Genesis 36:32

Posted on February 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 36:32 Bela filius Beor, nomenque urbis eius Denaba.

Bela, the son of Beor; and the name of his city was Denaba.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Bela Bela PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M
2 filius son NOUN.NOM.SG.M
3 Beor of Beor PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.M
4 nomenque and the name NOUN.NOM.SG.N + ENCLITIC
5 urbis of the city NOUN.GEN.SG.F
6 eius of him / his PRON.PERS.GEN.SG.M
7 Denaba Dinhabah PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F

Syntax

Nominal Clause 1: Bela filius Beor —
The nominative Bela serves as the subject, and filius Beor (“son of Beor”) functions as an appositive phrase describing lineage, a standard genealogical form.

Nominal Clause 2: nomenque urbis eius Denaba —
The enclitic -que joins this second statement to the first. nomen is the subject, urbis eius is a genitive phrase meaning “of his city,” and Denaba is the predicate nominative (“was Dinhabah”).

Morphology

  1. Bela — Lemma: Bela; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: “Bela”; Notes: Identified as the first Edomite king following genealogical order in Genesis 36.
  2. filius — Lemma: fīlius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive to Bela; Translation: “son”; Notes: Denotes descent; standard Semitic-style genealogy.
  3. Beor — Lemma: Beor; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive genitive modifying filius; Translation: “of Beor”; Notes: Indicates Bela’s father; name reappears in prophetic lineages.
  4. nomenque — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun + enclitic; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject of second clause; Translation: “and the name”; Notes: Enclitic -que links this phrase with the prior statement, maintaining genealogical flow.
  5. urbis — Lemma: urbs; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive genitive modifying nomen; Translation: “of the city”; Notes: Refers to the capital associated with the Edomite king’s rule.
  6. eius — Lemma: is, ea, id; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular masculine; Function: possessive pronoun modifying urbis; Translation: “of him / his”; Notes: Refers to Bela as the antecedent.
  7. Denaba — Lemma: Denaba; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: predicate nominative of nomen; Translation: “Dinhabah”; Notes: Identifies the royal city of Bela in the Edomite territory.

 

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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