Genesis 32:20

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

20 Et addetis: Ipse quoque servus tuus Iacob iter nostrum insequitur: dixit enim: Placabo illum muneribus quæ præcedunt, et postea videbo illum, forsitan propitiabitur mihi.

And you shall add: ‘Your servant Jacob himself also follows our journey; for he said, I will appease him with gifts that go before, and afterward I shall see him; perhaps he will be gracious to me.’”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Et and CONJ
2 addetis you shall add 2PL.FUT.ACT.IND
3 Ipse he himself NOM.SG.M (INTENSIVE PRON.)
4 quoque also ADV
5 servus servant NOM.SG.M
6 tuus your NOM.SG.M (POSS.ADJ)
7 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
8 iter journey ACC.SG.N
9 nostrum our ACC.SG.N (POSS.ADJ)
10 insequitur follows 3SG.PRES.DEP.IND
11 dixit he said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
12 enim for CONJ
13 Placabo I will appease 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
14 illum him ACC.SG.M
15 muneribus with gifts ABL.PL.N
16 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
17 præcedunt go before 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
18 et and CONJ
19 postea afterward ADV
20 videbo I shall see 1SG.FUT.ACT.IND
21 illum him ACC.SG.M
22 forsitan perhaps ADV
23 propitiabitur he will be gracious 3SG.FUT.DEP.IND
24 mihi to me DAT.SG

Syntax

Main Clause: Et addetis — future indicative used imperatively, “You shall add.”
Reported Speech: Ipse quoque servus tuus Iacob iter nostrum insequitur — statement of Jacob’s position, “Your servant Jacob himself also follows our journey.”
Causal Clause: dixit enim — “for he said,” introducing direct discourse.
Direct Speech: Placabo illum muneribus quæ præcedunt and postea videbo illum — Jacob’s reasoning expressed in future indicative.
Final Clause: forsitan propitiabitur mihi — expression of hope, “perhaps he will be gracious to me.”
Relative Clause: quæ præcedunt — modifies muneribus, specifying which gifts.
Subjects and Verbs:
– Subject 1: implied vos (you) → addetis.
– Subject 2: Iacob → insequitur.
– Subject 3: ego (implied) → Placabo, videbo.
– Subject 4: ille (implied) → propitiabitur.

Morphology

  1. Et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continuation of narrative instruction.
  2. addetis — Lemma: addo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd plural; Function: main verb; Translation: “you shall add”; Notes: Future used for command or instruction.
  3. Ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “insequitur”; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Adds emphasis to Jacob’s direct involvement.
  4. quoque — Lemma: quoque; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: adverbial addition; Translation: “also”; Notes: Follows the word it modifies.
  5. servus — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to “Iacob”; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Expression of humility before Esau.
  6. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “servus”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Refers to Esau as master.
  7. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject/apposition; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Indeclinable Hebrew name.
  8. iter — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: direct object of “insequitur”; Translation: “journey”; Notes: From root “eo,” “to go.”
  9. nostrum — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: modifies “iter”; Translation: “our”; Notes: Possessive of collective group.
  10. insequitur — Lemma: insequor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: present indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “follows”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  11. dixit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: verb of saying; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Introduces direct speech.
  12. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: explains cause or reason; Translation: “for”; Notes: Postpositive conjunction.
  13. Placabo — Lemma: placo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 1st singular; Function: main verb of direct speech; Translation: “I will appease”; Notes: Expresses intention.
  14. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “Placabo”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Esau.
  15. muneribus — Lemma: munus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “with gifts”; Notes: Instrumental ablative.
  16. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of “præcedunt”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to “muneribus.”
  17. præcedunt — Lemma: præcedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: relative clause predicate; Translation: “go before”; Notes: Describes the gifts’ order.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins following future clause.
  19. postea — Lemma: postea; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “videbo”; Translation: “afterward”; Notes: Temporal adverb.
  20. videbo — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I shall see”; Notes: Future indicative expressing sequence.
  21. illum — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “videbo”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Esau.
  22. forsitan — Lemma: forsitan; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “propitiabitur”; Translation: “perhaps”; Notes: Expresses uncertainty or hope.
  23. propitiabitur — Lemma: propitior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “he will be gracious”; Notes: Deponent form, active in meaning.
  24. mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: indirect object of “propitiabitur”; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Dative of advantage, expressing hope for favor.

 

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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