Genesis 35:11

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:11 dixitque ei: Ego Deus omnipotens, cresce, et multiplicare: gentes, et populi nationum ex te erunt, reges de lumbis tuis egredientur.

and He said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; nations and peoples of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from your loins.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 dixitque and He said 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL -QUE
2 ei to him PRON.DAT.SG.M
3 Ego I PRON.NOM.SG
4 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 omnipotens almighty ADJ.NOM.SG.M
6 cresce grow 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
7 et and CONJ
8 multiplicare multiply 2SG.PRES.ACT.IMP
9 gentes nations NOUN.NOM.PL.F
10 et and CONJ
11 populi peoples NOUN.NOM.PL.M
12 nationum of nations NOUN.GEN.PL.F
13 ex from PREP+ABL
14 te you PRON.ABL.SG
15 erunt shall be 3PL.FUT.ACT.IND
16 reges kings NOUN.NOM.PL.M
17 de from PREP+ABL
18 lumbis loins NOUN.ABL.PL.M
19 tuis your ADJ.ABL.PL.M
20 egredientur shall come forth 3PL.FUT.DEP.IND

Syntax

Main Clause: dixitque ei — finite verb with enclitic -que connecting to the preceding narrative; ei serves as dative of indirect object (“and He said to him”).
Direct Speech Clause 1: Ego Deus omnipotens — simple identification clause; Ego is emphatic subject, Deus omnipotens predicate nominative.
Imperative Clause: cresce et multiplicare — two coordinated imperatives expressing divine command for fruitfulness and increase.
Predictive Clause: gentes et populi nationum ex te erunt — plural subjects gentes and populi nationum followed by the future verb erunt; ex te denotes source or descent.
Final Clause: reges de lumbis tuis egredientur — subject reges linked with future deponent egredientur; prepositional phrase de lumbis tuis expresses origin “from your loins.”

Morphology

  1. dixitque — Lemma: dīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd person singular, with enclitic -que; Function: main verb; Translation: “and He said”; Notes: Introduces divine speech.
  2. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob.
  3. Ego — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular; Function: subject pronoun; Translation: “I”; Notes: Emphatic use by God in self-identification.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH.
  5. omnipotens — Lemma: omnipotēns; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies “Deus”; Translation: “Almighty”; Notes: Used as epithet for El Shaddai.
  6. cresce — Lemma: crēscō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, 2nd singular; Function: command; Translation: “grow”; Notes: Divine exhortation to increase.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links two imperatives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Joins commands of fruitfulness and multiplication.
  8. multiplicare — Lemma: multiplicō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active imperative, 2nd singular; Function: second command; Translation: “multiply”; Notes: Command echoing Genesis 1:28 language.
  9. gentes — Lemma: gēns; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of “erunt”; Translation: “nations”; Notes: Refers to ethnic groups descended from Jacob.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: joins plural subjects; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links “gentes” and “populi.”
  11. populi — Lemma: populus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: coordinated subject; Translation: “peoples”; Notes: Refers to tribes or clans.
  12. nationum — Lemma: nātiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of nations”; Notes: Specifies scope of “populi.”
  13. ex — Lemma: ex; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks descent from Jacob.
  14. te — Lemma: tū; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: ablative singular; Function: object of “ex”; Translation: “you”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as progenitor.
  15. erunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: future active indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main verb of future prophecy; Translation: “shall be”; Notes: Predictive of future generations.
  16. reges — Lemma: rēx; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of “egredientur”; Translation: “kings”; Notes: Refers to royal descendants of Jacob.
  17. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses source; Translation: “from”; Notes: Indicates physical descent.
  18. lumbis — Lemma: lumbus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “loins”; Notes: Symbolic of procreative power.
  19. tuis — Lemma: tuus; Part of Speech: adjective (possessive); Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies “lumbis”; Translation: “your”; Notes: Possessive referring to Jacob.
  20. egredientur — Lemma: ēgredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: future deponent indicative, 3rd plural; Function: main verb of final clause; Translation: “shall come forth”; Notes: Deponent verb expressing emergence of kings from Jacob’s lineage.

 

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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