Genesis 33:18

Posted on February 2, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 33:18 Transivitque in Salem urbem Sichimorum, quæ est in terra Chanaan, postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriæ: et habitavit iuxta oppidum.

And he passed on to Salem, the city of the Sichimites, which is in the land of Chanaan, after he had returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and he lived near the town.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Transivitque and he passed over 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
2 in into / to PREP+ACC
3 Salem Salem ACC.SG (PROPN.INDECL)
4 urbem city ACC.SG.F
5 Sichimorum of the Shechemites GEN.PL.M
6 quæ which NOM.SG.F (REL.PRON)
7 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
8 in in PREP+ABL
9 terra land ABL.SG.F
10 Chanaan Canaan GEN.SG (PROPN.INDECL)
11 postquam after CONJ (TEMPORAL)
12 reversus having returned PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.M
13 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
14 de from PREP+ABL
15 Mesopotamia Paddan ABL.SG.F (PROPN)
16 Syriæ of Syria (Aram) GEN.SG.F
17 et and CONJ
18 habitavit he lived / dwelt 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
19 iuxta near PREP+ACC
20 oppidum town ACC.SG.N

Syntax

Main Clause: Transivitque in Salem urbem Sichimorum — “And he passed on to Salem, the city of the Shechemites.”
• Verb: Transivitque — perfect tense, narrating completed movement.
• Prepositional Phrase: in Salem — accusative of motion toward.
• Apposition: urbem Sichimorum — defines Salem as the city belonging to the Shechemites (gentilic genitive).

Relative Clause: quæ est in terra Chanaan — “which is in the land of Canaan.”
• Relative Pronoun: quæ — feminine, agreeing with urbem.
• Verb: est — copula linking the subject “urbem” with the predicate “in terra Chanaan.”
• Prepositional Phrase: in terra Chanaan — locative expression.

Temporal Clause: postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriæ — “after he had returned from Mesopotamia of Syria.”
• Conjunction: postquam — introduces clause of time after completion.
• Verb: reversus est — compound perfect with deponent participle.
• Prepositional Phrase: de Mesopotamia Syriæ — ablative of separation with genitive of specification (“of Syria”).

Final Clause: et habitavit iuxta oppidum — “and he lived near the town.”
• Verb: habitavit — perfect tense, marks result of arrival.
• Prepositional Phrase: iuxta oppidum — expresses location relative to settlement.

Morphology

  1. Transivitque — Lemma: transeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular + enclitic -que; Function: main narrative verb; Translation: “and he passed on”; Notes: Enclitic connects with previous verse’s action.
  2. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: indicates motion toward a place; Translation: “to / into”; Notes: Marks destination.
  3. Salem — Lemma: Salem; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular (indeclinable); Function: object of “in”; Translation: “Salem”; Notes: Identified with Shechem region in context.
  4. urbem — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: in apposition to “Salem”; Translation: “city”; Notes: Defines the proper noun geographically.
  5. Sichimorum — Lemma: Sichimita; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the Shechemites”; Notes: Identifies the city by its inhabitants.
  6. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause referring to “urbem”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Agrees in gender and number with antecedent.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: copula in relative clause; Translation: “is”; Notes: States location in present time.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Marks place of existence.
  9. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the Promised Land context.
  10. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: genitive of possession with “terra”; Translation: “of Canaan”; Notes: Retains Hebrew morphology in Latin text.
  11. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Subordinate conjunction marking completed past action.
  12. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle, nominative singular masculine; Function: part of compound perfect; Translation: “having returned”; Notes: Deponent form with active meaning.
  13. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: forms compound perfect with “reversus”; Translation: “has / was”; Notes: Auxiliary verb in deponent construction.
  14. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates source or separation; Translation: “from”; Notes: Introduces place of departure.
  15. Mesopotamia — Lemma: Mesopotamia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “Mesopotamia”; Notes: Geographic origin of Jacob’s exile.
  16. Syriæ — Lemma: Syria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of specification; Translation: “of Syria”; Notes: Specifies region of Mesopotamia.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects temporal and result clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential link in narrative.
  18. habitavit — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “he lived / settled”; Notes: Describes Jacob’s settlement near Shechem.
  19. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses proximity; Translation: “near”; Notes: Indicates closeness but not within the town.
  20. oppidum — Lemma: oppidum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “iuxta”; Translation: “town”; Notes: Refers to Shechem’s urban center where Jacob resided nearby.

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.