPLE GEN.SG.M
22 est was VERB 3SG PERFECT (FOR SENSE) ACTIVE INDICATIVE

Syntax

Main Speech Clause: ait (introduces direct discourse) governs the subjunctive clause of polite negation.
Subordinate Clause of Prohibition: Ne irascatur dominus meus — a jussive subjunctive (“let not my lord be angry”), with dominus meus as subject and irasnatur as the deponent verb meaning “be angry.”
Complement Clause: introduced by quod (“that”), functioning as object of emotion — “that I cannot rise before you.” Within it, assurgere (infinitive) depends on nequeo.
Reason Clause: quia iuxta consuetudinem feminarum nunc accidit mihi — gives the reason for her sitting, with accidit as impersonal verb governing the dative mihi.
Final Statement: sic delusa sollicitudo quærentis est — independent clause marking narrative closure: “thus the anxious searcher was deceived,” where sollicitudo (subject) + delusa (predicate participle) + est (copula) form a perfect passive periphrasis.

Morphology

  1. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of saying introducing direct speech; Translation: “she said”; Notes: Common narrative verb in Vulgate introducing quotations.
  2. Ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: negative particle; Form: invariable; Function: introduces prohibitive subjunctive; Translation: “let not”; Notes: Used for polite or soft negative commands in indirect address.
  3. irasnatur — Lemma: irascor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: third person singular present subjunctive; Function: verb in prohibitive clause; Translation: “be angry”; Notes: Deponent in form but active in meaning; triggered by ne to express polite request.
  4. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “irasnatur”; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Refers to Laban, a human superior; hence translated “lord,” not “LORD.”
  5. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: agrees with “dominus”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Possessive expressing subordination or respect.
  6. quod — Lemma: quod; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces object clause of emotion; Translation: “that”; Notes: Correlates with emotional verbs like “be angry.”
  7. coram — Lemma: coram; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates presence before someone; Translation: “before”; Notes: Common in polite or reverential address.
  8. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular second person; Function: object of “coram”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Personal pronoun referring to Laban.
  9. assurgere — Lemma: assurgo; Part of Speech: verb (infinitive); Form: present active infinitive; Function: complement of “nequeo”; Translation: “to rise”; Notes: Indicates gesture of respect omitted by Rachel.
  10. nequeo — Lemma: nequeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular present active indicative; Function: expresses inability; Translation: “I cannot”; Notes: Compound of “non” + “queo”; denotes incapacity, not refusal.
  11. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “because”; Notes: Explains preceding statement or apology.
  12. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: denotes conformity; Translation: “according to”; Notes: Often used in legal or ritual language.
  13. consuetudinem — Lemma: consuetudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “iuxta”; Translation: “custom”; Notes: Feminine third declension, denoting established habit.
  14. feminarum — Lemma: femina; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of women”; Notes: Refers euphemistically to menstrual impurity, hence Rachel’s excuse.
  15. nunc — Lemma: nunc; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “now”; Notes: Emphasizes current occurrence.
  16. accidit — Lemma: accido; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: impersonal verb with dative; Translation: “it has happened”; Notes: Perfect aspect denotes completion of event.
  17. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: indirect object of “accidit”; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Marks experiencer of impersonal verb.
  18. sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: indicates result or manner; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Introduces the narrative summary clause.
  19. delusa — Lemma: deludo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate participle modifying “sollicitudo”; Translation: “deceived”; Notes: Part of periphrastic passive construction with “est.”
  20. sollicitudo — Lemma: sollicitudo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of final clause; Translation: “anxiety / careful search”; Notes: Personified emotion of the seeker, i.e., Laban’s concern.
  21. quærentis — Lemma: quæro; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present participle genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive modifying “sollicitudo”; Translation: “of the one searching”; Notes: Refers to Laban, the seeker of his idols.
  22. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular present active indicative; Function: copula completing the periphrastic passive; Translation: “was”; Notes: Perfect sense in translation due to participle “delusa.”

 

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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