Genesis 31:41

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:41 Sicque per viginti annos in domo tua servivi tibi, quatuordecim pro filiabus, et sex pro gregibus tuis: immutasti quoque mercedem meam decem vicibus.

And thus for twenty years I served you in your house: fourteen for your daughters, and six for your flocks; and you also changed my wages ten times.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Sicque and thus ADVERB + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 per through / for PREPOSITION + ACC
3 viginti twenty NUMERAL INDECLINABLE
4 annos years NOUN ACC.PL.M
5 in in PREPOSITION + ABL
6 domo house NOUN ABL.SG.F
7 tua your POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ABL.SG.F
8 servivi I served VERB 1SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
9 tibi to you PRONOUN DAT.SG.2
10 quatuordecim fourteen NUMERAL INDECLINABLE
11 pro for PREPOSITION + ABL
12 filiabus daughters NOUN ABL.PL.F (IRREG. DAT/ABL FORM)
13 et and CONJUNCTION
14 sex six NUMERAL INDECLINABLE
15 pro for PREPOSITION + ABL
16 gregibus flocks NOUN ABL.PL.M
17 tuis your POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ABL.PL.M
18 immutasti you changed VERB 2SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
19 quoque also ADVERB
20 mercedem wages NOUN ACC.SG.F
21 meam my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.F
22 decem ten NUMERAL INDECLINABLE
23 vicibus times NOUN ABL.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Sicque per viginti annos in domo tua servivi tibi — Sicque (thus + -que “and”) introduces summary continuity; per viginti annos (accusative of duration) marks the time period; in domo tua (locative expression) specifies setting; servivi (perfect of servio) is the main verb, governing tibi (dative of advantage).
Subordinate Phrases: quatuordecim pro filiabus and sex pro gregibus tuis function as prepositional phrases expressing purpose or exchange (“fourteen for your daughters and six for your flocks”), the preposition pro denoting service rendered in exchange for.
Final Clause: immutasti quoque mercedem meam decem vicibus — main finite verb immutasti (perfect), adverb quoque adds emphasis (“you also changed”), object mercedem meam (“my wages”), with ablative of measure decem vicibus (“ten times”).
Syntax Summary: The sentence conveys three key facts: Jacob’s long labor, his dual service contracts, and Laban’s repeated deceit. The structure is cumulative, moving from duration to reward manipulation.

Morphology

  1. Sicque — Lemma: sic + que; Part of Speech: adverb + enclitic conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introductory summarizer linking with prior verses; Translation: “and thus”; Notes: Adds rhetorical cohesion between narrative events.
  2. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates duration or extent; Translation: “for”; Notes: Standard marker for temporal duration.
  3. viginti — Lemma: viginti; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies “annos”; Translation: “twenty”; Notes: Uninflected cardinal numeral.
  4. annos — Lemma: annus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “per”; Translation: “years”; Notes: Duration accusative expressing time period.
  5. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Indicates physical or social context of service.
  6. domo — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “house”; Notes: Common Latin domestic locative; here referring to Laban’s household.
  7. tua — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “domo”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Marks possessive relationship with Laban.
  8. servivi — Lemma: servio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: first person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the clause; Translation: “I served”; Notes: Perfect expresses completed service.
  9. tibi — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular second person; Function: indirect object of “servivi”; Translation: “to you”; Notes: Denotes beneficiary of service.
  10. quatuordecim — Lemma: quatuordecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral adverbially expressing duration or quantity; Translation: “fourteen”; Notes: Uninflected cardinal used with “pro.”
  11. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates exchange or purpose; Translation: “for”; Notes: Common with labor-for-reward contexts.
  12. filiabus — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine (archaic form “filiabus” used instead of “filiis” to avoid ambiguity with “filius”); Function: object of “pro”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Refers to Leah and Rachel.
  13. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects coordinated phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple coordination linking service periods.
  14. sex — Lemma: sex; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral for second service period; Translation: “six”; Notes: Duration or term of work for flocks.
  15. pro — Lemma: pro; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes exchange; Translation: “for”; Notes: Parallel repetition emphasizes equivalence.
  16. gregibus — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “pro”; Translation: “flocks”; Notes: Collective livestock term for Laban’s herds.
  17. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: agrees with “gregibus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers again to Laban’s possession.
  18. immutasti — Lemma: immuto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “you changed”; Notes: Refers to unfair alteration of Jacob’s wages.
  19. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds emphasis or inclusion; Translation: “also”; Notes: Suggests Laban’s repeated duplicity.
  20. mercedem — Lemma: merces; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “immutasti”; Translation: “wages”; Notes: Common term for agreed pay or compensation.
  21. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “mercedem”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Reinforces personal injustice experienced by Jacob.
  22. decem — Lemma: decem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numerical quantifier with “vicibus”; Translation: “ten”; Notes: Specifies frequency of change.
  23. vicibus — Lemma: vicis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of measure; Translation: “times”; Notes: Denotes number of occurrences—idiomatic phrase “decem vicibus.”

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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