Genesis 34:1

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:1 Egressa est autem Dina filia Liæ ut videret mulieres regionis illius.

Now Dina, the daughter of Lia, went out to see the women of that region.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Egressa having gone out PERF.PTCP.NOM.SG.F
2 est was / has 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 autem however / now CONJ
4 Dina Dinah NOM.SG.F (PROPN)
5 filia daughter NOM.SG.F
6 Liæ of Leah GEN.SG.F (PROPN)
7 ut to / in order to CONJ (PURPOSE)
8 videret she might see 3SG.IMPERF.ACT.SUBJ
9 mulieres women ACC.PL.F
10 regionis of the region GEN.SG.F
11 illius that GEN.SG.F (DEMONS.PRON)

Syntax

Main Clause: Egressa est autem Dina filia Liæ — “Now Dina, the daughter of Leah, went out.”
• Verb: Egressa est — deponent compound form, perfect tense indicating completed action.
• Subject: Dina — nominative, main subject of the clause.
• Apposition: filia Liæ — specifies identity and lineage.
• Conjunction: autem — transitional particle introducing narrative contrast or continuation.

Purpose Clause: ut videret mulieres regionis illius — “to see the women of that region.”
• Conjunction: ut — introduces clause of purpose.
• Verb: videret — imperfect subjunctive expressing intent.
• Object: mulieres — direct object of “videret.”
• Genitive Phrase: regionis illius — describes whose women are being referred to.

Morphology

  1. Egressa — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: deponent participle; Form: perfect participle, nominative singular feminine; Function: part of compound perfect; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Deponent verb, active in meaning though formed passively.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: present indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary completing the compound perfect; Translation: “was / has”; Notes: Auxiliary forming perfect tense with deponent participle.
  3. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “however / now”; Notes: Often used to introduce a new narrative focus.
  4. Dina — Lemma: Dina; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Dina”; Notes: Daughter of Jacob and Leah.
  5. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: apposition to “Dina”; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: Clarifies family relation.
  6. Liæ — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent on “filia”; Translation: “of Leah”; Notes: Indicates maternal lineage.
  7. ut — Lemma: ut; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: introduces purpose clause; Function: expresses intention; Translation: “to / in order to”; Notes: Signals purpose or intent.
  8. videret — Lemma: video; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: main verb of the purpose clause; Translation: “she might see”; Notes: Subjunctive marks volitional aspect.
  9. mulieres — Lemma: mulier; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object of “videret”; Translation: “women”; Notes: Refers to local women in Shechem.
  10. regionis — Lemma: regio; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying “mulieres”; Translation: “of the region”; Notes: Denotes geographical belonging.
  11. illius — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies “regionis”; Translation: “that”; Notes: Refers back to the land where Jacob had settled.

 

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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