Genesis 35:9

Posted on February 4, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 35:9 Apparuit autem iterum Deus Iacob postquam reversus est de Mespotamia Syriæ, benedixitque ei,

And God appeared again to Jacob after he had returned from Mesopotamia of Syria, and He blessed him,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Apparuit appeared 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem however/and CONJ
3 iterum again ADV
4 Deus God NOUN.NOM.SG.M
5 Iacob Jacob PROP.NOUN.DAT.SG.M
6 postquam after CONJ
7 reversus had returned PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
8 est was (had) 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND (AUX)
9 de from PREP+ABL
10 Mesopotamia Paddan PROP.NOUN.ABL.SG.F
11 Syriæ of Syria (Aram) NOUN.GEN.SG.F
12 benedixitque and He blessed 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND + ENCL -QUE
13 ei him PRON.DAT.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Apparuit autem iterum Deus Iacob — the subject Deus and verb Apparuit form the main clause; Iacob is the dative of reference (“to Jacob”).
Temporal Clause: postquam reversus est de Mesopotamia Syriæ — subordinate clause describing the time of the appearance (“after he had returned from Mesopotamia of Syria”).
Coordinated Clause: benedixitque ei — perfect active verb joined with -que, forming “and He blessed him,” continuing the divine action.

Morphology

  1. Apparuit — Lemma: appareō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd person singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “appeared”; Notes: Describes divine manifestation to Jacob.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: postpositive particle; Function: marks continuation with contrastive nuance; Translation: “and/again/however”; Notes: Stylistic connective common in narrative transitions.
  3. iterum — Lemma: iterum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: simple; Function: modifies “Apparuit”; Translation: “again”; Notes: Indicates recurrence of divine appearance.
  4. Deus — Lemma: Deus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “God”; Notes: Refers to YHWH as the one appearing to Jacob.
  5. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object; Translation: “to Jacob”; Notes: The recipient of the theophany.
  6. postquam — Lemma: postquam; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: subordinating; Function: introduces temporal clause; Translation: “after”; Notes: Governs a finite verb in indicative.
  7. reversus — Lemma: revertor; Part of Speech: verb (deponent participle); Form: perfect deponent participle nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate participle with auxiliary; Translation: “had returned”; Notes: Forms perfect tense with “est.”
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb (auxiliary); Form: present indicative active, 3rd singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “was/has”; Notes: Auxiliary for deponent verb in perfect sense.
  9. de — Lemma: dē; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces source phrase; Translation: “from”; Notes: Marks place of departure.
  10. Mesopotamia — Lemma: Mesopotamia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of “de”; Translation: “Mesopotamia”; Notes: Region between the rivers; geographic reference.
  11. Syriæ — Lemma: Syria; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive modifier of “Mesopotamia”; Translation: “of Syria”; Notes: Distinguishes Mesopotamia from other regions.
  12. benedixitque — Lemma: benedīcō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative 3rd singular with enclitic -que; Function: main verb of coordinated clause; Translation: “and He blessed”; Notes: Common formula for divine favor following theophany.
  13. ei — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular masculine; Function: indirect object of “benedixit”; Translation: “him”; Notes: Refers to Jacob as the blessed recipient.

 

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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