Genesis 34:27

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:27 Quibus egressis, irruerunt super occisos ceteri filii Iacob: et depopulati sunt urbem in ultionem stupri.

When they had gone out, the rest of the sons of Jacob rushed upon the slain and plundered the city in revenge for the defilement.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Quibus when they REL.PRON.ABL.PL.M
2 egressis had gone out PERF.PASS.PTCP.ABL.PL.M
3 irruerunt they rushed 3PL.PERF.ACT.IND
4 super upon PREP+ACC
5 occisos the slain PERF.PASS.PTCP.ACC.PL.M
6 ceteri the rest ADJ.NOM.PL.M
7 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
8 Iacob of Jacob NOUN.GEN.SG.M (PROP)
9 et and CONJ
10 depopulati they plundered PERF.PASS.PTCP.NOM.PL.M (DEP)
11 sunt were 3PL.PRES.IND.AUX
12 urbem city NOUN.ACC.SG.F
13 in in PREP+ACC
14 ultionem revenge NOUN.ACC.SG.F
15 stupri of the defilement NOUN.GEN.SG.N

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Quibus egressis — ablative absolute expressing time (“when they had gone out”).
Main Clause: irruerunt super occisos ceteri filii Iacob — subject ceteri filii Iacob (the rest of the sons of Jacob) + verb irruerunt (“rushed upon”) + object occisos (“the slain”).
Coordinated Clause: et depopulati sunt urbem — deponent verb with reflexive meaning (“they plundered the city”).
Prepositional Phrase: in ultionem stupri — expresses purpose or motivation (“in revenge for the defilement”).

Morphology

  1. Quibus — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Introduces ablative absolute; Translation: “when they”; Notes: Refers to Simeon and Levi, agents of prior action.
  2. egressis — Lemma: egredior; Part of Speech: Participle (deponent); Form: Perfect passive participle, ablative plural masculine; Function: Ablative absolute with quibus; Translation: “had gone out”; Notes: Marks completed action preceding the main event.
  3. irruerunt — Lemma: irruo; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Perfect indicative active, 3rd person plural; Function: Main verb of clause; Translation: “they rushed”; Notes: Denotes sudden and violent movement.
  4. super — Lemma: super; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “upon”; Notes: Expresses direction of assault.
  5. occisos — Lemma: occido; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Perfect passive participle, accusative plural masculine; Function: Object of super; Translation: “the slain”; Notes: Refers to those killed earlier by Simeon and Levi.
  6. ceteri — Lemma: ceterus; Part of Speech: Adjective (used substantively); Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject modifier; Translation: “the rest”; Notes: Specifies those not previously involved in killing.
  7. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Nominative plural masculine; Function: Subject; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Core of the subject phrase.
  8. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: Proper noun; Form: Genitive singular masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of Jacob”; Notes: Identifies family lineage of the attackers.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Links two coordinated actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects assault and plundering.
  10. depopulati — Lemma: depopulor; Part of Speech: Verb (deponent); Form: Perfect participle passive in form, nominative plural masculine; Function: Main verb (deponent meaning active); Translation: “they plundered”; Notes: Deponent used in active sense.
  11. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Auxiliary verb; Form: Present indicative, 3rd person plural; Function: Auxiliary for deponent; Translation: “were”; Notes: Helps form perfect tense for deponent verb.
  12. urbem — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Direct object of depopulati sunt; Translation: “city”; Notes: Refers to Shechem’s city.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs accusative; Function: Expresses purpose; Translation: “in”; Notes: Introduces motive phrase.
  14. ultionem — Lemma: ultio; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative singular feminine; Function: Object of in; Translation: “revenge”; Notes: Expresses reason or purpose for plundering.
  15. stupri — Lemma: stuprum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Genitive singular neuter; Function: Possessive genitive; Translation: “of the defilement”; Notes: Refers to Dinah’s violation as the cause for revenge.

 

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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