Genesis 35:5

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:5 Cumque profecti essent, terror Dei invasit omnes per circuitum civitates, et non sunt ausi persequi recedentes.

And when they had set out, the terror of God fell upon all the cities round about, and they did not dare to pursue the ones withdrawing.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Cumque and when CONJ+ENCL
2 profecti having set out PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.PL.M
3 essent they were (had) 3PL.IMPF.ACT.SUBJ (AUX)
4 terror terror NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 Dei of God NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 invasit fell upon 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
7 omnes all ADJ.ACC.PL.F
8 per through/around PREP+ACC
9 circuitum circuit/round about NOUN.ACC.SG.M
10 civitates cities NOUN.ACC.PL.F
11 et and CONJ
12 non not ADV
13 sunt they are (were) 3PL.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
14 ausi having dared PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.PL.M
15 persequi to pursue INF.PRES.DEP
16 recedentes those withdrawing PART.PRES.ACT.ACC.PL.M

Syntax

Temporal Clause: Cumque profecti essent — circumstantial setting (“and when they had set out”), with profecti (nom. pl.) + auxiliary essent (imperfect subj.).
Main Clause: terror Dei (subject + dependent genitive) + invasit (verb) + omnes … civitates (direct object) with adverbial phrase per circuitum (“round about”).
Coordinated Result/Continuation: et non sunt ausi persequi recedentes — periphrastic perfect of the semi-deponent audeo (“did not dare”) + complementary infinitive persequi, object expressed by participial phrase recedentes (“those withdrawing”).

Morphology

  1. Cumque — Lemma: cum + -que; Part of Speech: conjunction with enclitic; Form: simple connective; Function: introduces temporal clause and links with prior context; Translation: “and when”; Notes: -que enclitic coordinates this clause to the previous narrative unit.
  2. profecti — Lemma: proficīscor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent), participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative plural masculine; Function: logical subject within the temporal clause; Translation: “having set out”; Notes: Deponent: perfect participle + sum gives pluperfect sense with subjunctive auxiliary.
  3. essent — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: imperfect active subjunctive 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary in periphrastic pluperfect; Translation: “(they) had”; Notes: Subjunctive required by temporal cum-clause.
  4. terror — Lemma: terror; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “terror”; Notes: Governs the verb “invasit.”
  5. Dei — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: dependent genitive (of source/possession); Translation: “of God”; Notes: Not “Dominus”; your LORD/Lord rule is not engaged here.
  6. invasit — Lemma: invādō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular; Function: main predicate; Translation: “fell upon/attacked”; Notes: Perfective aspect marks a decisive event.
  7. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective/pronominal; Form: accusative plural feminine (agreeing with “civitates”); Function: determiner of totality; Translation: “all”; Notes: Emphasizes universal scope.
  8. per — Lemma: per; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: introduces adverbial phrase of extent; Translation: “through/around”; Notes: Spatial extension.
  9. circuitum — Lemma: circuitus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of “per”; Translation: “circuit/round about”; Notes: Specifies the surrounding area.
  10. civitates — Lemma: cīvitās; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: direct object (with “invasit” by sense, and within the “per circuitum” phrase as the affected set); Translation: “cities”; Notes: The nearby settlements.
  11. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Smoothly continues the narrative.
  12. non — Lemma: nōn; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: negative particle; Function: negates periphrastic predicate; Translation: “not”; Notes: Direct negation of “sunt ausi.”
  13. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: present active indicative 3rd plural; Function: auxiliary with perfect participle; Translation: “(they) have/are”; Notes: With deponent participle forms the perfect: “did not dare.”
  14. ausi — Lemma: audeō; Part of Speech: verb (semi-deponent), participle; Form: perfect deponent participle nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate with “sunt”; Translation: “(have) dared”; Notes: Periphrastic perfect = “they did not dare.”
  15. persequi — Lemma: persequor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: present deponent infinitive; Function: complementary infinitive to “sunt ausi”; Translation: “to pursue”; Notes: Deponent infinitive with active meaning.
  16. recedentes — Lemma: recēdō; Part of Speech: verb, participle; Form: present active participle accusative plural masculine; Function: object of the infinitive “persequi”; Translation: “those withdrawing”; Notes: Refers contextually to Jacob’s party who are departing.

 

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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