Genesis 34:13

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:13 Responderunt filii Iacob Sichem et patri eius in dolo, sævientes ob stuprum sororis:

And the sons of Jacob answered Sichem and his father deceitfully, being enraged because of the defilement of their sister:

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Responderunt answered 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 Iacob Jacob GEN.SG (PROPN.INDECL)
4 Sichem Shechem DAT.SG (PROPN.INDECL)
5 et and CONJ
6 patri father DAT.SG.M
7 eius his GEN.SG (PRON)
8 in in / with PREP+ABL
9 dolo deceit / guile ABL.SG.M
10 sævientes being enraged PRES.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
11 ob because of PREP+ACC
12 stuprum defilement / violation ACC.SG.N
13 sororis of their sister GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause: Responderunt filii Iacob Sichem et patri eius — “The sons of Jacob answered Shechem and his father.”
• Subject: filii Iacob — nominative plural phrase, “the sons of Jacob.”
• Verb: Responderunt — perfect indicative, main action.
• Indirect Objects: Sichem et patri eius — “to Shechem and his father.”
• Prepositional Phrase: in dolo — idiomatic Latin for “deceitfully,” modifying manner of speech.

Participial Clause: sævientes ob stuprum sororis — “being enraged because of the defilement of their sister.”
• Participle: sævientes — nominative plural, agreeing with “filii.”
• Prepositional Phrase: ob stuprum sororis — expresses cause, “because of the violation of their sister.”

Morphology

  1. Responderunt — Lemma: respondeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “answered”; Notes: Marks completion of the sons’ verbal response; perfect tense conveys narrative action.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the verb; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s sons, especially Simeon and Levi, who later retaliate.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular (indeclinable); Function: possessive; Translation: “of Jacob”; Notes: Indicates lineage and family identity of the speakers.
  4. Sichem — Lemma: Sichem; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular (indeclinable); Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Shechem”; Notes: The recipient of the sons’ deceitful response.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects two indirect objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins Shechem with his father Hamor as addressees.
  6. patri — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to (his) father”; Notes: Refers to Hamor, ruler of the region.
  7. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular; Function: possessive modifier; Translation: “his”; Notes: Modifies “patri,” identifying him as Shechem’s father.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses manner; Translation: “in / with”; Notes: Common idiomatic use with abstract nouns like “dolus.”
  9. dolo — Lemma: dolus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “deceit”; Notes: Denotes craftiness or guile, introducing irony in moral tone.
  10. sævientes — Lemma: saevio; Part of Speech: participle; Form: present active participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: circumstantial participle; Translation: “being enraged”; Notes: Indicates emotional state explaining the deceptive response.
  11. ob — Lemma: ob; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: causal; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Introduces the motive for their fury.
  12. stuprum — Lemma: stuprum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: object of “ob”; Translation: “defilement / violation”; Notes: Refers to the rape of Dinah, a grave moral offense.
  13. sororis — Lemma: soror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “of their sister”; Notes: Identifies the victim of Shechem’s act; specifies emotional and familial motivation.

 

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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