Genesis 32:2

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

2 Quos cum vidisset, ait: Castra Dei sunt hæc. et appellavit nomen loci illius Mahanaim, id est, Castra.

When he saw them, he said: “These are the camps of God; and he called the name of that place Mahanaim, that is, Camps.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quos whom ACC.PL.M
2 cum when CONJ
3 vidisset he had seen 3SG.PLUP.ACT.SUBJ
4 ait he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 Castra camps NOM.PL.N
6 Dei of God GEN.SG.M
7 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
8 hæc these NOM.PL.N
9 et and CONJ
10 appellavit he called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 nomen name ACC.SG.N
12 loci of the place GEN.SG.M
13 illius of that GEN.SG.M
14 Mahanaim Mahanaim PROPN.INDECL
15 id that NOM.SG.N
16 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 Castra camps NOM.PL.N

Syntax

Main Clause: ait (he said) – main verb; Subject is implied “he” (Jacob) + Predicate Castra Dei sunt hæc (“these are the camps of God”).
Subordinate Temporal Clause: Quos cum vidisset – “when he had seen them,” expressing circumstance.
Coordinate Clause: et appellavit nomen loci illius Mahanaim – “and he called the name of that place Mahanaim,” with nomen loci illius as object of “appellavit.”
Explanatory Apposition: id est Castra — “that is, Camps” explains the name’s meaning.

Morphology

  1. Quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of vidisset; Translation: “whom”; Notes: Refers to angels seen by Jacob.
  2. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces a temporal clause with the subjunctive; Function: marks circumstance of seeing; Translation: “when”; Notes: Temporal cum governing subjunctive.
  3. vidisset — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular pluperfect active subjunctive; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “he had seen”; Notes: Subjunctive following cum for temporal nuance.
  4. ait — Lemma: aio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb introducing speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Historical perfect common in narrative.
  5. Castra — Lemma: castra (plurale tantum); Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative of sunt; Translation: “camps”; Notes: Latin plural reflects Hebrew “two camps.”
  6. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession modifying Castra; Translation: “of God”; Notes: Refers to divine ownership, not Dominus.
  7. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (copula); Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: links subject hæc with predicate Castra Dei; Translation: “are”; Notes: Agreement with neuter plural subject.
  8. hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers to the camps perceived.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: connective; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects consecutive actions.
  10. appellavit — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of naming clause; Translation: “he called”; Notes: Governs double accusative: nomen + Mahanaim.
  11. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of appellavit; Translation: “name”; Notes: Object in naming expression.
  12. loci — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive dependent on nomen; Translation: “of the place”; Notes: Specifies possession.
  13. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies loci; Translation: “of that”; Notes: Refers to the specific place.
  14. Mahanaim — Lemma: Mahanaim; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: indeclinable (Hebrew loanword); Function: predicate complement naming the place; Translation: “Mahanaim”; Notes: Hebrew term meaning “two camps.”
  15. id — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of est; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces explanatory clause.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (copula); Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: links id with predicate Castra; Translation: “is”; Notes: Copula for identification.
  17. Castra — Lemma: castra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: predicate nominative with est; Translation: “camps”; Notes: Defines meaning of Mahanaim.

 

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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