Genesis 46:15

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:15 Hi filii Liæ quos genuit in Mesopotamia Syriæ cum Dina filia sua. omnes animæ filiorum eius et filiarum, triginta tres.

These are the sons of Lia whom she bore in Mesopotamia of Syria with Dina her daughter. All the souls of her sons and daughters were thirty-three.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Hi these NOM.PL.M
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 Liæ of Leah GEN.SG.F
4 quos whom ACC.PL.M.REL
5 genuit bore 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 in in PREP+ABL
7 Mesopotamia Mesopotamia (Paddan) ABL.SG.F
8 Syriæ of Syria (Aram) GEN.SG.F
9 cum with PREP+ABL
10 Dina Dinah ABL.SG.F
11 filia daughter ABL.SG.F
12 sua her ABL.SG.F.POSS
13 omnes all NOM.PL.F
14 animæ souls NOM.PL.F
15 filiorum of the sons GEN.PL.M
16 eius her GEN.SG
17 et and CONJ
18 filiarum of the daughters GEN.PL.F
19 triginta thirty INDECL.NUM
20 tres three NOM.PL

Syntax

Main Clause: Hi filii Liæ forms the subject + noun + genitive construction meaning “These are the sons of Lia.”
Relative Clause: quos genuit in Mesopotamia Syriæ modifies filii, with quos as relative object and genuit as the verb.
Prepositional Phrase: cum Dina filia sua adds accompanying detail, with all terms in the ablative.
Second Independent Statement: omnes animæ… triginta tres forms a complete clause meaning “all the souls… were thirty-three,” with animæ as subject and the number as the predicate.

Morphology

  1. Hi — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: subject of clause; Translation: “these”; Notes: refers to the list of sons previously named.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate nominative with Hi; Translation: “sons”; Notes: forms the core of the genealogical statement.
  3. Liæ — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of relationship; Translation: “of Lia”; Notes: identifies the maternal lineage.
  4. quos — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of genuit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: agrees with filii in gender and number.
  5. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative third singular; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “bore”; Notes: describes Lia’s bearing of these sons.
  6. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces place of action; Translation: “in”; Notes: locative sense.
  7. Mesopotamia — Lemma: Mesopotamia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “Mesopotamia”; Notes: geographical specification.
  8. Syriæ — Lemma: Syria; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of description (“of Syria”); Translation: “of Syria”; Notes: distinguishes this Mesopotamia from others.
  9. cum — Lemma: cum; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces accompaniment; Translation: “with”; Notes: standard comitative sense.
  10. Dina — Lemma: Dina; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of cum; Translation: “Dina”; Notes: the daughter of Lia.
  11. filia — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: apposition to Dina; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: explains who Dina is.
  12. sua — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies filia; Translation: “her”; Notes: reflexively refers back to Lia.
  13. omnes — Lemma: omnis; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: modifies animæ; Translation: “all”; Notes: quantifies the total count.
  14. animæ — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of implied verb (est/erant); Translation: “souls”; Notes: idiomatic biblical expression for “persons.”
  15. filiorum — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural masculine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the sons”; Notes: relates to the counted persons.
  16. eius — Lemma: eius; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: genitive singular (m/f/n identical); Function: genitive modifying filiorum (and filiarum); Translation: “her”; Notes: refers again to Lia.
  17. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: joins filiorum and filiarum; Translation: “and”; Notes: creates a combined genitive phrase.
  18. filiarum — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive plural feminine; Function: genitive of possession; Translation: “of the daughters”; Notes: completes the set whose total is counted.
  19. triginta — Lemma: triginta; Part of Speech: indeclinable numeral; Form: invariable; Function: part of predicate numeral; Translation: “thirty”; Notes: biblical numeric total.
  20. tres — Lemma: tres; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: nominative plural; Function: completes the predicate numeral; Translation: “three”; Notes: yields total of 33 persons.

 

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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