Genesis 36:19

Posted on February 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 36:19 Isti sunt filii Esau, et hi duces eorum: ipse est Edom.

These are the sons of Esau, and these are their dukes: he is Edom.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Isti these PRON.DEM.NOM.PL.M
2 sunt are V.3PL.PRES.ACT.IND
3 filii sons NOUN.NOM.PL.M
4 Esau of Esau PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.M
5 et and CONJ
6 hi these PRON.DEM.NOM.PL.M
7 duces dukes/chiefs NOUN.NOM.PL.M
8 eorum of them / their PRON.PERS.GEN.PL.M
9 ipse he himself PRON.DEM.NOM.SG.M
10 est is V.3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
11 Edom Edom PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Clause 1: Isti sunt filii Esau — subject Isti (“these”), copula sunt, predicate nominative filii with genitive Esau (“These are the sons of Esau”).
Clause 2: et hi duces eorum — coordinated clause with hi as subject, duces as predicate nominative, and eorum (“of them”) marking possession (“and these are their chiefs”).
Clause 3: ipse est Edom — emphatic identification using ipse (“he himself”), linking Esau with Edom.

Morphology

  1. Isti — Lemma: iste, ista, istud; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of sunt; Translation: “these”; Notes: Refers collectively to Esau’s sons just enumerated.
  2. sunt — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person plural present indicative active; Function: copula linking Isti with filii; Translation: “are”; Notes: Equative structure identifying the group.
  3. filii — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “sons”; Notes: Core predicate identifying Esau’s descendants.
  4. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of Esau”; Notes: Denotes paternal lineage.
  5. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: joins the second clause; Translation: “and”; Notes: Links coordinate predications of descent and leadership.
  6. hi — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of understood sunt; Translation: “these”; Notes: Introduces second predicate structure parallel to first.
  7. duces — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “chiefs”; Notes: Refers to tribal leaders among Esau’s sons.
  8. eorum — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: personal/demonstrative pronoun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of them / their”; Notes: Links chiefs to Esau’s descendants.
  9. ipse — Lemma: ipse, ipsa, ipsum; Part of Speech: intensive pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “he himself”; Notes: Used emphatically to assert identification of Esau with Edom.
  10. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular present indicative active; Function: copula; Translation: “is”; Notes: Establishes identity statement.
  11. Edom — Lemma: Edom; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Edom”; Notes: Final identification equating Esau with the nation of Edom.

 

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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