Genesis 32:4

Posted on February 1, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 32:4 præcepitque eis, dicens: Sic loquimini domino meo Esau: Hæc dicit frater tuus Iacob: Apud Laban peregrinatus sum, et fui usque in præsentem diem.

and he commanded them, saying: “Thus you shall speak to my lord Esau: These things says your brother Jacob: ‘I have sojourned with Laban and have been until this present day.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 præcepitque and he commanded 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 eis to them DAT.PL.M
3 dicens saying PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
4 Sic thus ADV
5 loquimini speak 2PL.PRES.DEP.IMP
6 domino to the lord DAT.SG.M
7 meo my DAT.SG.M
8 Esau Esau PROPN.DAT.SG.M
9 Hæc these things NOM.PL.N
10 dicit says 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 frater brother NOM.SG.M
12 tuus your NOM.SG.M
13 Iacob Jacob PROPN.NOM.SG.M
14 Apud with/at PREP+ACC
15 Laban Laban PROPN.ACC.SG.M
16 peregrinatus I have sojourned PERF.DEP.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
17 sum I am/have been 1SG.PRES.ACT.IND
18 et and CONJ
19 fui I have been 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
20 usque until PREP+ACC
21 in unto/in PREP+ACC
22 præsentem present ACC.SG.F
23 diem day ACC.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause 1: præcepitque eis, dicens — main verb præcepit (“he commanded”) with indirect object eis (“to them”), and the participle dicens introduces direct speech.
Direct Speech 1: Sic loquimini domino meo Esau — imperative addressed to the messengers (“thus speak to my lord Esau”).
Direct Speech 2: Hæc dicit frater tuus Iacob — quoted declaration identifying speaker.
Complement Clause: Apud Laban peregrinatus sum, et fui usque in præsentem diem — compound clause expressing duration of Jacob’s stay.

Morphology

  1. præcepitque — Lemma: praecipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect active indicative + enclitic -que; Function: main verb linking narrative; Translation: “and he commanded”; Notes: Perfect aspect marks completed instruction.
  2. eis — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of præcepit; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Refers to the messengers previously mentioned.
  3. dicens — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle nominative singular masculine; Function: introduces indirect command; Translation: “saying”; Notes: Expresses simultaneous action with præcepit.
  4. Sic — Lemma: sic; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies loquimini; Translation: “thus”; Notes: Signals the quoted formula.
  5. loquimini — Lemma: loquor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 2nd person plural present imperative; Function: command to the messengers; Translation: “speak”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  6. domino — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of loquimini; Translation: “to the lord”; Notes: Courtesy title for Esau (human lord, not YHWH).
  7. meo — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: modifies domino; Translation: “my”; Notes: Indicates Jacob’s deferential tone.
  8. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: object of loquimini through domino meo; Translation: “Esau”; Notes: Hebrew personal name.
  9. Hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: subject of dicit; Translation: “these things”; Notes: Refers to the forthcoming message.
  10. dicit — Lemma: dico; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of direct quotation; Translation: “says”; Notes: Marks present speech formula.
  11. frater — Lemma: frater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dicit; Translation: “brother”; Notes: Identifies speaker’s relation to Esau.
  12. tuus — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies frater; Translation: “your”; Notes: Reinforces familial link.
  13. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to frater tuus; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Latinized form of Hebrew “Yaʿaqov.”
  14. Apud — Lemma: apud; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces complement “with Laban”; Translation: “with/at”; Notes: Denotes association or dwelling.
  15. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of Apud; Translation: “Laban”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s father-in-law.
  16. peregrinatus — Lemma: peregrinor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: with sum forms perfect periphrastic; Translation: “I have sojourned”; Notes: Indicates temporary residence.
  17. sum — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 1st person singular present indicative; Function: auxiliary to peregrinatus; Translation: “I am/have been”; Notes: Forms deponent perfect.
  18. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple connective continuation.
  19. fui — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of second clause; Translation: “I have been”; Notes: Marks continuous presence up to current moment.
  20. usque — Lemma: usque; Part of Speech: preposition/adverb; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses duration “until”; Translation: “until”; Notes: Denotes temporal limit.
  21. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces phrase “into the present day”; Translation: “unto”; Notes: Reinforces continuity.
  22. præsentem — Lemma: praesens; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: modifies diem; Translation: “present”; Notes: Qualifies current time.
  23. diem — Lemma: dies; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “day”; Notes: Marks temporal boundary of Jacob’s stay.

 

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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