Genesis 34:28

Posted on February 3, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 34:28 Oves eorum, et armenta, et asinos, cunctaque vastantes quæ in domibus et in agris erant,

Their sheep, and their herds, and their donkeys, and all things they laid waste which were in the houses and in the fields,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Oves sheep NOUN.ACC.PL.F
2 eorum of them PRON.GEN.PL.M
3 et and CONJ
4 armenta herds NOUN.ACC.PL.N
5 et and CONJ
6 asinos donkeys NOUN.ACC.PL.M
7 cunctaque and all things ADJ.ACC.PL.N + ENCLITIC -QUE
8 vastantes laying waste PRES.ACT.PTCP.NOM.PL.M
9 quæ which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.N
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 domibus houses NOUN.ABL.PL.F
12 et and CONJ
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 agris fields NOUN.ABL.PL.M
15 erant were 3PL.IMPERF.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Clause (Elliptical): The sentence continues the narrative of plundering begun earlier; Oves eorum, et armenta, et asinos, cunctaque vastantes functions as the object of an implied verb such as ceperunt or abstulerunt (“they seized”).
Relative Clause: quæ in domibus et in agris erant — modifies cuncta (“all things which were in the houses and in the fields”).
Participial Phrase: vastantes — nominative plural masculine participle referring to the “sons of Jacob,” describing their ongoing plundering.

Morphology

  1. Oves — Lemma: ovis; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural feminine; Function: Direct object (understood verb); Translation: “sheep”; Notes: Part of the livestock taken during plunder.
  2. eorum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: Pronoun; Form: Genitive plural masculine; Function: Possessive; Translation: “of them”; Notes: Refers to the inhabitants of Shechem.
  3. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Connective; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins items in the object list.
  4. armenta — Lemma: armentum; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural neuter; Function: Direct object; Translation: “herds”; Notes: Refers generally to cattle or large livestock.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Joins coordinate objects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Repeated for emphasis and rhythm.
  6. asinos — Lemma: asinus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Accusative plural masculine; Function: Direct object; Translation: “donkeys”; Notes: Part of the animals seized.
  7. cunctaque — Lemma: cunctus; Part of Speech: Adjective; Form: Accusative plural neuter, with enclitic -que; Function: Connects final element of series; Translation: “and all things”; Notes: Serves as head of the relative clause.
  8. vastantes — Lemma: vasto; Part of Speech: Participle; Form: Present active participle, nominative plural masculine; Function: Descriptive participle modifying implied subject “sons of Jacob”; Translation: “laying waste”; Notes: Indicates ongoing destruction.
  9. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: Relative pronoun; Form: Nominative plural neuter; Function: Subject of relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to cuncta.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces prepositional phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: Spatial preposition.
  11. domibus — Lemma: domus; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural feminine; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “houses”; Notes: Indicates one locus of plunder.
  12. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: Conjunction; Form: N/A; Function: Links parallel prepositional phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects “houses” and “fields.”
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: Preposition; Form: Governs ablative; Function: Introduces second location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Parallel prepositional usage.
  14. agris — Lemma: ager; Part of Speech: Noun; Form: Ablative plural masculine; Function: Object of preposition; Translation: “fields”; Notes: Complements “houses” as plundered areas.
  15. erant — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: Verb; Form: Imperfect indicative active, 3rd person plural; Function: Verb of relative clause; Translation: “were”; Notes: Describes continuous past existence of items plundered.

 

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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