Genesis 32:31

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32;31 Ortusque est ei statim sol, postquam transgressus est Phanuel: ipse vero claudicabat pede.

And the sun rose upon him immediately after he had crossed Phanuel, but he was limping on his foot.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Ortusque and rose NOM.SG.M (PERF.PTCP.PASS) + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 ei to him DAT.SG (PRON)
4 statim immediately ADV
5 sol sun NOM.SG.M
6 postquam after SUBORD.CONJ
7 transgressus having crossed NOM.SG.M (PERF.PTCP.DEP)
8 est was 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
9 Phanuel Penuel ACC.SG.M (PROPN.INDECL)
10 ipse he himself NOM.SG.M (PRON)
11 vero but, indeed ADV
12 claudicabat was limping 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND
13 pede on (his) foot ABL.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Ortusque est ei statim sol — “And the sun rose upon him immediately.”
• Verb Phrase: Ortus est — perfect deponent form meaning “rose.”
• Subject: sol — nominative, “sun.”
• Dative of Advantage: ei — “upon him,” indicating the one affected.
• Adverb: statim — marks temporal immediacy.

Temporal Clause: postquam transgressus est Phanuel — “after he had crossed Phanuel.”
• Verb: transgressus est — perfect deponent, “he crossed.”
• Object: Phanuel — accusative proper noun.

Main Clause 2: ipse vero claudicabat pede — “but he himself was limping on his foot.”
• Subject: ipse — emphatic pronoun, “he himself.”
• Adverb: vero — contrastive, “but” or “indeed.”
• Verb: claudicabat — imperfect, denotes continuous or ongoing action.
• Ablative of Means: pede — “by (his) foot,” specifying the instrument or limb affected.

Morphology

  1. Ortusque — Lemma: orior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect participle passive + enclitic -que; Function: part of compound predicate “Ortus est”; Translation: “and rose”; Notes: Deponent verb taking active meaning with passive form.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary for perfect deponent; Translation: “was” / “has risen”; Notes: Forms perfect tense with “Ortus.”
  3. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “to him” / “upon him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as beneficiary of sunrise.
  4. statim — Lemma: statim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: temporal modifier; Translation: “immediately”; Notes: Indicates immediacy of sunrise following crossing.
  5. sol — Lemma: sol; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Ortus est”; Translation: “sun”; Notes: Subject in nominative.
  6. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: subordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Takes perfect tense in subordinate clause.
  7. transgressus — Lemma: transgredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: nominative singular masculine, perfect participle; Function: part of “transgressus est”; Translation: “having crossed”; Notes: Deponent participle used with “est.”
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary forming perfect deponent; Translation: “was”; Notes: Forms perfect with participle “transgressus.”
  9. Phanuel — Lemma: Phanuel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine (indeclinable); Function: object of “transgressus est”; Translation: “Phanuel”; Notes: Hebrew name meaning “Face of God.”
  10. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Adds emphasis to the following clause.
  11. vero — Lemma: vero; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: connective or contrastive adverb; Translation: “but,” “indeed”; Notes: Marks contrastive emphasis.
  12. claudicabat — Lemma: claudico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of second clause; Translation: “was limping”; Notes: Continuous aspect of ongoing action after divine encounter.
  13. pede — Lemma: pes; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: ablative of means; Translation: “on his foot” / “by foot”; Notes: Describes the manner or instrument of lameness.

 

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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