Genesis 41:2

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:2 de quo ascendebant septem boves, pulchræ et crassæ nimis: et pascebantur in locis palustribus.

from which seven cows were coming up, exceedingly beautiful and fat, and they were grazing in the marshy places.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 de from PREP+ABL
2 quo which PRON.ABL.SG.M/N
3 ascendebant were ascending V.3PL.IMPF.IND.ACT
4 septem seven NUM.INDECL
5 boves cows NOUN.NOM.PL.M/F
6 pulchræ beautiful ADJ.NOM.PL.F
7 et and CONJ
8 crassæ fat ADJ.NOM.PL.F
9 nimis very ADV
10 et and CONJ
11 pascebantur were grazing V.3PL.IMPF.IND.PASS (DEPONENT MEANING)
12 in in PREP+ABL
13 locis places NOUN.ABL.PL.M
14 palustribus marshy ADJ.ABL.PL.M

Syntax

Relative clause:
de quo ascendebant septem boves — “from which seven cows were coming up.”
• de quo: ablative relative pronoun referring to the river.
• ascendebant: imperfect describing repeated/ongoing action.
• septem boves: compound subject.

Description of subject:
pulchræ et crassæ nimis — “exceedingly beautiful and fat.”
• Two coordinated predicate adjectives modifying boves.

Main descriptive clause:
et pascebantur in locis palustribus — “and they were grazing in marshy places.”
• pascebantur: deponent form, active meaning “were grazing.”
• in locis palustribus: ablative of place.

Morphology

  1. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: expresses origin; Translation: “from”; Notes: Common with verbs of motion.
  2. quo — Lemma: qui; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: ablative singular masculine/neuter; Function: introduces relative clause; Translation: “which”; Notes: Refers to the Nile.
  3. ascendebant — Lemma: ascendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect indicative active; Function: main verb of relative clause; Translation: “were ascending”; Notes: Imperfect describes continuous rising from the river.
  4. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies boves; Translation: “seven”; Notes: Standard numeral.
  5. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural masculine/feminine; Function: subject; Translation: “cows”; Notes: Refers to female cattle in context.
  6. pulchræ — Lemma: pulcher; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “beautiful”; Notes: Agrees with boves.
  7. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: connects adjectives; Translation: “and”; Notes: Coordination.
  8. crassæ — Lemma: crassus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective; Translation: “fat”; Notes: Emphasizes abundance.
  9. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: modifies crassæ; Translation: “exceedingly”; Notes: Intensifier.
  10. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: indeclinable; Function: links clauses; Translation: “and”; Notes: Connects description with action.
  11. pascebantur — Lemma: pascor; Part of Speech: deponent verb; Form: 3rd plural imperfect indicative passive (active meaning); Function: verb of main descriptive clause; Translation: “were grazing”; Notes: Deponent: passive form, active meaning.
  12. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative expression; Translation: “in”; Notes: Standard place-where use.
  13. locis — Lemma: locus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “places”; Notes: Ablative of location.
  14. palustribus — Lemma: palustris; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural masculine; Function: modifies locis; Translation: “marshy”; Notes: Indicates location typical of the Nile marshlands.

 

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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