Genesis 34:21

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:21 Viri isti pacifici sunt, et volunt habitare nobiscum: negotientur in terra, et exerceant eam, quæ spatiosa et lata cultoribus indiget: filias eorum accipiemus uxores, et nostras illis dabimus.

“These men are peaceable, and they wish to dwell with us; let them trade in the land and work it, which is spacious and wide and needs cultivators; we will take their daughters as wives, and we will give ours to them.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Viri men NOM.PL.M
2 isti these NOM.PL.M (PRON.DEMONSTR.)
3 pacifici peaceable / peace-loving NOM.PL.M (ADJ)
4 sunt are 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
5 et and CONJ
6 volunt they wish 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
7 habitare to dwell PRES.ACT.INF
8 nobiscum with us ADV (CUM + NOS)
9 negotientur let them trade 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.DEP
10 in in / within PREP+ABL
11 terra land ABL.SG.F
12 et and CONJ
13 exerceant let them work / cultivate 3PL.PRES.SUBJ.ACT
14 eam it / that land ACC.SG.F (PRON.DEMONSTR.)
15 quæ which NOM.SG.F (REL.PRON)
16 spatiosa spacious NOM.SG.F (ADJ)
17 et and CONJ
18 lata wide NOM.SG.F (ADJ)
19 cultoribus for cultivators DAT.PL.M
20 indiget needs / lacks 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
21 filias daughters ACC.PL.F
22 eorum their GEN.PL.M
23 accipiemus we will take 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND
24 uxores wives ACC.PL.F
25 et and CONJ
26 nostras ours ACC.PL.F (ADJ)
27 illis to them DAT.PL.M
28 dabimus we will give 1PL.FUT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Viri isti pacifici sunt — “These men are peaceable.”
• Subject: Viri isti — “these men.”
• Predicate: pacifici sunt — “are peaceable,” expresses positive disposition.

Main Clause 2: et volunt habitare nobiscum — “and they wish to dwell with us.”
• Verb: volunt — expresses desire.
• Infinitive: habitare — dependent infinitive, expressing purpose.
• Adverbial Compound: nobiscum — “with us,” contraction of “cum nobis.”

Hortatory Subjunctive: negotientur in terra, et exerceant eam — “let them trade in the land and cultivate it.”
• Subjunctives: negotientur and exerceant — jussive subjunctives expressing permission or encouragement.
• Object: eam — refers to the land.

Relative Clause: quæ spatiosa et lata cultoribus indiget — “which is spacious and wide and needs cultivators.”
• Verb: indiget — governs dative “cultoribus.”
• Adjectives: spatiosa et lata — attributes describing the land’s abundance.

Final Clauses:
1. filias eorum accipiemus uxores — “we will take their daughters as wives.”
2. et nostras illis dabimus — “and we will give ours to them.”
• Future indicatives accipiemus and dabimus express reciprocal covenant terms.

Morphology

  1. Viri — Lemma: vir; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of the main clause; Translation: “men”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s sons, viewed by the Hivites as peaceful settlers.
  2. isti — Lemma: iste; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: modifies “viri”; Translation: “these”; Notes: Demonstrates immediacy or proximity — “these very men.”
  3. pacifici — Lemma: pacificus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate adjective with “sunt”; Translation: “peaceable / peace-loving”; Notes: Character assessment intended to persuade the citizens of Shechem.
  4. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: copulative verb linking subject and predicate; Translation: “are”; Notes: Establishes a statement of character or condition.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordinates successive thoughts of approval and intent.
  6. volunt — Lemma: volo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present active indicative; Function: expresses will or desire; Translation: “they wish”; Notes: Introduces their intention to dwell among the Hivites.
  7. habitare — Lemma: habito; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive of “volunt”; Translation: “to dwell”; Notes: Suggests permanent residence rather than temporary sojourn.
  8. nobiscum — Lemma: cum + nos; Part of Speech: prepositional compound; Form: adverbial expression; Function: indicates association; Translation: “with us”; Notes: Contracted form of “cum nobis,” emphasizing community.
  9. negotientur — Lemma: negotior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd person plural present subjunctive; Function: jussive subjunctive expressing permission or exhortation; Translation: “let them trade”; Notes: Reflects invitation to economic partnership.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: denotes location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Refers to the land under discussion, the territory of Shechem.
  11. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Represents the geographic space open for cultivation and settlement.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects subjunctive verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins “negotientur” and “exerceant.”
  13. exerceant — Lemma: exerceo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present subjunctive active; Function: jussive subjunctive; Translation: “let them cultivate / work”; Notes: Conveys economic collaboration or agricultural engagement.
  14. eam — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “exerceant”; Translation: “it”; Notes: Refers specifically to “terra.”
  15. quæ — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the land as the antecedent.
  16. spatiosa — Lemma: spatiosus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective within the relative clause; Translation: “spacious”; Notes: Highlights fertility and available space.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Combines coordinate qualities of the land.
  18. lata — Lemma: latus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “wide”; Notes: Reinforces extent and openness of territory.
  19. cultoribus — Lemma: cultor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object with “indiget”; Translation: “for cultivators”; Notes: Indicates need of the land for laborers or inhabitants.
  20. indiget — Lemma: indigeo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present active indicative; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “needs”; Notes: Commonly governs the dative case, expressing deficiency.
  21. filias — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object of “accipiemus”; Translation: “daughters”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s daughters offered in intermarriage.
  22. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive genitive; Translation: “their”; Notes: Refers to Jacob’s people, the proposed partners in alliance.
  23. accipiemus — Lemma: accipio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “we will take”; Notes: Expresses future intent of reciprocal marriage.
  24. uxores — Lemma: uxor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: predicate accusative of “accipiemus”; Translation: “wives”; Notes: Clarifies the social intent of the exchange.
  25. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: connects final future actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links reciprocal promises.
  26. nostras — Lemma: noster; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: object modifier with “dabimus”; Translation: “our”; Notes: Refers to the daughters of the Hivites themselves.
  27. illis — Lemma: ille; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative plural masculine; Function: indirect object of “dabimus”; Translation: “to them”; Notes: Points to Jacob’s household as recipients of the offered marriages.
  28. dabimus — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 1st person plural future active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “we will give”; Notes: Concludes the persuasive appeal with promise of mutual alliance.

 

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.