Genesis 33:14

Posted on February 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:14 Præcedat dominus meus ante servum suum: et ego sequar paulatim vestigia eius, sicut videro parvulos meos posse, donec veniam ad dominum meum in Seir.

Let my lord go before his servant, and I will follow slowly his footsteps, as I shall see my little ones able, until I come to my lord in Seir.”

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Præcedat let go before 3SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ (JUSSIVE)
2 dominus lord NOM.SG.M
3 meus my NOM.SG.M (POSS.ADJ)
4 ante before / ahead of PREP+ACC
5 servum servant ACC.SG.M
6 suum his ACC.SG.M (POSS.ADJ)
7 et and CONJ
8 ego I NOM.SG
9 secuar I will follow 1SG.FUT.IND.DEP
10 paulatim little by little ADV
11 vestigia footsteps / tracks ACC.PL.N
12 eius his GEN.SG.M (PRON)
13 sicut as / just as CONJ
14 videro I shall have seen 1SG.FUT.PERF.ACT.IND
15 parvulos little children ACC.PL.M
16 meos my ACC.PL.M (POSS.ADJ)
17 posse to be able PRES.ACT.INF
18 donec until CONJ
19 veniam I come 1SG.PRES.ACT.SUBJ
20 ad to / toward PREP+ACC
21 dominum lord ACC.SG.M
22 meum my ACC.SG.M (POSS.ADJ)
23 in to / into PREP+ACC
24 Seir Seir ACC.SG (PROPN.INDECL)

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Præcedat dominus meus ante servum suum — “Let my lord go before his servant.”
• Verb: Præcedat — jussive subjunctive expressing polite deference.
• Subject: dominus meus — “my lord,” nominative phrase referring to Esau.
• Prepositional Phrase: ante servum suum — “before his servant,” with “suum” referring to Esau’s subordinate, Jacob.

Main Clause 2: et ego sequar paulatim vestigia eius — “and I will follow slowly his footsteps.”
• Verb: secuar — future indicative, deponent form with active sense.
• Adverb: paulatim — denotes gradual movement.
• Object: vestigia eius — “his footsteps,” genitive possession by Esau.

Subordinate Clause: sicut videro parvulos meos posse — “as I shall have seen my little ones able.”
• Conjunction: sicut — introduces comparison.
• Verb: videro — future perfect, expresses dependent future action.
• Infinitive: posse — completes “videro,” expressing capability.
• Object: parvulos meos — “my little ones,” direct object of “videro.”

Temporal Clause: donec veniam ad dominum meum in Seir — “until I come to my lord in Seir.”
• Conjunction: donec — marks temporal endpoint.
• Verb: veniam — subjunctive of anticipated action.
• Prepositional Phrase: ad dominum meum — “to my lord,” indicates direction of respect.
• Locative Expression: in Seir — specifies destination, Esau’s homeland.

Morphology

  1. Præcedat — Lemma: praecedo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: jussive verb; Translation: “let go before”; Notes: Expresses Jacob’s courteous proposal that Esau proceed first.
  2. dominus — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “Præcedat”; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Refers to Esau, showing Jacob’s humility.
  3. meus — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “dominus”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Shows personal subordination.
  4. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “before”; Notes: Spatial preposition marking precedence.
  5. servum — Lemma: servus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ante”; Translation: “servant”; Notes: Jacob refers humbly to himself.
  6. suum — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “servum”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Possessive reflecting Esau’s relationship to Jacob.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: coordination; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects first and second clauses.
  8. ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject of “secuar”; Translation: “I”; Notes: Expresses Jacob’s humility in response.
  9. secuar — Lemma: sequor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: future indicative, 1st singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I will follow”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning, emphasizing obedience.
  10. paulatim — Lemma: paulatim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariable; Function: modifies “secuar”; Translation: “slowly / little by little”; Notes: Denotes careful pace out of concern for flocks and children.
  11. vestigia — Lemma: vestigium; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: direct object of “secuar”; Translation: “footsteps / tracks”; Notes: Figurative for “following his path.”
  12. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive modifier of “vestigia”; Translation: “his”; Notes: Refers to Esau.
  13. sicut — Lemma: sicut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces comparative clause; Translation: “as / just as”; Notes: Marks proportional comparison.
  14. videro — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future perfect active indicative, 1st singular; Function: verb of perception; Translation: “I shall have seen”; Notes: Denotes condition dependent on future observation.
  15. parvulos — Lemma: parvulus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: object of “videro”; Translation: “little children”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s children and dependents.
  16. meos — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: modifies “parvulos”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Expresses paternal care and responsibility.
  17. posse — Lemma: possum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive; Translation: “to be able”; Notes: Expresses capacity of children to continue traveling.
  18. donec — Lemma: donec; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “until”; Notes: Specifies goal or time limit.
  19. veniam — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active subjunctive, 1st singular; Function: verb in temporal clause; Translation: “I come / arrive”; Notes: Subjunctive of purpose or future anticipation.
  20. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to / toward”; Notes: Governs “dominum.”
  21. dominum — Lemma: dominus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “lord”; Notes: Direct reference to Esau as recipient of Jacob’s journey.
  22. meum — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: modifies “dominum”; Translation: “my”; Notes: Continues humble address, “my lord.”
  23. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates destination; Translation: “to / into”; Notes: Marks place of arrival.
  24. Seir — Lemma: Seir; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Seir”; Notes: Geographic reference to Esau’s territory in Edom.

 

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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