Genesis 49:19

Posted on February 18, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 49:19 Gad, accinctus præliabatur ante eum: et ipse accingetur retrorsum.

Gad, girded for battle, fought before him; and he himself will gird on arms in return.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 Gad Gad PN.NOM.SG.M
2 accinctus girded PPP.NOM.SG.M
3 præliabatur was fighting V.3SG.IMP.FREQ.DEP.IND
4 ante before PREP+ACC
5 eum him PRON.ACC.SG.M
6 et and CONJ.COORD
7 ipse he himself PRON.NOM.SG.M.EMPH
8 accingetur will gird on V.3SG.FUT.PASS/DEP.IND
9 retrorsum in return / backward ADV

Syntax

Main clause: Gad accinctus præliabatur ante eum — Gad is the subject; accinctus is a participial modifier meaning “girded, armed”; præliabatur is the deponent verb “was fighting”; ante eum indicates position (“before him”).

Coordinated future clause: et ipse accingetur retrorsum — ipse gives emphasis (“he himself”); accingetur is future, deponent/passive in form but active in meaning; retrorsum modifies the action and can mean “in response,” “in return,” or “backward.”

Morphology

  1. Gad — Lemma: Gad; Part of Speech: proper noun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: subject; Translation: Gad; Notes: tribal patriarch.
  2. accinctus — Lemma: accingo; Part of Speech: participle; Form: perfect passive participle nominative singular masculine; Function: describes Gad; Translation: girded/armed; Notes: portrays readiness for battle.
  3. præliabatur — Lemma: prælior; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd singular imperfect indicative; Function: main verbal action; Translation: he was fighting; Notes: deponent = passive form, active meaning.
  4. ante — Lemma: ante; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs accusative; Function: spatial marker; Translation: before; Notes: expresses tactical position.
  5. eum — Lemma: is; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: accusative singular masculine; Function: object of ante; Translation: him; Notes: likely refers to a leader or foe.
  6. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: invariant; Function: coordinates clauses; Translation: and; Notes: simple additive connector.
  7. ipse — Lemma: ipse; Part of Speech: pronoun; Form: nominative singular masculine; Function: emphatic subject; Translation: he himself; Notes: heightens emphasis.
  8. accingetur — Lemma: accingo; Part of Speech: deponent verb (passive in form, active in meaning); Form: 3rd singular future indicative; Function: future action; Translation: he will gird on (arms); Notes: expresses readiness for a future confrontation.
  9. retrorsum — Lemma: retrorsum; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: invariant; Function: modifies accingetur; Translation: backward / in return; Notes: idiomatically indicates retaliation or counteraction.

 

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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