Genesis 36:40

Posted on February 5, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 36:40 Hæc ergo nomina ducum Esau in cognationibus, et locis, et vocabulis suis: dux Thamna, dux Alva, dux Ietheth,

These then are the names of the dukes of Esau, in their families, and in their places, and in their names: duke Thamna, duke Alva, duke Jetheth,

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hæc these PRON.DEM.NOM.PL.N
2 ergo therefore / then ADV
3 nomina names NOUN.NOM.PL.N
4 ducum of the dukes NOUN.GEN.PL.M
5 Esau of Esau PROP.NOUN.GEN.SG.M
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 cognationibus families NOUN.ABL.PL.F
8 et and CONJ
9 locis places NOUN.ABL.PL.M
10 et and CONJ
11 vocabulis names / designations NOUN.ABL.PL.N
12 suis their own PRON.POSS.ABL.PL.M/N
13 dux duke / chief NOUN.NOM.SG.M
14 Thamna Timna PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F
15 dux duke / chief NOUN.NOM.SG.M
16 Alva Alvah PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.F
17 dux duke / chief NOUN.NOM.SG.M
18 Ietheth Jetheth PROP.NOUN.NOM.SG.M

Syntax

Main Clause: Hæc ergo nomina ducum Esau —
The demonstrative pronoun Hæc (neuter plural) serves as the subject, referring to “these things” or “these names.” Nomina is the predicate nominative agreeing with hæc. The genitive phrase ducum Esau specifies possession, meaning “the names of the chiefs of Esau.”

Prepositional Phrases: in cognationibus, et locis, et vocabulis suis —
Three coordinated ablative phrases introduced by in describe the organizational or territorial divisions of Esau’s descendants — “in their families, in their places, and in their names.”

Appositional Series: dux Thamna, dux Alva, dux Ietheth —
Each phrase begins with dux (“chief”) followed by a proper name, indicating specific clan leaders.

Morphology

  1. Hæc — Lemma: hic, haec, hoc; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun (pronominal adjective); Form: nominative plural neuter (agreeing with nomina); Function: determiner within the subject noun phrase; Translation: “these”; Notes: Deictic element pointing ahead to the enumerated names; syntactically pairs with nomina as “these names.”
  2. ergo — Lemma: ergō; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: discourse connective signaling summary/transition; Translation: “then / therefore”; Notes: Common Vulgate connective marking a shift from genealogy to titled list.
  3. nomina — Lemma: nōmen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural neuter; Function: grammatical subject; Translation: “names”; Notes: Head of the subject phrase; in apposition to the series that follows after the colon.
  4. ducum — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: possessive/partitive genitive modifying nomina; Translation: “of the chiefs”; Notes: Specifies that the names belong to clan-leaders (Heb. ’allūfīm conceptually).
  5. Esau — Lemma: Esau; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular masculine (indeclinable form used); Function: dependent genitive on ducum; Translation: “of Esau”; Notes: Establishes genealogical provenance: these chiefs descend from Esau.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces three coordinated ablative phrases; Translation: “in / by / according to”; Notes: Here indicates categorization (“by families, places, and titles”).
  7. cognationibus — Lemma: cognātiō; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “families / clans”; Notes: Kinship groupings as one axis of organization.
  8. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links coordinated ablative complements; Translation: “and”; Notes: Polysyndeton for rhythmic enumeration.
  9. locis — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural (masculine); Function: second object of in; Translation: “places / territories”; Notes: Territorial division as another organizing axis.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links third ablative complement; Translation: “and”; Notes: Continues the coordinated series.
  11. vocabulis — Lemma: vocābulum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural neuter; Function: third object of in; Translation: “names / designations / titles”; Notes: Denotes distinctive clan titles or appellations.
  12. suis — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: ablative plural agreeing with the coordinated nouns; Function: possessive modifier of cognationibus, locis, vocabulis; Translation: “their own”; Notes: Refers back to Esau’s descendants; agrees collectively with the coordinated ablatives.
  13. dux — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun (title); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive head before each proper name in the list; Translation: “chief”; Notes: Title repeated before each name to mark individual clan leadership.
  14. Thamna — Lemma: Thamna; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular (feminine name); Function: apposition to dux; Translation: “Thamna”; Notes: Identifies the first named chief under Esau’s lineage.
  15. dux — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun (title); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive head for the second name; Translation: “chief”; Notes: Parallel to the first, maintaining listing symmetry.
  16. Alva — Lemma: Alva; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular (traditionally feminine in this context); Function: apposition to dux; Translation: “Alva”; Notes: Second chief/title in the series; orthography follows Clementine Vulgate.
  17. dux — Lemma: dux; Part of Speech: noun (title); Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: appositive head for the third name; Translation: “chief”; Notes: Repetition underscores separate leadership roles.
  18. Ietheth — Lemma: Ietheth; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: apposition to dux; Translation: “Jetheth”; Notes: Third named chief; completes this segment of the roster.

 

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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