Genesis 35:19

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:19 Mortua est ergo Rachel, et sepulta est in via quæ ducit Ephratam, hæc est Bethlehem.

Therefore Rachel died, and she was buried on the way that leads to Ephrata, this is Bethlehem.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mortua died PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
2 est was / has been 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND (AUX)
3 ergo therefore ADV
4 Rachel Rachel PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F
5 et and CONJ
6 sepulta was buried PART.PERF.PASS.NOM.SG.F
7 est was / has been 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND (AUX)
8 in in / on PREP+ABL
9 via road / way NOUN.ABL.SG.F
10 quæ which PRON.REL.NOM.SG.F
11 ducit leads 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
12 Ephratam Ephrath PROP.NOUN.ACC.SG.F
13 hæc this PRON.NOM.SG.F
14 est is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
15 Bethlehem Bethlehem PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: Mortua est ergo Rachel — periphrastic perfect passive construction: participle Mortua with auxiliary est; Rachel is subject; ergo serves as connective adverb.
Main Clause 2: et sepulta est in via quæ ducit Ephratam — coordinate clause introduced by et, with another periphrastic verb sepulta est meaning “was buried.” The prepositional phrase in via defines location, and relative clause quæ ducit Ephratam modifies “via.”
Appositional Clause: hæc est Bethlehem — identifies Ephratam with Bethlehem through demonstrative pronoun hæc (“this [place]”).

Morphology

  1. Mortua — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular feminine; Function: part of periphrastic construction with “est”; Translation: “died”; Notes: Deponent in form but passive in meaning; agrees with Rachel.
  2. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: forms compound perfect; Translation: “was”; Notes: Completes periphrastic passive sense.
  3. ergo — Lemma: ergō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: logical connective; Translation: “therefore”; Notes: Introduces narrative consequence.
  4. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of both verbs “Mortua est” and “sepulta est”; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: Hebrew origin name meaning “ewe.”
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects sequential actions; Translation: “and”; Notes: Simple additive coordination.
  6. sepulta — Lemma: sepeliō; Part of Speech: verb (participle); Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular feminine; Function: part of periphrastic passive; Translation: “was buried”; Notes: Indicates completed burial action.
  7. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: forms periphrastic passive with sepulta; Translation: “was”; Notes: Same as previous auxiliary.
  8. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: indicates position or place; Translation: “on / in”; Notes: Introduces location of burial.
  9. via — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “road / way”; Notes: Refers to the route toward Ephratah.
  10. 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 via.
  11. ducit — Lemma: dūcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “leads”; Notes: Describes the road’s direction.
  12. Ephratam — Lemma: Ephrata; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of ducit; Translation: “Ephratah”; Notes: Ancient name of Bethlehem.
  13. hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject of est; Translation: “this”; Notes: Refers to “Ephratam.”
  14. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative 3rd singular; Function: copula linking subject and predicate; Translation: “is”; Notes: Equates Ephratam with Bethlehem.
  15. Bethlehem — Lemma: Bethlehem; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Bethlehem”; Notes: Hebrew-origin name meaning “house of bread.”

 

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.
This entry was posted in Genesis. Bookmark the permalink.

Comments are closed.