Genesis 32:28

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:28 At ille, Nequaquam, inquit, Iacob appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israel: quoniam si contra Deum fortis fuisti, quanto magis contra homines prævalebis?

But he said: “No longer shall your name be called Jacob, but Israel; for if you have been strong against God, how much more shall you prevail against men?”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 At but CONJ
2 ille he NOM.SG.M (PRON)
3 Nequaquam by no means ADV
4 inquit he said 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (DEFECTIVE)
5 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
6 appellabitur shall be called 3SG.FUT.PASS.IND
7 nomen name NOM.SG.N
8 tuum your NOM.SG.N (POSS.ADJ)
9 sed but CONJ
10 Israel Israel NOM.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
11 quoniam for CONJ
12 si if CONJ
13 contra against PREP+ACC
14 Deum God ACC.SG.M
15 fortis strong NOM.SG.M (ADJ)
16 fuisti you have been 2SG.PERF.ACT.IND
17 quanto how much ADV/INTERROG
18 magis more ADV (COMPARATIVE)
19 contra against PREP+ACC
20 homines men ACC.PL.M
21 prævalebis you will prevail 2SG.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: At ille, Nequaquam, inquit — “But he said, ‘By no means.’”
• At introduces contrast.
• Ille is the subject, referring to the mysterious man (the divine figure).
• Nequaquam is an emphatic negative adverb modifying the rejection.
• Inquit introduces direct discourse.

Direct Speech Clause 1: Iacob appellabitur nomen tuum, sed Israel — “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel.”
• Subject: nomen tuum.
• Verb: appellabitur — future passive, “shall be called.”
• Predicate Noun: Iacob → replaced by Israel in contrastive clause with sed.
• Meaning: divine renaming marks transformation of identity.

Causal Clause: quoniam si contra Deum fortis fuisti, quanto magis contra homines prævalebis?
• Quoniam introduces explanation (“for”).
• Conditional Clause: si contra Deum fortis fuisti — “if you have been strong against God.”
• Main Clause: quanto magis contra homines prævalebis — “how much more will you prevail against men.”
• Rhetorical structure: conditional + comparative = emphatic reassurance of victory.

Morphology

  1. At — Lemma: at; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Marks shift or opposition in dialogue.
  2. ille — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “inquit”; Translation: “he”; Notes: Refers to the divine man.
  3. Nequaquam — Lemma: nequaquam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: emphatic negation; Translation: “by no means”; Notes: Strengthens the denial of previous condition.
  4. inquit — Lemma: inquam; Part of Speech: defective verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: introduces direct speech; Translation: “he said”; Notes: Used parenthetically in dialogue.
  5. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Hebrew name left untranslated.
  6. appellabitur — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future passive indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of renaming clause; Translation: “shall be called”; Notes: Passive of naming or designation.
  7. nomen — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of “appellabitur”; Translation: “name”; Notes: Subject of future passive.
  8. tuum — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: modifies “nomen”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive referring to Jacob.
  9. sed — Lemma: sed; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces contrast; Translation: “but”; Notes: Opposes “Iacob” to “Israel.”
  10. Israel — Lemma: Israel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Israel”; Notes: New name meaning “he who strives with God.”
  11. quoniam — Lemma: quoniam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces causal clause; Translation: “for”; Notes: Explains the renaming.
  12. si — Lemma: si; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces condition; Translation: “if”; Notes: Opens hypothetical statement.
  13. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Used twice in parallel structure.
  14. Deum — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “contra”; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to divine being Jacob wrestled with.
  15. fortis — Lemma: fortis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “strong”; Notes: Completes sense with “fuisti.”
  16. fuisti — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: copula linking predicate; Translation: “you have been”; Notes: Perfect tense of completed condition.
  17. quanto — Lemma: quantus; Part of Speech: adverb/interrogative; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparative phrase; Translation: “how much”; Notes: Used adverbially in comparison.
  18. magis — Lemma: magis; Part of Speech: adverb (comparative of “magnopere”); Form: invariable; Function: modifies “prævalebis”; Translation: “more”; Notes: Comparative intensifier.
  19. contra — Lemma: contra; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses opposition; Translation: “against”; Notes: Repeated for parallelism with “contra Deum.”
  20. homines — Lemma: homo; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “contra”; Translation: “men”; Notes: Contrast with “Deum” to emphasize human weakness.
  21. prævalebis — Lemma: prævaleo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 2nd singular; Function: main verb of comparative clause; Translation: “you will prevail”; Notes: Predictive future of success or strength.

 

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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