Genesis 48:7

Posted on February 17, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 48:7 Mihi enim, quando veniebam de Mesopotamia, mortua est Rachel in terra Chanaan in ipso itinere, eratque vernum tempus: et ingrediebar Ephratam, et sepelivi eam iuxta viam Ephratæ, quæ alio nomine appellatur Bethlehem.

For to me, when I was coming from Mesopotamia, Rachel died in the land of Chanaan on the journey itself, and it was springtime. And I was going toward Ephrata, and I buried her beside the way of Ephrata,” which is called by another name Bethlehem.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Mihi to me DAT.SG.PRON
2 enim for ADV
3 quando when CONJ
4 veniebam I was coming 1SG.IMP.ACT.IND
5 de from PREP+ABL
6 Mesopotamia Paddan ABL.SG.F.PROP
7 mortua died NOM.SG.F.PTCP.PERF.PASS
8 est she is 3SG.PRES.ACT.IND
9 Rachel Rachel NOM.SG.F.PROP
10 in in PREP+ABL
11 terra land ABL.SG.F
12 Chanaan Canaan ABL.SG.F.PROP
13 in on PREP+ABL
14 ipso the very ABL.SG.M.DEM
15 itinere journey ABL.SG.N
16 eratque and it was 3SG.IMP.ACT.IND + ENCLITIC -QUE
17 vernum spring ACC.SG.N.ADJ
18 tempus season NOM.SG.N
19 et and CONJ
20 ingrediebar I was going toward 1SG.IMP.DEP.IND
21 Ephratam Ephrath ACC.SG.F.PROP
22 et and CONJ
23 sepelivi I buried 1SG.PERF.ACT.IND
24 eam her ACC.SG.F.PRON
25 iuxta beside PREP+ACC
26 viam the way ACC.SG.F
27 Ephratæ of Ephrath GEN.SG.F.PROP
28 quæ which NOM.SG.F.REL
29 alio by another ABL.SG.N.ADJ
30 nomine name ABL.SG.N
31 appellatur is called 3SG.PRES.PASS.IND
32 Bethlehem Bethlehem NOM.SG.N.PROP

Syntax

Dative of reference:
Mihi enim — “For to me” introduces Jacob’s personal recollection.

Temporal clause:
quando veniebam de Mesopotamia — “when I was coming from Mesopotamia”
• imperfect expresses continuous past action

Main clause of event:
mortua est Rachel — “Rachel died”
• perfect passive periphrastic construction

Locative expression:
in terra Chanaan — “in the land of Chanaan”

Intensified location:
in ipso itinere — “on the very journey”

Coordinated clause:
eratque vernum tempus — “and it was springtime”

Imperfect of motion:
ingrediebar Ephratam — “I was going toward Ephrata”
• deponent verb

Perfect narrative action:
sepelivi eam — “I buried her”

Prepositional phrase:
iuxta viam Ephratæ — “beside the way of Ephrata”

Relative clause:
quæ alio nomine appellatur Bethlehem
• renaming formula, common for geographic identifiers

Morphology

  1. Mihi — Lemma: ego; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: dative singular; Function: dative of reference; Translation: “to me”; Notes: Introduces personal narrative.
  2. enim — Lemma: enim; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: postpositive; Function: explanatory connector; Translation: “for”; Notes: Never begins sentence in Latin.
  3. quando — Lemma: quando; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: temporal; Function: introduces time clause; Translation: “when”; Notes: Common narrative marker.
  4. veniebam — Lemma: venio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative first singular; Function: sets background action; Translation: “I was coming”; Notes: Imperfect continuous action.
  5. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Standard ablative use.
  6. Mesopotamia — Lemma: Mesopotamia; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of de; Translation: “Mesopotamia”; Notes: Geographic region.
  7. mortua — Lemma: morior; Part of Speech: participle; Form: nominative singular feminine perfect passive participle; Function: predicate participle; Translation: “died”; Notes: Deponent in form but passive morphology remains.
  8. est — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active indicative third singular; Function: auxiliary; Translation: “is”; Notes: Makes perfect periphrastic.
  9. Rachel — Lemma: Rachel; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “Rachel”; Notes: Wife of Jacob.
  10. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “in”; Notes: Locative.
  11. terra — Lemma: terra; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: object of in; Translation: “land”; Notes: Geographic region.
  12. Chanaan — Lemma: Chanaan; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: ablative singular feminine; Function: modifies terra; Translation: “Chanaan”; Notes: Region name.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: location; Translation: “on”; Notes: Repetition intensifies location.
  14. ipso — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: demonstrative adjective; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: intensifier; Translation: “the very”; Notes: Strengthens emphasis.
  15. itinere — Lemma: iter; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: object of in; Translation: “journey”; Notes: Means “route.”
  16. eratque — Lemma: sum; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third singular with enclitic -que; Function: coordinated clause; Translation: “and it was”; Notes: -que joins to previous clause.
  17. vernum — Lemma: vernus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative singular neuter; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “spring”; Notes: Refers to season.
  18. tempus — Lemma: tempus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: subject; Translation: “season”; Notes: Follows predicate adjective.
  19. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Narrative sequence.
  20. ingrediebar — Lemma: ingredior; Part of Speech: verb (deponent); Form: imperfect indicative first singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I was going toward”; Notes: Deponent with active meaning.
  21. Ephratam — Lemma: Ephrata; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of motion; Translation: “Ephrata”; Notes: Exact form used as input.
  22. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating; Function: connects verbs; Translation: “and”; Notes: Sequential action.
  23. sepelivi — Lemma: sepelio; Part of Speech: verb; Form: perfect active indicative first singular; Function: main verb; Translation: “I buried”; Notes: Completed action.
  24. eam — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: direct object; Translation: “her”; Notes: Refers to Rachel.
  25. iuxta — Lemma: iuxta; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: expresses proximity; Translation: “beside”; Notes: Spatial relation.
  26. viam — Lemma: via; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative singular feminine; Function: object of iuxta; Translation: “way”; Notes: Roadside burial custom.
  27. Ephratæ — Lemma: Ephrata; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: possessive; Translation: “of Ephrata”; Notes: Exact form you input.
  28. quæ — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative singular feminine; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to Ephrata.
  29. alio — Lemma: alius; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of manner or respect; Translation: “by another”; Notes: Part of naming formula.
  30. nomine — Lemma: nomen; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular neuter; Function: ablative of respect; Translation: “name”; Notes: Completion of idiom.
  31. appellatur — Lemma: appello; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present passive indicative third singular; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “is called”; Notes: Naming formula.
  32. Bethlehem — Lemma: Bethlehem; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular neuter; Function: predicate nominative; Translation: “Bethlehem”; Notes: Exact spelling you input.

 

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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