Genesis 32:11

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:11 Erue me de manu fratris mei Esau, quia valde eum timeo: ne forte veniens percutiat matrem cum filiis.

Deliver me from the hand of my brother Esau, for I greatly fear him, lest perhaps he come and strike the mother with the children.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Erue deliver 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
2 me me ACC.SG.PRON
3 de from PREP+ABL
4 manu hand ABL.SG.F
5 fratris of brother GEN.SG.M
6 mei my GEN.SG.M.PRON
7 Esau Esau GEN.SG.M
8 quia for/because CONJ
9 valde greatly ADV
10 eum him ACC.SG.M.PRON
11 timeo I fear 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 ne lest SCONJ
13 forte perhaps ADV
14 veniens coming PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
15 percutiat strike 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
16 matrem mother ACC.SG.F
17 cum with PREP+ABL
18 filiis children ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Main Petition: Erue me de manu fratris mei Esau — imperative Erue (“deliver”) governs the direct object me; prepositional phrase de manu fratris mei Esau specifies the source of danger.
Causal Clause: quia valde eum timeo — introduces reason with quia (“for/because”), followed by verb timeo and direct object eum; valde intensifies emotion.
Preventive Clause: ne forte veniens percutiat matrem cum filiis — introduces feared consequence with ne forte (“lest perhaps”); subjunctive percutiat expresses potential action; participle veniens marks temporal nuance; direct object matrem expanded by accompaniment phrase cum filiis.

Morphology

  1. Erue — Lemma: eruo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 2nd person singular present active imperative; Function: direct command in prayer; Translation: “deliver”; Notes: Plea addressed to God, expressing urgent request for rescue.
  2. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: direct object of Erue; Translation: “me”; Notes: Emphasizes Jacob’s vulnerability before divine protection.
  3. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source or separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces the source of threat, manu fratris.
  4. manu — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “hand”; Notes: Metaphor for power or control.
  5. fratris — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of brother”; Notes: Specifies relationship of Esau to Jacob.
  6. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies fratris; Translation: “my”; Notes: Emphasizes familial bond with his adversary.
  7. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: apposition to fratris mei; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Identifies the brother from whom Jacob seeks deliverance.
  8. quia — Lemma: quia; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “for/because”; Notes: Explains reason for fear and prayer.
  9. valde — Lemma: valde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adverb of degree; Translation: “greatly”; Notes: Intensifies timeo to express profound dread.
  10. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object of timeo; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers specifically to Esau.
  11. timeo — Lemma: timeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular present active indicative; Function: expresses internal emotion; Translation: “I fear”; Notes: Jacob’s admission of human frailty before divine help.
  12. ne — Lemma: ne; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: introduces negative purpose/fear clause; Translation: “lest”; Notes: Expresses anxiety over potential harm.
  13. forte — Lemma: forte; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: softens ne clause; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: Indicates possibility rather than certainty.
  14. veniens — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular masculine present active participle; Function: modifies implied subject Esau; Translation: “coming”; Notes: Adds temporal immediacy to feared action.
  15. percutiat — Lemma: percutio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active subjunctive; Function: main verb in fear clause; Translation: “may strike”; Notes: Subjunctive expresses potential violence Jacob dreads.
  16. matrem — Lemma: mater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object of percutiat; Translation: “mother”; Notes: Stands collectively for mothers among his company.
  17. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: Links matrem and filiis as unified object of harm.
  18. filiis — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “children”; Notes: Denotes offspring; completes image of total destruction Jacob fears.

 

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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