Genesis 46:18

Posted on February 15, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 46:18 hi filii Zelphæ, quam dedit Laban Liæ filiæ suæ. et hos genuit Iacob sedecim animas.

These are the sons of Zelpha, whom Laban gave to Lia his daughter. And Jacob begot these, sixteen persons.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 hi these NOM.PL.M
2 filii sons NOM.PL.M
3 Zelphæ of Zilpah GEN.SG.F
4 quam whom ACC.SG.F
5 dedit gave 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
6 Laban Laban NOM.SG.M
7 Liæ to Leah DAT.SG.F
8 filiæ daughter DAT.SG.F
9 suæ his DAT.SG.F
10 et and CONJ
11 hos these ACC.PL.M
12 genuit begot 3SG.PERF.ACT.IND
13 Iacob Jacob NOM.SG.M
14 sedecim sixteen NUM.INDECL
15 animas persons ACC.PL.F

Syntax

Main Clause 1: hi filii Zelphæ — subject phrase (“these [are] the sons of Zelpha”), with hi demonstrative and filii head noun; Zelphæ is genitive of relationship.

Relative Clause: quam dedit Laban Liæ filiæ suæ —
• quam: object of dedit, referring to Zelpha
• dedit: verb
• Laban: subject
• Liæ filiæ suæ: indirect objects (dative), “to Lia his daughter”

Main Clause 2: et hos genuit Iacob sedecim animas —
• et links to previous sentence
• hos: direct object
• genuit: verb
• Iacob: subject
• sedecim animas: object complement indicating total number begotten.

Morphology

  1. hi — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: demonstrative subject referring to the sons; Translation: “these”; Notes: points to the upcoming list of Zelpha’s sons.
  2. filii — Lemma: filius; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine; Function: predicate noun identifying who “these” are; Translation: “sons”; Notes: standard genealogical term.
  3. Zelphæ — Lemma: Zelpha; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: genitive of relationship modifying filii; Translation: “of Zelpha”; Notes: name of Lia’s handmaid.
  4. quam — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of dedit; Translation: “whom”; Notes: refers back to Zelphæ.
  5. dedit — Lemma: do; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: verb of the relative clause; Translation: “gave”; Notes: describes Laban’s transfer of Zelpha to Lia.
  6. Laban — Lemma: Laban; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of dedit; Translation: “Laban”; Notes: father of Lia and Rachel.
  7. Liæ — Lemma: Lia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: indirect object receiving Zelpha; Translation: “to Lia”; Notes: Laban gives Zelpha to her as maidservant.
  8. filiæ — Lemma: filia; Part of Speech: noun; Form: dative singular feminine; Function: apposition to Liæ; Translation: “daughter”; Notes: clarifies the familial relationship.
  9. suæ — Lemma: suus; Part of Speech: possessive adjective; Form: dative singular feminine to agree with filiæ; Function: modifies filiæ; Translation: “his”; Notes: refers to Laban.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: coordinating conjunction; Form: invariable; Function: links the second sentence to the first; Translation: “and”; Notes: signals continuation of genealogical enumeration.
  11. hos — Lemma: hic; Part of Speech: demonstrative pronoun; Form: accusative plural masculine; Function: direct object of genuit; Translation: “these”; Notes: refers to the sons born through Zelpha.
  12. genuit — Lemma: gigno; Part of Speech: verb; Form: third person singular perfect active indicative; Function: main verb; Translation: “begot”; Notes: used in genealogical contexts to denote descent.
  13. Iacob — Lemma: Iacob; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject of genuit; Translation: “Jacob”; Notes: patriarch fathering the tribes of Israel.
  14. sedecim — Lemma: sedecim; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifying animas; Translation: “sixteen”; Notes: tally of persons descended through Zelpha.
  15. animas — Lemma: anima; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: accusative of respect / count; Translation: “persons”; Notes: idiomatic biblical Latin meaning “souls/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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