Genesis 37:1

Posted on February 6, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 37:1 Habitavit autem Iacob in terra Chanaan, in qua pater suus peregrinatus est.

And Jacob lived in the land of Chanaan, where his father had sojourned.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Habitavit lived V.3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
2 autem but CONJ.ADV
3 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
4 in in PREP+ABL
5 terra land NOUN.ABL.SG.F
6 Chanaan Canaan PROP.NOUN.ABL.SG.F
7 in in PREP+ABL
8 qua where / in which PRON.REL.ABL.SG.F
9 pater father NOUN.NOM.SG.M
10 suus his own PRON.POSS.NOM.SG.M
11 peregrinatus had sojourned PART.PERF.DEP.NOM.SG.M
12 est was / had been V.3SG.PERF.IND.ACT (AUX)

Syntax

Main Clause: Habitavit autem Iacob in terra Chanaan —
The verb habitavit (“lived”) is the main predicate, with Iacob as its subject. The prepositional phrase in terra Chanaan functions adverbially, specifying location. The particle autem provides contrast or continuation from the preceding genealogy narrative (“but Jacob lived…”).

Relative Clause: in qua pater suus peregrinatus est —
The relative pronoun qua connects back to terra and introduces a subordinate clause. The perfect deponent peregrinatus est (literally “has sojourned”) forms the predicate, with pater suus as its subject, identifying the land as the same where Jacob’s father had previously resided as a foreigner.

Morphology

  1. Habitavit — Lemma: habitō; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: main verb of the sentence; Translation: “lived / dwelt”; Notes: Indicates settled habitation; contrast with peregrinatus est, which conveys temporary residence.
  2. autem — Lemma: autem; Part of Speech: conjunction/adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: adversative or transitional connector; Translation: “but / however”; Notes: Marks narrative shift from Esau’s lineage to Jacob’s story.
  3. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of habitavit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: Patriarch and son of Isaac; the narrative now turns to his dwelling.
  4. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative expression; Translation: “in”; Notes: Specifies geographic setting.
  5. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Refers to the land of divine promise.
  6. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine (indeclinable); Function: dependent noun specifying terra; Translation: “Canaan”; Notes: Ancient term for the Promised Land; contextually significant for patriarchal narratives.
  7. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces the relative clause; Translation: “in”; Notes: Precedes qua, forming the phrase “in which.”
  8. qua — Lemma: quī, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: relative pronoun referring to terra; Translation: “in which / where”; Notes: Links the subordinate clause to the main clause spatially.
  9. pater — Lemma: pater; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of peregrinatus est; Translation: “father”; Notes: Refers to Isaac, whose temporary residence contrasts with Jacob’s permanence.
  10. suus — Lemma: suus, -a, -um; Part of Speech: reflexive possessive adjective; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: modifies pater; Translation: “his own”; Notes: Reflexive to Iacob, emphasizing filial relationship.
  11. peregrinatus — Lemma: peregrinor; Part of Speech: deponent verb (participle); Form: perfect participle nominative singular masculine; Function: part of periphrastic perfect with est; Translation: “sojourned”; Notes: Indicates temporary dwelling as a foreigner; contrast with habitavit (settled residence).
  12. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: auxiliary verb; Form: 3rd person singular perfect indicative active; Function: auxiliary forming the perfect tense with peregrinatus; Translation: “was / had been”; Notes: Standard auxiliary for perfect deponent verbs in Latin.

 

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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