Genesis 31:42

Posted on January 31, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 31:42 Nisi Deus patris mei Abraham, et timor Isaac affuisset mihi, forsitan modo nudum me demisisses: afflictionem meam et laborem manuum mearum respexit Deus, et arguit te heri.

Unless the God of my father Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, had been with me, surely now you would have sent me away empty. God has seen my affliction and the labor of my hands, and He rebuked you last night.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Nisi unless CONJUNCTION CONDITIONAL
2 Deus God NOUN NOM.SG.M
3 patris of (my) father NOUN GEN.SG.M
4 mei my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE GEN.SG.M
5 Abraham Abraham PROPER NOUN NOM.SG.M (APPOSITIVE)
6 et and CONJUNCTION
7 timor fear NOUN NOM.SG.M
8 Isaac Isaac PROPER NOUN GEN.SG.M (DEPENDENT)
9 affuisset had been with VERB 3SG PLUPERFECT ACTIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
10 mihi to me PRONOUN DAT.SG.1
11 forsitan perhaps / surely ADVERB
12 modo now ADVERB TEMPORAL
13 nudum empty / naked ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.M
14 me me PRONOUN ACC.SG.1
15 demisisses you would have sent away VERB 2SG PLUPERFECT ACTIVE SUBJUNCTIVE
16 afflictionem affliction NOUN ACC.SG.F
17 meam my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE ACC.SG.F
18 et and CONJUNCTION
19 laborem labor NOUN ACC.SG.M
20 manuum of (my) hands NOUN GEN.PL.F
21 mearum my POSSESSIVE ADJECTIVE GEN.PL.F
22 respexit has seen VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
23 Deus God NOUN NOM.SG.M
24 et and CONJUNCTION
25 arguit rebuked VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
26 te you PRONOUN ACC.SG.2
27 heri yesterday / last night ADVERB TEMPORAL

Syntax

Conditional Clause: Nisi Deus patris mei Abraham et timor Isaac affuisset mihi — Nisi introduces an unreal condition (“unless”), governing subjunctive affuisset (“had been present”); the compound subject Deus patris mei Abraham and timor Isaac (lit. “the Fear of Isaac,” a reverent epithet for God) forms a solemn invocation. Mihi serves as a dative of advantage (“with me / for me”).
Apodosis: forsitan modo nudum me demisisses — optative tone with forsitan and pluperfect subjunctive demisisses expressing contrary-to-fact outcome (“surely you would have sent me away empty”). Nudum me is object and complement relation (“me naked / empty”).
Concluding Statement: afflictionem meam et laborem manuum mearum respexit Deus et arguit te heri — compound predicate with respexit and arguit (both perfects); objects afflictionem meam and laborem manuum mearum mark divine vindication, followed by et arguit te heri (“and He rebuked you last night”).
Syntax Summary: The verse follows a conditional pattern of divine protection: condition (if not for God’s presence), hypothetical loss, and divine intervention — climactically reaffirming Jacob’s innocence and YHWH’s justice.

Morphology

  1. Nisi — Lemma: nisi; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces conditional clause; Translation: “unless”; Notes: Introduces a contrary-to-fact condition governing subjunctive verb.
  2. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “affuisset”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH, invoked as protector.
  3. patris — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of father”; Notes: Forms genitival phrase “God of my father.”
  4. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: agrees with “patris”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes the reference to Abraham’s God.
  5. Abraham — Lemma: Abraham; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable in Latinized Hebrew form); Function: appositive to “Deus”; Translation: “Abraham”; Notes: Semitic proper name kept indeclinable.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates “Deus” and “timor.”
  7. timor — Lemma: timor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: second subject; Translation: “fear”; Notes: Title for God as the One whom Isaac revered.
  8. Isaac — Lemma: Isaac; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive with “timor”; Translation: “of Isaac”; Notes: Another Hebrew name used indeclinably.
  9. affuisset — Lemma: adsum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of the protasis; Translation: “had been with”; Notes: Subjunctive mood marks unreal condition.
  10. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular first person; Function: dative of advantage; Translation: “with / for me”; Notes: Expresses divine companionship.
  11. forsitan — Lemma: forsitan; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: introduces apodosis with modal tone; Translation: “surely / perhaps”; Notes: Here indicates emphatic inference rather than doubt.
  12. modo — Lemma: modo; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “now”; Notes: Temporal indicator emphasizing immediacy.
  13. nudum — Lemma: nudus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicative complement with “me”; Translation: “empty / naked”; Notes: Figuratively means “destitute.”
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular first person; Function: direct object of “demisisses”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Personal pronoun emphasizing injustice.
  15. demisisses — Lemma: demitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: second person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: main verb of apodosis; Translation: “you would have sent away”; Notes: Hypothetical action contrary to reality.
  16. afflictionem — Lemma: afflictio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of “respexit”; Translation: “affliction”; Notes: Refers to suffering under Laban’s service.
  17. meam — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: agrees with “afflictionem”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personalizes the suffering.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links compound objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins “afflictionem” and “laborem.”
  19. laborem — Lemma: labor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second object of “respexit”; Translation: “labor”; Notes: Indicates physical effort in service.
  20. manuum — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of hands”; Notes: Instrumental genitive specifying manual toil.
  21. mearum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: agrees with “manuum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Personal emphasis of Jacob’s work.
  22. respexit — Lemma: respicio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb of the concluding clause; Translation: “has seen”; Notes: Indicates divine awareness and compassion.
  23. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of both “respexit” and “arguit”; Translation: “God”; Notes: YHWH as divine judge.
  24. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects two verbs with same subject; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links acts of seeing and rebuking.
  25. arguit — Lemma: arguo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: second predicate verb; Translation: “rebuked”; Notes: Refers to divine warning to Laban in dream.
  26. te — Lemma: tu; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular second person; Function: object of “arguit”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers directly to Laban as recipient of divine rebuke.
  27. heri — Lemma: heri; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal adverb; Translation: “yesterday / last night”; Notes: Indicates timing of divine warning.

 

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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