Genesis 32:1

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:1 Iacob quoque abiit itinere quo cœperat: fueruntque ei obviam Angeli Dei.

Jacob also went on the journey which he had begun; and the Angels of God met him.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Iacob Jacob PROPER NOUN NOM.SG.M
2 quoque also ADVERB
3 abiit he went VERB 3SG PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
4 itinere journey NOUN ABL.SG.M
5 quo which RELATIVE PRONOUN ABL.SG.M
6 cœperat he had begun VERB 3SG PLUPERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE
7 fueruntque and they were VERB 3PL PERFECT ACTIVE INDICATIVE + ENCLITIC -QUE
8 ei to him / for him PRONOUN DAT.SG.M
9 obviam meeting / before ADVERBIAL PARTICLE
10 angeli angels NOUN NOM.PL.M
11 Dei of God NOUN GEN.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Iacob quoque abiit itinere quo cœperat — subject Iacob, perfect verb abiit (“went”), and ablative phrase itinere quo cœperat (“on the journey which he had begun”) as temporal/qualitative complement.
Coordinated Clause: fueruntque ei obviam angeli Dei — the verb fuerunt with enclitic -que (“and they were”) introduces a new subject angeli Dei (“the angels of God”) and indirect object ei (“to him”), with adverbial obviam” (“meeting” or “to meet”).
Syntax Summary: The verse presents Jacob resuming his journey, and concurrently a divine intervention: angels meet him. The relative clause in the first part gives background (the journey he began). The second part emphasizes divine accompaniment or encounter.

Morphology

  1. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “abiit”; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Patriarch returning from his sojourn.
  2. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adds “also” to subject; Translation: “also / likewise”; Notes: Indicates continuity of action.
  3. abiit — Lemma: abeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “he went”; Notes: Marks completion of movement.
  4. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: expresses means or journey; Translation: “journey”; Notes: Ablative used for “on the journey.”
  5. quo — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers back to “itinere.”
  6. cœperat — Lemma: coepi; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular pluperfect active indicative; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “he had begun”; Notes: Indicates prior action.
  7. fueruntque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb + enclitic; Form: third person plural perfect active indicative + -que; Function: main verb in second clause; Translation: “and they were / and they came”; Notes: The -que links to previous sentence.
  8. ei — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “fuerunt”; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  9. obviam — Lemma: obviam; Part of Speech: adverbial or prepositional adverb; Form: invariable; Function: qualifies “fuerunt”; Translation: “to meet / toward”; Notes: Classical usage “to meet someone.”
  10. angeli — Lemma: angelus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “fuerunt”; Translation: “angels”; Notes: Divine messengers.
  11. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Specifies whose angels they are.

 

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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