Genesis 41:18

Posted on February 10, 2006 by Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus

Gn 41:18 et septem boves de amne conscendere, pulchras nimis, et obesis carnibus: quæ in pastu paludis virecta carpebant.

and seven cows were rising up from the river, exceedingly beautiful and with fat flesh, and in the pasture of the marsh they were grazing green plants.

# Latin Gloss Grammar Tag
1 et and CONJ
2 septem seven NUM.INVAR
3 boves cows NOM.PL.F
4 de from PREP+ABL
5 amne river ABL.SG.M
6 conscendere to ascend PRES.ACT.INF
7 pulchras beautiful ACC.PL.F
8 nimis exceedingly ADV
9 et and CONJ
10 obesis fat ABL.PL.F
11 carnibus flesh ABL.PL.F
12 quae which REL.PRON.NOM.PL.F
13 in in PREP+ABL
14 pastu pasture ABL.SG.M
15 paludis of the marsh GEN.SG.F
16 virecta green plants ACC.PL.N
17 carpebant they were grazing 3PL.IMPFT.ACT.IND

Syntax

Main Structure:
Verb (infinitive of reported vision): conscendere — governs the earlier perception (“to see seven cows rising”).
Subject of infinitive: septem boves — the cows performing the action.
Prepositional phrase: de amne — source of their motion (“from the river”).

Description of the cows:
• pulchras nimis — a predicate accusative describing their appearance.
• obesis carnibus — ablative of description detailing their physical condition.

Relative clause: quae in pastu paludis virecta carpebant
Relative pronoun: quae — refers to the cows.
Verb: carpebant — “were grazing / plucking.”
Object: virecta — “green plants.”
Prepositional phrase: in pastu paludis — specifying location in which they grazed.

Morphology

  1. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links this action with the prior narrative; Translation: “and”; Notes: standard connective in narrative.
  2. septem — Lemma: septem; Part of Speech: numeral; Form: indeclinable; Function: numeral modifying boves; Translation: “seven”; Notes: invariant form for cardinal number.
  3. boves — Lemma: bos; Part of Speech: noun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of the infinitive conscendere; Translation: “cows”; Notes: in context refers to female cattle.
  4. de — Lemma: de; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces source; Translation: “from”; Notes: indicates movement out of.
  5. amne — Lemma: amnis; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of de; Translation: “river”; Notes: ablative expresses origin.
  6. conscendere — Lemma: conscendo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: present active infinitive; Function: infinitive in indirect discourse; Translation: “to rise up”; Notes: part of the dream description.
  7. pulchras — Lemma: pulcher; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: accusative plural feminine; Function: predicate adjective modifying boves; Translation: “beautiful”; Notes: agrees in case, number, gender.
  8. nimis — Lemma: nimis; Part of Speech: adverb; Form: indeclinable; Function: intensifier of pulchras; Translation: “exceedingly”; Notes: common emphatic adverb.
  9. et — Lemma: et; Part of Speech: conjunction; Form: coordinating conjunction; Function: links paired qualities; Translation: “and”; Notes: additive.
  10. obesis — Lemma: obēsus; Part of Speech: adjective; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of description with carnibus; Translation: “fat”; Notes: describes physical condition.
  11. carnibus — Lemma: caro; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative plural feminine; Function: ablative of description modifying boves; Translation: “flesh”; Notes: expresses bodily quality.
  12. quae — Lemma: qui, quae, quod; Part of Speech: relative pronoun; Form: nominative plural feminine; Function: subject of carpebant; Translation: “which”; Notes: agrees with boves.
  13. in — Lemma: in; Part of Speech: preposition; Form: governs ablative; Function: introduces locative phrase; Translation: “in”; Notes: static location sense.
  14. pastu — Lemma: pastus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: ablative singular masculine; Function: object of in; Translation: “pasture”; Notes: ablative of place.
  15. paludis — Lemma: palus; Part of Speech: noun; Form: genitive singular feminine; Function: modifies pastu; Translation: “of the marsh”; Notes: genitive of specification.
  16. virecta — Lemma: virectum; Part of Speech: noun; Form: accusative plural neuter; Function: object of carpebant; Translation: “green plants”; Notes: vegetation term, often for lush growth.
  17. carpebant — Lemma: carpo; Part of Speech: verb; Form: imperfect active indicative third person plural; Function: verb of relative clause; Translation: “they were grazing / plucking”; Notes: imperfect expresses continuous action.

 

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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