Genesis 35:18

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:18 Egrediente autem anima præ dolore, et imminente iam morte, vocavit nomen filii sui Benoni, id est filius doloris mei: pater vero appellavit eum Beniamin, id est filius dextræ.

And as her soul was departing because of pain, and death was already drawing near, she called the name of her son Benoni, that is, son of my sorrow; but his father called him Benjamin, that is, son of the right hand.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Egrediente as was departing PART.PRES.DEP.ABL.SG.F
2 autem however / and ADV
3 anima soul NOUN.ABL.SG.F
4 præ because of PREP+ABL
5 dolore pain NOUN.ABL.SG.M
6 et and CONJ
7 imminente approaching PART.PRES.ACT.ABL.SG.F
8 iam already ADV
9 morte death NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 vocavit she called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
11 nomen name NOUN.ACC.SG.N
12 filii of (her) son NOUN.GEN.SG.M
13 sui her PRON.GEN.SG.F
14 Benoni Benoni PROP.NOUN.ACC.SG.M
15 id that PRON.NOM.SG.N
16 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
17 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M
18 doloris of sorrow NOUN.GEN.SG.M
19 mei my PRON.GEN.SG.M
20 pater father NOUN.NOM.SG.M
21 vero however / but ADV
22 appellavit called 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
23 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
24 Beniamin Benjamin PROP.NOUN.ACC.SG.M
25 id that PRON.NOM.SG.N
26 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
27 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M
28 dextræ of the right hand NOUN.GEN.SG.F

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Egrediente autem anima præ dolore — an ablative absolute expressing time and cause: “as her soul was departing because of pain.”
Participial Clause: et imminente iam morte — another ablative absolute marking simultaneous circumstance: “and as death was already drawing near.”
Main Clause 1: vocavit nomen filii sui Benomi — subject (understood: Rachel) with verb “vocavit” and double accusative construction (object + predicate accusative).
Explanatory Clause: id est filius doloris mei — appositional clarification in Latin idiom “that is, son of my sorrow.”
Main Clause 2: pater vero appellavit eum Beniamin — “but his father called him Benjamin,” with pater as subject and eum as object.
Explanatory Clause: id est filius dextræ — “that is, son of the right hand,” another appositional phrase defining the new name.

Morphology

  1. Egrediente — Lemma: ēgredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: present deponent participle ablative singular feminine; Function: head of ablative absolute with “anima”; Translation: “as (it) was departing”; Notes: Deponent participle agrees with anima; temporal-causal nuance of the absolute construction.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: postpositive conjunction/particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: connective marking transition or slight contrast; Translation: “and/now/however”; Notes: Typically second position in clause; here soft narrative linker.
  3. anima — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun of the ablative absolute with “Egrediente”; Translation: “soul”; Notes: Ablative of attendant circumstance within absolute phrase.
  4. præ — Lemma: prae; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces cause; Translation: “because of”; Notes: Classical spelling “prae”; causal preposition taking ablative “dolore.”
  5. dolore — Lemma: dolor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of præ (cause); Translation: “pain”; Notes: Gives reason for the departing soul.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links two ablative absolute phrases; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive coordination.
  7. imminente — Lemma: immineō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: present active participle ablative singular feminine; Function: participle in second ablative absolute with “morte”; Translation: “as (it was) approaching”; Notes: Conveys simultaneity with the first absolute phrase.
  8. iam — Lemma: iam; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: temporal intensifier; Translation: “already”; Notes: Heightens imminence of death.
  9. morte — Lemma: mors; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: noun of ablative absolute with “imminente”; Translation: “death”; Notes: Completes the absolute construction.
  10. vocavit — Lemma: vocō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of naming; Translation: “(she) called”; Notes: Takes double accusative (thing named + name).
  11. nomen — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: internal object with verbs of naming; Translation: “name”; Notes: Part of double-accusative structure with “Benomi.”
  12. filii — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive on “nomen”; Translation: “of (her) son”; Notes: Possessive relationship to “nomen.”
  13. sui — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “filii”; Translation: “her (own)”; Notes: Reflexive to the subject (Rachel) of “vocavit.”
  14. Benomi — Lemma: Benomi; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative (name bestowed); Translation: “Benoni”; Notes: Hebrew-origin name meaning “son of my sorrow.”
  15. id — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of copula; Translation: “that”; Notes: Introduces gloss/explanation.
  16. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links id with explanatory predicate.
  17. filius — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “son”; Notes: Begins the interpretive gloss of the name.
  18. doloris — Lemma: dolor; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of sorrow”; Notes: Specifies the kind of “son.”
  19. mei — Lemma: meus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective/pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: modifies “doloris”; Translation: “my”; Notes: First-person possession within the gloss (Rachel’s voice).
  20. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of “appellavit”; Translation: “father”; Notes: Refers to Jacob, contrasting Rachel’s naming.
  21. vero — Lemma: vērō; Part of Speech: adverb/particle; Form: indeclinable; Function: contrastive marker; Translation: “however/but”; Notes: Signals alternate naming by the father.
  22. appellavit — Lemma: appellō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of naming; Translation: “(he) called”; Notes: Also governs double accusative (person + name).
  23. eum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: direct object (the one named); Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to the newborn son.
  24. Beniamin — Lemma: Beniamin; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: predicate accusative (name bestowed); Translation: “Benjamin”; Notes: Hebrew-origin name reinterpreting destiny/esteem.
  25. id — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative/accusative singular neuter; Function: subject of copula (second gloss); Translation: “that”; Notes: Opens explanatory formula again.
  26. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Links pronoun with predicate.
  27. filius — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative in gloss; Translation: “son”; Notes: Parallel structure to prior gloss.
  28. dextræ — Lemma: dextra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: dependent genitive; Translation: “of (the) right hand”; Notes: Idiom of favor/strength; explains semantic of “Beniamin.”

 

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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