Genesis 32:16

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:16 Et misit per manus servorum suorum singulos seorsum greges, dixitque pueris suis: Antecedite me, et sit spatium inter gregem et gregem.

And he sent each herd separately by the hands of his servants, and said to his youths: “Go before me, and let there be a space between herd and herd.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 misit he sent 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
3 per through, by PREP+ACC
4 manus hands ACC.PL.F
5 servorum of the servants GEN.PL.M
6 suorum his GEN.PL.M (REFL.POSS)
7 singulos each ACC.PL.M
8 seorsum separately ADV
9 greges herds ACC.PL.M
10 dixitque and said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
11 pueris to his youths DAT.PL.M
12 suis his DAT.PL.M (REFL.POSS)
13 Antecedite go before 2PL.PRES.ACT.IMP
14 me me ACC.SG
15 et and CONJ
16 sit let there be 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
17 spatium space NOM.SG.N
18 inter between PREP+ACC
19 gregem herd ACC.SG.M
20 et and CONJ
21 gregem herd ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Et misit … dixitque — two perfect active indicative verbs describing sequential actions.
Subject: implied Iacob (he).
Object: singulos greges — direct object of misit.
Prepositional phrase: per manus servorum suorum — expresses agency (“by the hands of his servants”).
Indirect object: pueris suis — recipient of the command.
Imperative clause: Antecedite me — direct command, “Go before me.”
Subordinate clause: et sit spatium inter gregem et gregem — subjunctive expressing instruction or purpose, “let there be a space between herd and herd.”
Conjunctions: et links narrative actions; -que connects dixit with the preceding clause.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Common narrative connector.
  2. misit — Lemma: mitto; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he sent”; Notes: Indicates completed action in narrative sequence.
  3. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses means or agency; Translation: “by” or “through”; Notes: Introduces phrase “per manus servorum suorum.”
  4. manus — Lemma: manus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of preposition per; Translation: “hands”; Notes: Fourth-declension noun.
  5. servorum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “manus”; Translation: “of the servants”; Notes: Shows ownership.
  6. suorum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun (reflexive possessive); Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: adjective agreeing with “servorum”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers back to the subject “he.”
  7. singulos — Lemma: singulus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “greges”; Translation: “each”; Notes: Emphasizes separation.
  8. seorsum — Lemma: seorsum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “misit”; Translation: “separately”; Notes: Indicates division of herds.
  9. greges — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object; Translation: “herds”; Notes: Plural of animals under one care.
  10. dixitque — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular + enclitic -que; Function: connects to previous clause; Translation: “and said”; Notes: Perfect tense continues the narrative chain.
  11. pueris — Lemma: puer; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to the youths”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s attendants.
  12. suis — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: pronoun (reflexive possessive); Form: dative plural masculine; Function: adjective agreeing with “pueris”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Indicates possession.
  13. Antecedite — Lemma: antecedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative second plural; Function: command; Translation: “go before”; Notes: Direct imperative addressing servants.
  14. me — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular; Function: object of “Antecedite”; Translation: “me”; Notes: Personal pronoun used for emphasis.
  15. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins the imperative and subjunctive clauses.
  16. sit — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive third singular; Function: subordinate verb of instruction; Translation: “let there be”; Notes: Used to express desired state.
  17. spatium — Lemma: spatium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “sit”; Translation: “space”; Notes: Subject noun with subjunctive verb.
  18. inter — Lemma: inter; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses separation or relation; Translation: “between”; Notes: Governs two coordinated accusatives.
  19. gregem — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “inter”; Translation: “herd”; Notes: First element of the comparison.
  20. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links repeated noun phrase; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates the second “gregem.”
  21. gregem — Lemma: grex; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: second object of “inter”; Translation: “herd”; Notes: Repetition adds poetic balance and emphasis on order.

 

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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