Genesis 35:16

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:16 Egressus autem inde, venit verno tempore ad terram quæ ducit Ephratam: in qua cum parturiret Rachel,

And having departed from there, he came in the springtime to the land that leads to Ephrata; and there Rachel began to give birth,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Egressus having gone out PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
2 autem however / and ADV
3 inde from there ADV
4 venit came 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
5 verno spring ADJ.ABL.SG.M
6 tempore time NOUN.ABL.SG.N
7 ad to PREP+ACC
8 terram land NOUN.ACC.SG.F
9 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
10 ducit leads 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 Ephratam Ephrath PROP.NOUN.ACC.SG.F
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 qua in which PRON.REL.ABL.SG.F
14 cum when CONJ
15 parturiret was giving birth 3SG.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ
16 Rachel Rachel PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Introductory Participle: Egressus autem inde — an ablative absolute-like participial phrase indicating prior action: “and having departed from there.”
Main Clause: venit verno tempore ad terram quæ ducit Ephratam — the subject (understood as Jacob) performs the main action “came.” The prepositional phrase ad terram defines destination, and the relative clause quæ ducit Ephratam modifies “terram,” meaning “the land that leads to Ephratah.”
Subordinate Clause: in qua cum parturiret Rachel — introduces a temporal condition: “in which (land), when Rachel was giving birth.”

Morphology

  1. Egressus — Lemma: ēgredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: expresses prior action relative to main verb; Translation: “having gone out”; Notes: Refers to Jacob leaving Bethel.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: adverb/conjunction; Form: simple; Function: transitions narrative; Translation: “however” or “and”; Notes: Common connective in Vulgate narrative.
  3. inde — Lemma: inde; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: simple; Function: indicates origin; Translation: “from there”; Notes: Refers back to Bethel.
  4. venit — Lemma: veniō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “came”; Notes: Marks Jacob’s movement toward Ephratah.
  5. verno — Lemma: vernus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: modifies “tempore”; Translation: “spring”; Notes: Temporal modifier describing season.
  6. tempore — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of time; Translation: “time”; Notes: Specifies temporal circumstance.
  7. ad — Lemma: ad; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses direction; Translation: “to”; Notes: Marks destination of movement.
  8. terram — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ad”; Translation: “land”; Notes: Indicates Jacob’s destination.
  9. quæ — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “ducit”; Translation: “which”; Notes: Introduces relative clause modifying “terram.”
  10. ducit — Lemma: dūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative, 3rd singular; Function: predicate of relative clause; Translation: “leads”; Notes: Indicates direction of the land toward Ephratah.
  11. Ephratam — Lemma: Ephrata; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of “ducit”; Translation: “Ephratah”; Notes: Ancient name of Bethlehem.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Begins subordinate clause of place.
  13. qua — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “in”; Translation: “in which”; Notes: Refers to “terram.”
  14. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: simple; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Marks simultaneous event.
  15. parturiret — Lemma: parturiō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active subjunctive, 3rd singular; Function: verb of temporal clause; Translation: “was giving birth”; Notes: Describes ongoing process at that moment.
  16. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of “parturiret”; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: Wife of Jacob, giving birth to Benjamin.

 

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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